Jan 03
Dome Homes the Next Big Thing? Dome homes may become more popular in the future because of their reputation for holding up well against natural disasters. Dome homes are reportedly strong enough to withstand the force of an EF5 tornado, a mammoth hurricane, and even a powerful earthquake. They are made of concrete and …
Dec 31
The Most Desirable Celebrity Neighbors Americans chose late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon as the most desirable celebrity neighbor for 2014, according to the recently-released seventh annual Zillow Celebrity Neighbor Survey. Fallon nabbed 11 percent of the vote, dethroning last year’s “most desirable neighbor” duo—Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton. In order to be Fallon’s neighbor, …
Dec 31
Housing’s Best Buys for 2014 Home prices and mortgage rates are on the rise, and some investors are retreating from the market. However, Forbes believes there are still plenty of housing deals left for home buyers in the new year, and with possibly less competition. Forbes recently released a list of cities where prices are …
Dec 30
Investors Likely to Curb Buying in 2014 Institutional investors who have been buying up thousands of foreclosed single-family homes will likely take a “more restrained” approach in 2014, according to a new report by RealtyTrac and Pintar Investment Co., a single-family rental investment company. Over the past two years, institutional investors have been scooping …
Dec 30
Buyers Facing Fewer Bidding Wars With bidding wars easing in many markets, buyers may face less competition in their attempts to snag a home this winter. That’s according to the latest Bidding War Report by the real estate brokerage Redfin. According to the report, competition for homes hit its lowest point since 2011 last month. …
Dec 27
Underwater Home Owners Face Heavier Tax Burden If Congress doesn’t act on the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, which expires at the end of this year, it could leave distressed borrowers with an additional financial burden in 2014. The measure was designed to keep underwater homeowners from having to pay income taxes on the …
Dec 27
New-Home Sales Drop in November Sales of new single-family homes dropped 2.1 percent in November, according to the Commerce Department’s latest new-home sales report, which was released Tuesday. New-home sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 464,000 units for the month. Still, that’s up 16.6 percent from November 2012, and last month’s numbers …
Dec 24
Job Growth to Drive 2014 Housing Market The housing recovery is expected to remain strong in the new year, driven by economic growth and an improving employment picture, economists say. In fact, job growth likely will be one key to driving housing growth in the new year. An estimated 2 million or more jobs …
Dec 24
Education Campaign on New Mortgage Rules The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is launching an education campaign to help make home buyers and home owners more aware of new mortgage regulations coming in January. The materials are available at CFPB’s website. The information includes fact sheets and tip sheets, such as on what a Qualified Mortgage …
Dec 24
Top 10 Housing Bets for Investors Investments in single-family homes for rental properties will remain an attractive venture in many markets in the new year, says Ingo Winzer, president of Local Market Monitor. Winzer notes that Texas and Oklahoma offer some of the best bets “with their low unemployment rates and ability to profit for …
Dec 20
10 States Facing the Highest Foreclosure Rates Foreclosures are falling, but they still remain a problem in some pockets across the country. Foreclosure activity in November was found to be the highest in the following states, according to RealtyTrac: Florida: 1 in every 392 housing units received a foreclosure filing in November (down …
Dec 19
Home Owners Stand to Recapture More Equity in 2014 The number of underwater homes continues to slip, with 791,000 properties regaining equity during the third quarter, CoreLogic reports. Currently, about 13 percent of all homes with a mortgage — or 6.4 million — remain in negative equity compared to 14.7 percent — or 7.2 million …
