With nearly half of Americans planning a move to reduce living expenses, according to a new study, many will be targeting cheaper towns. Move.org researched rent prices, utility costs, gas prices, and internet rates in the 75 largest U.S. cities to find the most affordable areas in the country. They identified the following 15 cities as having the lowest cost of living, factoring in average utilities, internet, monthly gas, rent for a one-be
Due to rising home prices, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Tuesday that it would raise loan limits for mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.In most of the country, the 2021 maximum conforming loan limit for single-family properties will be $548,250. That marks a 7.4% increase from last year’s limit of $510,400. The FHFA’s loan limits define the maximum amount that Fannie and Freddie can finance for a one-unit single-fam
More Americans were seeking a mortgage to purchase a home in the third quarter. Lenders issued about 1.05 million purchase loans in the third quarter, up 28% from the second quarter and 25% from a year ago, according to real estate data firm ATTOM Data Solutions. That represents the highest level since the third quarter of 2006.The metros seeing the largest quarterly increases in purchase mortgage originations in the third quarter were:Springfiel
Property owners in the majority of opportunity zones saw home prices climb significantly over the past year, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions. Seventy-four percent of qualified opportunity zones saw median home prices rise from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020. Further, median home prices climbed by more than 10% in more than half of the 1,737 designated zones analyzed by ATTOM Data Solutions.The federal o
Nearly half of more than 2,000 Americans recently surveyed say they plan to move soon to reduce living expenses, according to a new survey from LendingTree. Forty-six percent of respondents say they plan to relocate within the next year.The pandemic has motivated more Americans to consider a move. Sixty-four percent of remote workers say they are considering a move. Many consumers say the COVID-19 outbreak also has led them to change their living
Home buyers and refinancing homeowners likely have never locked in this low of rate before for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. For the 13th time this year, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage set a record low, averaging 2.72% this week, according to Freddie Mac’s records, which date back to 1971. The previous all-time low was set the week of Nov. 5, when 30-year rates averaged 2.78%.“Weaker consumer spending data, which accounts for the majority
For the fifth consecutive month, existing-home sales continued to be resilient in the face of the pandemic, climbing nearly 27% compared to a year ago, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Thursday.Also reported this week, construction of single-family homes soared to the highest pace since the spring of 2007, as more buyers turned to the new-home market to find homes for sale. Buyers continue to find higher prices and quick sales
Defying high unemployment and an economic recession, the housing market has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. That isn’t likely to let up heading into the winter months, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS® during Tuesday’s “Residential Economic Issues & Trends Forum” at the virtual 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.“2020 has been a year of surprises,” Yun said, singling out the
The term “bidding war” lends an adversarial tone to multiple-offer situations, and pitting one side against the other is the wrong way to handle such a transaction, Greg Glosson, managing broker at Fast Track Realty in Memphis, Tenn., said Tuesday at a session called “Multiple Offers = Multiple Confusion” during the virtual 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.“We need to be very cooperative with one another because we are all try
Foreclosure filings in October climbed 20% compared to September’s figures as the pandemic remains a threat to homeownership for some Americans and to the economy, ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate research firm, reports. Foreclosure filings include default notices, scheduled auctions, or bank repossessions.“It’s a little surprising to see foreclosure activity increasing in spite of the various foreclosure moratoria that are in place,”
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