National News
The Federal Reserve announced June 19 that it would not make changes to targets for its key interest rate, the federal funds rate, which influences what banks charge for consumer loans including mortgages. However, in line with some projections,
In every decision they make, parents tend to make their children their top priority. The same goes for the considerations they make when shopping for a new home. More than the life of leisure that buyers without kids may
Numbers released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show that housing starts unexpectedly fell during the month of May, while building permits increased. Privately-owned housing starts dropped by 0.9 percent,
The trend toward lower mortgage rates doesn’t appear to be a short-lived phenomenon, and has already boosted loan application activity to historically high levels. As a result, lending industry executives are responding with their most optimistic outlook on the
HUD confirms ‘Dreamers’ are ineligible for FHA loans The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development confirmed for the first time that undocumented immigrants given temporary residence under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (known as Dreamers) are
A new report by home remodeling website Fixr lists the top 20 metropolitan areas in the country for the number of construction permits filed in 2018. The list includes many “usual suspects” like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago—though
Two recent measures of Americans’ confidence in the national housing market improved in the last month, showing that more homeowners as well as consumers are generally feeling more optimistic about this key segment of the U.S. economy. One of
The practice of home flipping in the U.S. declining in strict numbers, even as it grows as a share of all home sales, according to a new report on the subject by ATTOM Data Solutions. The report looked at
A new report by John Burns Real Estate Consulting attempts to quantify and forecast the real estate impact of 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and takes stock of some measurable aspects of the law’s effects about a year
Fannie, Freddie conservatorship plans in final stages Long-discussed plans to take Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of their government-controlled conservatorship status and return ownership to private shareholders may be nearly complete. The Wall Street Journal reported May 30
A surge in demand for homes combined with a widespread shortage of supply caused home prices to surge beyond the reach of many buyers in the last year. Fortunately for prospective buyers and the U.S. housing market at large,
It’s not easy to stay up-to-date on the latest in luxury real estate. The true trajectory and intensity of trends in this specialized market can be obscured by noise in the data when sample sizes or time frames are
It’s clear we’re in a transitional real estate market at the moment, but the destination isn’t quite as obvious. While this year has been notoriously difficult to predict in terms of home sales, there are three indicators that can
Ridesharing and house flipping: A perfect pair? Houses suitable for a flip can be in short supply these days, but services are sprouting up to find them using a unique business model. In a recent article, The Wall Street
While much of the buzz around the National Association of Realtors’ Legislative Meetings revolved around the fact that President Donald Trump would be the first sitting president to accept the organization’s invitation to address members in their annual pilgrimage to the
Tariffs cause growing concern in remodeling industry The escalating trade dispute between the U.S. and China continues to make headlines. While the actual effects of the new tariffs introduced by both countries are myriad, they are having a discernible
