Finance - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

2019 to be a Good Year for Employee Relocations

Corporate relocation volumes and budgets are increasing, helping employees to more easily make a move for a job. In particular, 60% of mid-size firms with 500 to 4,999 salaried employees reported relocation budget increases, according to national moving company Atlas Van Lines’ Corporate Relocation Survey. For comparison, about 40% of small firms (fewer than 500 salaried employees) and 40% of large firms (5,000-plus) saw employee relocation inc

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Average Homeowners stay 8 Years before Moving

Homeowners have been less transient in the last few years. In the first quarter of 2019, homeowners who sold their homes had owned them an average of 8.05 years, down slightly from a record high of 8.17 in the fourth quarter of 2018, reports real estate research firm ATTOM Data Solutions. Still, that's up a 7.75-year average recorded a year ago.Prior to the Great Recession, from the first quarter of 2000 to the third quarter of 2007, homeownershi

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Listing Prices set another Record

The median list price in the U.S. reached $310,000 in April—another record high that surpassed March’s high, realtor.com® reported in its April 2019 housing trend report this week. Listing prices continue to grow, despite an uptick in For Sale signs and home seller competition.“The U.S. median listing price set another record this month, which we expect it to continue to do through summer when prices typically hit their seasonal peak,” s

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These are the Best Dates of the Year to Sell a Home

Mark your calendar: Certain times of the year can offer seller premiums of 10 percent or more, and a majority of those days are during summer months.ATTOM Data Solutions analyzed more than 28 million single-family home and condo sales over the past eight years to find the best time of year to sell. They found that the summer tends to be hot in real estate for more reasons than just the weather.“Since summer is a time for vacations and outi

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Fed agrees to Hold Rates

The Federal Reserve voted unanimously on Wednesday to leave borrowing costs unchanged and says it will continue to be “patient” about making any moves to its benchmark rate. The Fed’s vote came despite increased calls from the White House to cut interest rates. But the central bank left rates unchanged on Wednesday, citing the lack of inflation pressure.The Fed’s closely watched benchmark rate will remain in a range of between 2.25% and 2

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Contract Signings Rebound

Pending home sales were back on track last month, reversing course after last month’s drop. Three of the four major regions saw an uptick in contract signs in March, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Tuesday.NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 3.8 percent last month over February, and contract signings reached a reading of 105.8. Still, contract signings are down 1.2

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5 Markets with Six-Figure Seller Gains

Homeowners continue to reap profits off their home sales. U.S. homeowners who sold in the first quarter of this year realized an average home price gain since purchase of $57,500. That is up slightly from an average of $56,733 a year ago, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q1 2019 Home Sales Report. The gains represented an average 31.5 percent return as a percentage of the original purchase price.Markets along the West coast saw some of the gr

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Has the 2017 Tax Overhaul Hurt Home Sales?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, an overhaul of the U.S. tax code enacted in 2017 that puts a cap on some deductions for homeowners, has “negatively impacted the housing market” by tamping down sales volume, according to a new study from the New York Federal Reserve. A slowdown in home sales from late 2017 through the third quarter of 2018 can be partially attributed to the changes in the tax law, in addition to interest rate hikes during that time

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Boomerang Buyers are Coming Back in Bigger Numbers

A growing number of Americans who lost their homes to foreclosure or a short sale during the housing crisis are re-emerging in the housing market and buying a home again, USA Today reports. “Boomerang buyers,” as they’re nicknamed, are coming back, and some economists contend they are a critical component to driving a big uptick in the housing market over the next few years.“I think the next phase of the housing recovery will be

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For the Fourth Straight Week, Mortgage Rates Rise

Mortgage rates have slowly been inching up over the past month, but they remain below their levels a year ago.“Despite the recent rise in mortgage rates, both existing- and new-home sales continue to show strength—indicating the lagged effect of lower rates on housing demand,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “This, along with improved affordability, should push housing activity higher in the coming months.”Freddie Mac

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