Mortgage Rates Ease This Week Borrowers found some relief for the second consecutive week with lower mortgage rates. “After dropping earlier this week on trade-related anxiety in financial markets, the benchmark 10-year Treasury stabilized on Wednesday, but at a level slightly lower than from the start of last week,” explains Len Kiefer, Freddie Mac’s deputy chief …
Tag: News
Apr 06
Higher Property Taxes Hit Homeowners
Higher Property Taxes Hit Homeowners Many homeowners faced higher property tax bills in 2017. Property taxes levied on single-family homes in 2017 totaled $293.4 billion, up 6 percent from 2016. The average property tax on a single-family home in 2017 was $3,399 per home at an effective tax rate of 1.17 percent, according to ATTOM …
Apr 05
Home Improvement Personality Types
Home Improvement Personality Types A homeowner’s personality can have a big influence on their behavior when it comes to home improvement projects, according to a new survey by the Home Projects Council, a group of home improvement experts that aims to help homeowners improve their property values. The Home Projects Council identified the following five …
Apr 04
Homeowner Equity Is Hitting a Record High
Homeowner Equity Is Hitting a Record High Homeowners are getting richer, thanks to rising home values. The amount of equity that homeowners can tap into is now at the highest level on record, according to Black Knight Financial Services, a mortgage and finance industry solution provider. The amount a borrower can take out of a …
Apr 03
Spring Buyers Want This Type of House
Spring Buyers Want This Type of House The typical spring home buyer this year is on the hunt for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a garage and updated kitchen, according to a new realtor.com® survey of more than 1,000 home shoppers. Forty-four percent of respondents say they want a three-bedroom home, and 93 percent …
Apr 02
Ways to Make a Front Porch Summon Buyers
Ways to Make a Front Porch Summon Buyers It’s a mistake to become so preoccupied with staging the interior of a home that you neglect to spruce up the front porch. But even though it’s the first space buyers will see during a showing, many real estate pros overlook the front porch, Dawn T. Totty, …
Mar 30
Unstaged Rooms Hamper a Home Sale
Unstaged Rooms Hamper a Home Sale Sellers may be shooting themselves in the foot when they leave an empty, dark, or cluttered room unstaged, according to a recent realtor.com® article. Empty rooms, for example, can “kill a home sale, especially if the other rooms are furnished,” says Allison Bethell of FitSmallBusiness.com. Imperfections stand out more …
Mar 29
Facebook Accused of Allowing Discrimination in Housing Ads
Facebook Accused of Allowing Discrimination in Housing Ads Several fair housing organizations sued Facebook on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of allowing landlords and brokers to discriminate based on gender and family status on its advertising platform. They argue that advertisers could use the personal data of Facebook users to then target ads that …
Mar 28
HomePath mortgage financing, an easier, more affordable option for purchasing a home.
HomePath mortgage financing, an easier, more affordable option for purchasing a home. Fannie Mae’s homepath mortgage is a special program offered to finance the purchase of Fannie Mae Real Estate Owned (REO) properties. With a Fannie Mae HomePath mortgage you get the following benefits: 1 – Down payment as low as 5% and …
Mar 27
Places for Rental Returns in 2018
Places for Rental Returns in 2018 If your investors are in search of higher profits, they may want to look to Baltimore; Macon, Ga.; Montgomery, Ala.; Detroit; and Atlanta. These metros each boast counties that have some of the highest potential for single-family rental returns in 2018, according to a new analysis by ATTOM Data …
Mar 26
Flood Insurance Premiums Are About to Go Up
Flood Insurance Premiums Are About to Go Up Many homeowners and buyers in flood-prone areas will see higher flood insurance premiums starting April 1. The premium hikes, which are required by law, will be as little as 2 percent for some properties and as high as 24 percent for others. On average, the increase will …
Mar 23
Affordable Housing Efforts
Affordable Housing Efforts Under an umbrella of higher home prices, mortgage financing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have recently taken several efforts to try to open up housing options for low- and middle-income buyers. The government-sponsored enterprises have added support for three lower-cost housing options: rural homes, manufactured housing, and the existing stock of …
