Finance - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

The 5 Best Purchase Markets for Young Adults

Affordability and a good job market are the two chief influencers for moving millennials, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ new report “Most Popular Areas for Millennials: Where They Move and Stay.” Millennials, those between the ages of 21 and 38, account for 37 percent of all home purchases—making up the largest buying force in the housing industry, according to NAR.Other Key Findings on Millennial MoversOne out of 2

Read More

Renters Admit Lying to Landlords

Renters aren’t always honest with landlords. For example, nearly a quarter of renters recently surveyed admitted to not disclosing a pet to their landlord—their top lie. They also were prone to not telling their landlord that they broke household items when moving out or that someone else was living in the home who wasn’t on their lease, according to a new survey from Porch.com, a home remodeling website.Porch.com surveyed 563 renters and 5

Read More

HUD Sued Over New FHA Down Payment Assistance Rules

A Native American group in Utah is suing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over its newly issued down payment assistance rules for Federal Housing Administration mortgages. The groups argue that the new rules are unlawfully targeting Native American tribes and bands by prohibiting them from participating in home-purchase assistance programs.The Cedar Band of Paiutes, the Cedar Band Corporation, and the CBC Mortgage Agency filed

Read More

Latest Housing Forecast Paints a Rosier Picture

Economists are sounding more upbeat toward the housing market this year. Realtor.com® has revised its 2019 housing forecast, reflecting optimism for a much stronger market. Lower mortgage rates are mostly behind the shifts in attitude.Realtor.com® economists are projecting mortgage rates to average 4.5 percent by the end of the year—nearly a percentage point lower than they originally forecasted. The lower mortgage rates are increasing buyers

Read More

4 in 5 Landlords say the Money is Worth the Stress

Working with tenants is stressful, landlords agree. Eighty-eight percent of landlords recently surveyed say they have experienced some stress renting out their properties, yet 80 percent say the money from being a landlord is worth the stress, according to a new survey from Porch.com, a home remodeling website.Nearly 49 percent of landlords say they’ve had a tenant ask to break a lease early; 45 percent have had to evict a tenant; and about 41

Read More

New-Home starts Fall to 2-Year Low

Housing starts continued to underperform in March, despite calls from the housing industry to build more to help inventory-starved markets. Total housing starts fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.14 million in March, the lowest since May 2017, the Commerce Department reports. Starts are 14.2 percent lower than a year ago. “Despite signs of stabilization of confidence in the marketplace, housing affordability continues to be a concer

Read More

Homes near EV Charging Stations Fetch a Premium

Homes near charging stations for electric vehicles command higher sales prices, according to a new analysis from realtor.com®. Researchers found that the combined median listing price for areas that are most accommodating to electric vehicles is $782,000—1.5 times more than their surrounding areas and 2.6 times higher than the rest of the country.“Our data shows there’s definitely a link between the prevalence of electric vehicle charging

Read More

After Surging, Existing-Home Sales Deflate in March

Existing-home sales fell 4.9 percent in March, with all four major regions of the U.S. seeing a decline, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Monday. The drop follows a surge in sales the previous month. “It is not surprising to see a retreat after a powerful surge in sales in the prior month,” says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Still, current sales activity is underperforming in relation to the strength in the job markets.

Read More

Mortgage Rates Rise again but Remain Below Yearly Lows

For the third week in a row, mortgage rates inched upward, but economists were quick to reassure home buyers and potential refinancers that rates remain still remain well below year-ago averages.“After dropping dramatically in late March, mortgage rates have modestly increased since then,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “While this week marks the third consecutive week of rises, purchase activity reached a nine-year high

Read More

Same-Sex Couples Denied Mortgages at High Rates, Study Shows

Lenders have been much less likely to approve same-sex couples for a mortgage than heterosexual couples, according to a new study released by Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business. Researchers analyzed national mortgage data from 1990 to 2015 and found the approval rate for same-sex couples was 3 to 8 percent lower.Researchers also factored in details about applicants’ work history and creditworthiness to see if the denial rates sti

Read More

This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.