Rising Rents Spark Protests From Residents Higher rent costs are prompting some tenants to take part in rent strikes, which are often seen as renters’ last option to not get priced out. During a rent strike, tenants withhold their rent checks in an attempt to pressure landlords to negotiate rents and typically to improve building maintenance, …
Tag: News
Oct 02
Reasons Clients Should House Hunt in the Fall
Reasons Clients Should House Hunt in the Fall The frenzy of the summer real estate market has cooled by the seemingly very same breeze sweeping leaves off the trees across much of the country. But now may be a better time than ever for your buyer clients to do their house hunting. According to RealtyTrac …
Oct 01
Landlords Should Tread Carefully Raising Rents
Landlords Should Tread Carefully Raising Rents Low rental vacancies nationwide, coupled with continued strong demand for single-family rental properties, could prompt landlords to increase rents even more. But housing analysts caution that further rent hikes could overburden tenants, many of whom already are struggling to stay afloat financially as housing costs rise. The nation’s largest …
Sep 28
Super-Low Mortgage Rates Era Is Over
Super-Low Mortgage Rates Era Is Over The Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a point to the highest point in more than a decade, and the housing market is now bracing for impact. The Fed lifted its rate to range between 2 percent and 2.25 percent. …
Sep 27
Lack of Flood Insurance Costs Billions
Lack of Flood Insurance Costs Billions In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, a new problem is surfacing: The shrinking number of households that have flood insurance. Flood damage is not included in a standard homeowners’ insurance policy. So if a mortgage lender does not require a borrower to obtain it, the onus falls on …
Sep 26
Get home buying confidence – with the FAB program
Get home buying confidence – with the FAB program Put maximum home buying power in your court when you need it the most. When purchasing a home in today’s marketplace, you need every advantage you can get. The Forward Advantage buy (FAB) program, provided by Freedom Mortgage, offers you the confidence of having a competitive …
Sep 25
Fall Time means Price Drops for a Quarter of Homes
Fall Time means Price Drops for a Quarter of Homes The fall season is cooling down more than the temperature outside; it’s also putting a much-needed chill on hot housing markets, where home prices have become unaffordable to the average buyer. More than one in four home sellers dropped their asking price last month, according …
Sep 24
30-Year Mortgage Rates Reach Highest Level Since May
30-Year Mortgage Rates Reach Highest Level Since May For the fourth consecutive week, mortgage rates continued to climb as home buyers face higher borrowing costs. “Mortgage rates are drifting upwards again and represent continued affordability challenges for prospective buyers—especially first-time buyers,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Borrowing costs are moving right now for …
Sep 21
Selling Luxury See Uptick in Sales
Selling Luxury See Uptick in Sales Luxury housing markets continue to climb, as 20 major counties post double-digit gains in home prices, according to realtor.com®’s 2018 Luxury Home Index, released today. The number of sales at or above $1 million climbed 6 percent over the last year. Realtor.com® defines the luxury price tier as the top …
Sep 20
Down Payments Near Record Highs
Down Payments Near Record Highs Home buyers are putting more money down on a home purchase than ever before. The size of down payments during the second quarter climbed to a median of $19,900, a record high, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ research, which dates back to the first quarter of 2000. What’s more, this …
Sep 19
Demystifying Interest only loans
Demystifying Interest only loans What is an interest only loan? An interest only mortgae is a loan where you are only required to pay the interest that accrues on the loan each month and are not required to pay any principal unitl after the initial interest only period has expired. The typical interest only period …
Sep 18
Mortgage Fraud Becoming More Prevalent
Mortgage Fraud Becoming More Prevalent Mortgage fraud climbed 12.4 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2018, and about one out of every 109 mortgage applications has been found to contain false or misleading information, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic. “Because home prices are rising and demand is strong, most mortgage …
