Jan 09
FHA Lowers Its Mortgage Costs The Federal Housing Administration is reducing its annual mortgage insurance premiums by 0.5 percentage points in a move “to expand responsible lending to creditworthy borrowers,” the White House said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. FHA also said it would take added steps over the next few months to “cut red …
Jan 08
Smaller Cities Saw Biggest Rent Hikes in 2014 Surging rental costs continue to grip national headlines, but some of last year’s biggest leaps in rental costs were in small to midsized cities. Nationwide, apartment rents increased 3.6 percent, on average, in 2014, pushing the average monthly lease rate to $1,124.38, according to Reis Inc., a …
Jan 07
Hike in Interest Rates Likely by Mid-Year Many economists believe mortgage rates will be on the move upward this year after sitting near historic lows the past few weeks. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose above 4 percent for only two weeks since Oct. 16, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage market report. That has helped …
Jan 06
Market Types You’ll See This Year From the stalwarts to the tech magnets and comeback kids, the new year is likely to see several types of markets. Redfin recently highlighted six “housing market personas” that the real estate brokerage believes will be driving the continued recovery in 2015. Here’s an overview of the personas …
Jan 05
When Sellers Try to Take Too Much Some sellers want to take more with them than a favorite light fixture or curtain rod. They may want to move entire rooms to their new home. That’s what Cindy Jones, a real estate broker in Woodbridge, Va., recently encountered when she saw a listing that noted …
Dec 30
Veterans Missing Out on Home Ownership? Military vets who fail to look into government programs could be leaving money on the table when they purchase a home, according to a new article published by the Los Angeles Times. Loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs potentially offer big savings, and can be a way …
Dec 29
Housing Markets Show Signs of Stabilizing A greater number of housing markets are showing signs of normalizing, as 70 of the markets tracked by a Freddie Mac index now move to positive momentum. Freddie Mac’s latest Multi-Indicator Market Index (MiMi) showed a reading of 74.5 nationwide, which still indicates a weak housing market overall …
Dec 24
‘Naughtiest, Nicest Housing Market’ List Researchers have been checking their lists, trying to find out which housing markets have been naughty or nice this year. RealtyTrac analyzed 334 U.S. cities with populations of at least 100,000 to compile lists of the nicest — those markets with some of the lowest crime rates and foreclosures, highest …
Dec 23
Home Sales Lost Momentum in November Existing-home sales fell last month as housing supply showed signs of tightening, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest housing report. Sales activity was choppy throughout the country, with all regions posting declines compared to a month earlier, NAR noted. “Fewer people bought homes last month despite interest …
Dec 22
Home Buying Gets Cheaper This Week The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage this week dipped to its lowest level in more than a year, bringing borrowing costs down for home buyers and refinancers. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, the most popular loan among home buyers, averaged 3.80 percent this week, meaning that it has remained below 4 …
Dec 18
The Laptop-Powered Home? Research conducted by an IBM team may help keep discarded computer batteries out of landfills and give them a second life lighting homes. A study based in India found that by taking apart used batteries, verifying and using working cells, and adding circuitry to allow charging and prevent overheating, they could …
Dec 17
8 Things People Say Their Homes Don’t Have The majority of Americans say they are living in less-than-ideal housing and neighborhoods. The Demand Institute recently polled more than 10,000 households — both renters and home owners — across income levels to find their top unfulfilled housing needs and desires. “The biggest overarching thing is …
