Apr 09
Most Don’t Know Their Credit Score Most Americans underestimate the importance of their credit score, with four in 10 saying they don’t know what their credit scores are, according to a new Chase Slate Credit Survey of about 1,000 Americans. What’s more, 52 percent of those surveyed say they were unaware that paying bills on …
Apr 08
4 Million Missing Mortgages, Study Says Getting a mortgage was so difficult during 2009-2013 that millions of potential home buyers were shut out of the market. In fact, the Urban Institute has attempted to put a number on just how many potential buyers may have been shut out by tight credit standards. Its estimates: 4 …
Apr 07
Top 10 Features for New Homes The outdoor kitchen and two-story foyers are starting to lose favor among new home shoppers, while energy efficiency and bigger closets are gaining in popularity, according to a new survey from the National Association of Home Builders. NAHB asked builders to rank home features from 1 to 5 on …
Apr 06
30-Year Rates Hold Steady at 3.70% Fixed-rate mortgages fluctuated little this week, amid mostly calm economic and housing data, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey. “Mortgage rates were little changed this week, entering April about where we started the year,” says Len Kiefer, deputy chief economist at Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac reports …
Apr 03
Markets Still Have Long Way to Recovery At the current pace of single-family home values, the full recovery in the housing market may still be about 2.5 years away nationwide, according to a new analysis of housing data by 24/7 Wall St. But in some large metro areas, the full housing recovery may even be …
Apr 02
The New Hot Housing Market: Vacation Homes It’s a good time to have a vacation real estate niche. Vacation home sales jumped to a record high in 2014, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2015 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey. Vacation home sales climbed to an estimated 1.13 million last year, the …
Mar 27
Why Home Owners Need to Get Moving Do potential sellers in your market need convincing? An article in CNNMoney recently highlighted several reasons why this spring would be the perfect time for home owners to get off the fence. After all, many markets across the country are still tilting in sellers’ favor. Here’s why: Less …
Mar 26
Book Brings Home the Idea of Home As agents keep their eye out for closing gifts that will be relevant and memorable, a new book that kids can enjoy with their parents may help plant some long-growing seeds about the value of home. Carson Ellis’s new Home, according to a review on literary site …
Mar 25
Mortgage Amounts Reach Record Highs A close look at the average size of purchase loans may be an indication of where most of the housing market is being fueled by these days. And if that’s the case – the upper-end of the housing market is the clear winner. The average loan size for a …
Mar 24
Solar Panels Can be a Deal Killer Studies have suggested that the addition of solar panels on a home can boost a home’s value. But sometimes those solar panels can sabotage a deal when it comes time to sell. More companies are offering home owners a contract to lease solar panels where they pay no …
Mar 23
Foreclosure Rates Near a ‘Significant Milestone’ Foreclosures continue to fall across the country and the return to normal levels may be on the horizon for many places, according to a new report. Foreclosure filings fell 4 percent in February, reaching the lowest level since July 2006, according to RealtyTrac’s U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. Foreclosure …
Mar 20
Mortgage Lenders Say Credit Is Easing More lenders expect mortgage demand and profit margins to increase over the next three months, according to Fannie Mae’s first quarter 2015 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey. More lenders say the credit tightening is softening, according to the survey. Seventy-one percent of lenders surveyed about government-sponsored enterprise purchase loans …
