National News

Real Estate in Brief: Mortgage reform, house flipping and more

Chase CEO urges mortgage reform In his most recent annual letter to shareholders, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon expressed concerns about the current state of mortgage industry regulation in the U.S. “The country desperately needs mortgage reform,” Dimon wrote

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Atlanta sees construction increase despite nationwide downturn

Atlanta made it to the top four spot in an analysis by realtor.com of cities that are predicted to be boom towns for new construction this year. The piece used data from a February 2019 report from the Census

Consumer confidence in housing market surges

Surveys of American consumers continue to point to renewed optimism in the housing market. Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index approached an all-time high reading in March, gaining five points over February to reach 89.8. This was driven by

Real Estate in Brief: Rent burden, global affordability and more

Freddie Mac: Florida metros among most rent-burdened Housing affordability is an issue that dominates discussions of local politics, but the data on the topic can be hard to interpret. Studies from multiple sources regularly rank U.S. cities according to

Tax Day takeaways for your clients

April 15 this year marks the first Tax Day under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, one of the most significant overhauls of the federal tax code in decades. While this is the deadline for most Americans, many

Real Estate in Brief: Facebook v. HUD, record-low rates and more

Facebook charged with housing discrimination by HUD The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on March 28 formally charged Facebook with discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The charge comes after the agency filed a

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Redfin: Bidding wars down dramatically from a year ago

Only 16 percent of buyers so far this month faced competing bids, according to a study by Redfin. That’s down from 61 percent over the same period last year, and it’s one more sign among many that buyers may

Will buyers rule the market this spring?

The coming spring season, when home sales usually take off, could be a great one for buyers as the stars align in their favor: Mortgage rates are low, inventory levels are higher and price growth has slowed. Already, home

FHA changes may tighten credit for homebuyers

First-time homebuyers hoping to utilize the popular Federal Housing Administration loan program may find it more difficult to be approved for a mortgage this year, as the agency moves to reduce growing risks related to the program. FHA loans

Home sales surge ahead of spring

For real estate agents, spring may have arrived early this year. After a string of anemic reports through the winter, home sales numbers picked up across the U.S. in February. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home

More Americans say now is a good time to buy a home

NAR’s quarterly Homeownership Opportunities and Market Experience survey found homebuyer sentiment improving at the beginning of 2019. Out of more than 2,700 respondents to the survey, 65 percent agreed that Q1 2019 was a good time to buy a home.

Real Estate in Brief: Broker alliances, rebranding and more

RE/MAX to partner with Redfin through referrals RE/MAX announced in a March 18 press release that it had entered into a “strategic alliance” with Redfin to boost sales at both nationwide brokers through referral incentives. In about 5,000 ZIP

New insight from Fed meeting could keep mortgage rates low

In a positive sign for homebuyers planning on taking out new mortgages, the Federal Reserve sent its clearest signals yet that it will hold off on interest rate increases for the foreseeable future and perhaps the rest of 2019.

Congress still trying to pass long-term flood insurance solution

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been a subject of debate for years in Congress, gaining temporary funding multiple times without any permanent solutions. Recently, representatives across political lines have shown interest in finally reaching a long-term resolution,

Remote workers more likely to own than rent

For most Americans, the average commute is less than 90 minutes. However, extreme commuters exist on either end of this spectrum, with telecommuters (who work from home) experiencing no travel time and so-called “super commuters” traveling over 90 minutes

Real Estate in Brief: Lender sentiment, housing starts and more

Lender optimism jumps as rates drift lower The latest survey of mortgage industry sentiment from Fannie Mae found lenders markedly more optimistic about their business prospects at the start of 2019. While still negative overall, the results of Fannie

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