Aug 26
New-Home Sales Climb in July Sales of new single-family homes rose 5.4 percent in July, as more builders reported higher buyer traffic. Such traffic may lead to an increase in building activity as well, as home builders add more inventory to meet a heightened confidence in the market. The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that sales of newly …
Aug 25
6 Home Buyer Concerns Rising home prices tops the list of home buyer concerns this year, a shift from last year when nearly half of buyers said their chief concern was the limited number of homes for-sale, according to a new survey of more than 3,500 buyers released by the real estate brokerage Redfin. In this year’s …
Aug 24
Homelessness Rising Among Families Total homelessness has fallen 10 percent in the country since 2010, but among one segment, homelessness is on the rise. A new blog post from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies notes that homelessness among families remains persistently high. More than a third of the total homeless population is made …
Aug 21
Common Mortgage Deal Delays A last-minute problem with financing can quickly delay a closing on a home sale. Here are two of the most common financing problems that can surface: Failure to disclose key financial information. One of the biggest reasons for a financial issue is the failure of the buyer to disclose key …
Aug 20
New-Home Sizes Are Starting to Shrink The median size of U.S. homes dropped slightly in the second quarter, edging back from a record set in the previous quarter, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. In the second quarter, the median size of a new home was 2,479 square feet – about 40 square feet smaller …
Aug 19
Borrowers Make Fewer Late Payments The mortgage delinquency rate – borrowers who are late on their mortgage payments by 60 days or more – is rapidly declining, dropping to 2.72 percent in the second quarter, according to a new report by TransUnion. The delinquency rate has fallen 20 percent in the last year alone, …
Aug 18
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How High Will Mortgage Rates Actually Climb? The lowest mortgage rates on record have lured buyers during the last few years, but the Federal Reserve has already given plenty of signals that will soon come to an end. Mortgage rates are already inching up, ever-so-slightly. From January to June, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbed …
Aug 17
10 Ways to Make Moving Easier Peak moving season is underway. While moving can be a stressful undertaking, there are simple ways to make the process more organized. CityLab recently asked moving experts to share some of their top tips to make moving easier. Feel free to share these moving tips with your clients. First …
Aug 07
Owners May Underestimate Their Equity A large number of home owners may be erroneously perceiving themselves as underwater on their mortgage, suggests a new analysis by economists at the University of California, Berkeley. Between mid-2011 and the fourth quarter of 2014, home prices nationally have risen about 20 percent. But in a recent Fannie Mae …
Aug 06
More States Break Previous Home Price Peaks Home prices are rising as inventories of homes for-sale remains limited. The National Association of REALTORS® recently reported that the median existing-home price for all housing types reached $236,400 in June – 6.5 percent above year-ago levels, surpassing the last peak median sales price set in July 2006 by more than …
Aug 04
Make Yourself More Persuasive In real estate, persuasion can take you far, whether it’s finding ways to save your clients money in a negotiation or trying to court new business. Scott Yancey, CEO of the startup CloudWords, offers some tips on how to become more persuasive, taking from his experience of being an entrepreneur …
Aug 03
Mortgage Rates Dip Back Below 4% Average fixed mortgage rates continue to fluctuate week-to-week, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropping below 4 percent this week, offering temporary relief to home buyers and refinancers after hitting its highest average for the year earlier this month, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey. “The mortgage …
