May 30
Mortgage Rates Hit Lowest Averages of the Year Mortgage rates dipped to their lowest averages of the year this week, Freddie Mac repots. “As we predicted, the 30-year mortgage rate fell 7 basis points this week in a delayed reaction to last week’s sharp drop in Treasury yields,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief …
May 26
Couples Spats Common in Home buying Buying a home can be stressful on couples. Sixty-percent of millennial and Gen X couples say they disagreed occasionally, frequently, or “a lot” when buying a house with their partner or spouse, according to a new survey released by LendingHome. They surveyed 514 adults ages 25 to 45 who …
May 25
New-Home Sales Face a Setback Sales of newly built single-family homes plunged 11.4 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 569,000 units, the first time such sales have decreased this year, the Commerce Department reported this week. Still, builders are writing off the dip as a minor setback, instead focusing …
May 24
Home Insurance Myths to Bust for Your Clients Most mortgage lenders require borrowers to purchase home insurance, but many buyers may be confused about what their policy covers. Realtor.com® recently highlighted several common myths consumers believe when it comes to home insurance. Myth number one: All of a home’s belongings are covered. “A homeowners …
May 23
What Owners Want in Kitchen Remodels Kitchen revamps tend to be one of the most popular home remodeling projects. About 10.2 million American households tackled a kitchen remodel or replacement work in 2015, according to a recent report from the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Homeowners tend to want new flooring, counter tops, cabinets, sinks, …
May 22
Rampant Refis Ignited Housing Crisis Mortgage refinance activity may have been the true hidden culprit behind the housing crisis, according to a new report by the Urban Institute written by Laurie Goodman, codirector of UI’s Housing Finance Policy Center. Mortgage refinances were more likely to default than mortgages taken out to purchase a home …
May 18
Will the Starter Home Return? Home builders say they’re struggling to deliver on the demand of lower-priced entry-level homes that cater to the growing number of willing millennial buyers, arguing that more entry-level homes will hurt their bottom lines. “Since the recovery has really been at the middle end of the market, home prices …
May 17
Home Prices Will Only Get Higher Home sales reached their highest pace in a decade in the first quarter of 2017 as property prices continue to escalate, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest quarterly report. The median price of an existing single-family home nationally was $232,100 in the first quarter, up 6.9 …
May 15
Does Your Content Pass the ‘Strawberry Test’? With any content marketing you do online, says Forbes guest columnist William Arruda, founder of CareerBlast, it’s important to follow the “strawberry test”: making your content inviting, bite-sized, and healthful. After all, the competition for eyes online is steep. There are 130,000 new long-form posts published …
May 12
Dos and Don’ts for Estate Sales Some sellers have a house full of belongings that they need to dispose of before putting their home on the market. In these cases, an estate sale may be necessary to get rid of the items quickly while also putting some extra cash in your client’s pocket. Here …
May 11
Making an Offer: 5 Mistakes to Avoid In competitive housing markets across the country, making an offer that sticks has become increasingly difficult. Ensure your client doesn’t make the process even tougher by succumbing to one of these common mistakes. Delaying “Time kills deals,” says Andrew Sandholm of BOND New York Properties in New York. “Dragging …
May 10
Seriously Underwater Homes Still a Big Issue With home prices on the rise, more home values are climbing up above water, but in a few cities, the number of seriously underwater homes is still alarming. Nearly 5.5 million U.S. properties, or 9.7 percent of all properties, were considered seriously underwater in the first quarter …
