Finance - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Most Competitive Rental Markets in Q1

The most in-demand locations for renters are certainly not the ones you’d expect, RentCafe notes in its latest study. Mid-sized markets, such as Central Valley, Calif.; Spokane, Wash.; and Boise, Idaho, were the most sought-after apartment markets in the last quarter.“The largest markets and surrounding exurbs show renters are distinctively looking to get more square footage or more amenities for the same price, within these hubs and close to

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Sellers: Put your Best Foot Forward on May 23

May offers some of the best days of the year to sell a home at a premium, assuming history repeats itself. Home sales over the past 10 years have shown that spring and summer months tend to offer the highest premiums when selling. Home sellers, on average, see an 8.8% premium above market value during these months, according to a new study from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate research firm. Ten of the best days to sell are in the month of May

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10 Markets Benefitting Most from the Economy

With rising home prices, some markets have lost affordability, but a robust economy promises to help housing thrive in many areas of the country.Realtor.com® and The Wall Street Journal identified the top markets with growing economies and booming housing markets in their brand-new joint Emerging Housing Markets Index. The index evaluates the nation’s 300 largest metros to identify the areas with strong housing demand,

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Soaring Lumber Prices Add $36K to Average New-Home Price

Buyers who purchase newly constructed homes are paying more not only because of intense competition in the market but also surging lumber prices. Record-breaking growth for the cost of lumber is pressing on builders’ budgets and prompting them to pass along price increases to buyers.The increase in lumber prices over the past year has added $35,872 to the price of an average new single-family home and $12,966 to the price of

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Mortgage Rates Remain Under 3% for Another Week

Home buyers had another opportunity to snag ultra-low rates this week. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.98%, Freddie Mac reports.“In light of the rising COVID-19 caseloads globally, U.S. Treasury yields stopped moving up a month ago and have remained within a narrow range as the market digests incoming economic data,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The good news is that with rates under 3%, refinancing continue

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FHFA to Help Low-Income Owners Cut Mortgage Costs

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is giving low-income homeowners who missed out on the refinancing boom last year another chance. FHFA announced a program this week that will help low-income homeowners with government-backed mortgages to refinance into a lower mortgage rate to reduce their monthly mortgage payments.The program is geared to homeowners with single-family, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac-backed mortgages. It could help qualifying borrow

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The First 100 Days in Housing

Housing isn’t just the backbone of the American dream and the way most Americans build wealth. It also makes up nearly one-fifth of the entire U.S. economy.In his first 100 days in office, President Joe Biden has understandably made housing a key focus of his agenda, aiming to help renters struggling during the pandemic remain in their homes, bring homeownership within reach for millions more Americans, and fight discrimination. Perhaps the mos

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Where Senior Home Buyers are Looking

Baby boomers are the wealthiest generation in the country, and they remain one of the most active in the housing market.LendingTree researchers recently analyzed mortgage purchase requests in 2020 on its platform across the 50 largest metros nationwide to identify where baby boomers are most likely to buy a home. Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are making up a larger share of markets like in Las Vegas, Tampa, Fla., and Phoenix, the stud

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Tall Barriers for First-Time Buyers

Student debt holders and minorities tend to purchase lower-priced homes, leading to lost wealth accumulation over time, according to a new working paper, “Mind the Gap: Home Price Differences By Race and Student Debt.” The research, which evaluates purchase price differences among home buyers from January 2014 to December 2017, was conducted by Jessica Lautz, vice president of demographics and behavioral insights at the National Association o

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New-Home Sales Reach 15-Year High

Buyers are increasingly turning to newly constructed homes for more options. Sales of new single-family homes surged 20.7% month over month in March to a 1.02 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to new data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau. New-home sales are at the highest annual pace since September 2006.“Our members are seeing strong buyer traffic as continued low mortgage rates are he

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