Office Occupancy Is Increasing Employees are headed back to the office. After the pandemic caused many companies to encourage work-from-home policies for office workers, real estate indicators signal a reversal. As they return, companies want more space. As of February, office occupancy continued to increase, with 84% of 390 metro areas seeing a rise, according …
Category: News
Mar 08
High Heating Bills Stun Homeowners
High Heating Bills Stun Homeowners Heating bills this winter have left many homeowners in sticker shock. The rising cost of fuel has made heating bills jump by from 5% to 50% this winter—a warning that federal agencies made last fall. Still, in some regions, heating bills are higher than forecasters anticipated. Money Magazine spoke to …
Mar 07
Rates Drop Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Rates Drop Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict Mortgage rates fell again this week amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sparking uncertainty across the globe including in U.S. markets. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to a 3.76% average this week, Freddie Mac reports. “Geopolitical tensions caused U.S. Treasury yields to recede this week as investors moved to the safety …
Mar 07
Homeowners Value Their Yards More
Homeowners Value Their Yards More More than three-quarters of Americans who have a yard say the family yard space is one of the most important parts of their home, according to a poll of 1,700 consumers by the TurfMutt Foundation. Since the pandemic began, homeowners are showing more appreciation for their yards and spending more …
Mar 02
Home Sizes Continue to Grow
Home Sizes Continue to Grow The American home is getting larger. The pandemic has prompted more homeowners to want more space to spread out in, and also may have encouraged bigger households as more people live under one roof. That has led to an increase in the size of new single-family homes. The median single-family …
Mar 02
Mortgage Rates Rise After Preapproval
Mortgage Rates Rise After Preapproval Buyers are getting preapproved for mortgages to better compete in a fast-paced housing market and to be mortgage-ready as soon as they are ready to make an offer. However, preapproval doesn’t lock in their mortgage rate, which can continue to rise . Some buyers are finding that after their offer is …
Mar 01
Affordability in the New-Home Market Is Dwindling Fast
Affordability in the New-Home Market Is Dwindling Fast New-home buyers are facing even steeper prices. The median sales price of a newly built single-family home rose to $423,300 in January, up more than 13% from a year ago, according to data from the National Association of Home Builders. Higher development costs and rising prices for …
Mar 01
Mortgage Rates Dip
Mortgage Rates Dip The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reversed course this week and decreased to an average of 3.89%, Freddie Mac reports. However, with expectations of even higher inflation on the horizon, mortgage rates likely will resume their upward trek over the coming weeks, Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of forecasting at the National Association …
Feb 28
Investment Firms Target Vacation Homes
Investment Firms Target Vacation Homes Vacation homes have seen growing demand since the pandemic began, and investors are taking notice of the sector, largely the domain of individual homeowners until now. Investors want to capture more of the bustling market for short-term rentals. Saluda Grade, a New York investment firm, has teamed up with AvantStay, a short-term rental …
Feb 28
Moving More Stressful Than Breakups
Moving More Stressful Than Breakups Moving can be stressful. In fact, 38% of survey respondents said moving is more stressful than parting ways with a significant other, according to Move.org, a relocation resource. Moves can be costly, often much more so than what many plan for. Seventy percent of Americans who used professional moving services say they were …
Feb 24
How about a hassle free tax season?
Check out these steps so you can have a hassle-free tax season! With our help, we can explore homebuying options to help you meet your goals. With the help of myself and Katy Sychterz of RoundPoint Mortgage, (NMLS# 183951 – 484.534.5107) we can explore homebuying options to help you meet your goals. #RealEstate #Realtor #HomePurchase …
Feb 23
Consumers Optimistic About Housing
Consumers Optimistic About Housing More than 50% of prospective buyers recently surveyed say they feel optimistic about the housing market—despite headlines over rapidly rising costs that can feel discouraging. The new survey from the real estate tech company OJO Labs shows that many house hunters remain hopeful that the next three months will offer a …
