Jan 31
It’s 2014 — Why Aren’t Mortgage Rates Higher? Economists have predicted that mortgage rates will rise in 2014, but so far, nothing’s happening. For the past month, mortgage rates have mostly stayed flat or moved lower, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaging just above 4.5 percent. Mortgage rates are expected to move higher this …
Jan 30
Obama Calls for Action on Mortgage Finance Reform President Barack Obama, in his fifth state of the union speech last night, touted the “rebounding housing market” as one of the measures of the strengthening economy and asked Congress to reform the mortgage finance system in such a way that would keep home ownership within reach …
Jan 29
What to Know About WordPress Themes Both new and veteran real estate bloggers may find it difficult to choose a WordPress theme, given all the options. First, they should consider whether they will use it as both a blog and a website, and if so, they should select one that offers menu navigation options, such …
Jan 28
What’s on REALTORS®’ Minds Though the market is poised to continue its gains in 2014, a number of issues cited by members of the National Association of REALTORS® have the potential to slow things down, according to a new survey. The REALTORS® Confidence Index is a key indicator of housing market strength based on a …
Jan 27
Home Sales in 2013 Rise to Strongest Level in 7 Years The housing market has been experiencing a “healthy recovery” over the past two years, with home sales last year rising to the highest level since 2006, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest housing report. “Existing-home sales have risen nearly 20 percent …
Jan 24
Nearly Every U.S. City Can Expect a Good 2014 Nearly every city in the U.S. is expected to see economic growth in 2014, according to a new report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The city expected to lead the country in economic growth and job gains is Naples, Fla. Other large cities expected …
Jan 23
Tight Housing Inventories Still Plague Markets Home buyers continue to face limited choices of homes for sale in many markets, according to realtor.com®’s National Housing Trend Report. “As we open the new year, the first-quarter inventory figures are especially crucial as our first barometer [of] seller confidence for the 2014 homebuying season,” said Errol Samuelson, …
Jan 23
Builders Hike Their Prices More builders are reporting they’re raising their prices on new homes. Twenty-four percent of 231 builders recently surveyed say they raised their prices in December, which is an increase over a 19 percent low reported in November, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting Inc. data. The percentage of builders who …
Jan 20
4 Keys Identified for a Full Housing Recovery In order to have a fully recovered housing market and economic recovery, economists point to the need for four positive indicators: 1. A healthy job market with low stable unemployment; 2. Mortgage delinquencies that have returned to historical averages; 3. Home prices consistent with an affordable mortgage …
Jan 17
Is Your Listing Offensive? Real estate ads are getting a big dose of political correctness, as real estate professionals are carefully watching their words in listings so as not to offend anyone. Major home builders in Washington, D.C., reportedly are no longer using the term “master bedroom” in their marketing because, they say, …
Jan 16
Google-Controlled Homes? Search-engine giant Google wants to help make homes smarter and more connected, and took another step at that by by announcing its acquisition of connected device maker Nest Labs. Google announced it will pay $3.2 billion in cash to acquire Nest Labs, a company that develops “smart” home appliances such as thermostats …
Jan 15
4 Short-Sale Myths Dispelled Several myths persist about short sales. Tracy Mooney, senior vice president at Freddie Mac, dispels some of the following common myths on the mortgage giant’s blog, including: Myth 1: “A short sale is not an option for me because I’m current on my mortgage payments.” Freddie Mac Fact: Even if home owners …
