National News

Mirroring national trend, Atlanta home sales slip in April

Existing-home sales across the U.S. declined only marginally in April compared to the prior month [while picking up steam in the Chicago metro area,] according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors. Nationally, existing-home sales finished April

Real Estate in Brief: Trump at NAR, Redfin-RE/MAX split and more

  President Trump to speak at NAR conference The National Association of Realtors announced in a May 12 press release that President Donald Trump would address attendees of its Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. this week.

Redfin unveils latest move against buyer agent commissions

Redfin has been testing a pilot program that will allow homebuyers to make offers on homes listed on its platform without an agent representing them. The program, dubbed Redfin Direct, has been in testing phases in the Boston market since

Boosting the middle class through smarter housing policy

The American middle class is considered a crucial demographic in the political, economic and social sense. But defining who, or what, is middle-class has never been easy for experts or ordinary people. Most Americans consider themselves middle-class, even if

Survey: Home sellers are confident, but need agents’ help

It turns out that sellers may need you more than you might realize. A new survey by SOLD.com found that 94 percent of home sellers are confident about selling their home, yet over half are unfamiliar with the options

Builders bullish on 55+ market, but labor shortages loom

Industry confidence in the single-family housing market for older adults reached an all-time high last quarter. The National Association of Home Builders’ 55+ Housing Market Indexcontinued its recent incline with a reading of 72, up six points from last quarter

Real Estate in Brief: Cooler prices, association hires and more

Redfin sees first annual home price decrease since 2012 While most national indicators have shown home price growth falling over the last several months, Redfin is the first to report that price increases have hit negative territory. In its

Indicators suggest an upcoming buyer’s market

After the release of the Case-Shiller Index and the National Association of Realtors’ Pending Home Sales report, it seems like the spring market is finally ready to take off. The CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index reported a four percent annual gain

Competition lawsuits roiling the industry

Real estate has been hit with multiple legal challenges to the status quo, particularly in how agents get paid. The first suit, filed in federal district court in Chicago, takes aim at a rule it says was instituted by

Real Estate in Brief: FHFA plans, new-home sales and more

  New FHFA director discusses plans for mortgage market Earlier this month, the Senate confirmed Mark Calabria as the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The FHFA oversees government-owned mortgage insurers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which

Why Americans aren’t moving as much

Residential migration and mobility, both interstate and domestic, has been declining steadily for a few years now. About 10 percent of Americans on average moved out of state, in the last five years. But between the 1940s through the

Keller Williams moves closer to release of iBuying service

Since Opendoor unveiled its instant-offer home listing service in 2014, other companies have been working to develop other versions of the service that’s come to be dubbed iBuying. Most recently, Keller Williams announced the opening of its own iBuyer

Home sales fall back to earth in March

  After a strong nationwide rebound in February’s home sales figures, purchase activity resumed its downward trajectory in March. According to the National Association of Realtors’ existing-home sales report released April 22, completed transactions fell 4.9 percent between February

Real Estate In Brief: Opportunity Zone rules, purchase activity and more

Updates on Opportunity Zone rules, tax breaks The Treasury Department released a document April 17 offering the first detailed look into regulations it is proposing around the new Opportunity Zones program. Announced as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts

NY Fed: Don’t underestimate first-time buyers

  In a multi-part series on its economics blog, researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York broke down some misconceptions related to first-time homebuyers. Some of their findings offer a new perspective on this crucial group of

Hispanics the only ethnic group with net growth in US homeownership

In the decade following the housing crisis, Hispanic and Latino populations accounted for the majority of growth in the U.S. homeownership rate, according to a recent report from the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. The 2018 “State

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