2020 marks the biggest year in the history of lending at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Chris Birk, director of education at Veterans United Home Loans, told Bankrate.com.The volume of mortgages backed by the VA has drastically increased: VA loan volume nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020. This also marks the first time that the VA has issued more than 1 million loans in one year.“This was truly a historic year,” Birk says.VA loans onc
Renters who desire more space as they ride out the pandemic are increasingly looking to upsize into single-family homes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, single-family rental prices have for the first time outpaced their pre-pandemic growth rate.National rent increases for single-family rental homes increased 3.1% year over year in October, according to CoreLogic’s latest reading, published in its new Single-Family Rent Index.This spring and
While many Americans want to upsize in the COVID-19 pandemic, others are still embracing a tiny home lifestyle, whether as a full residence or just a home office, finds a new survey from IPX1031, a 1031 tax exchange resource. There’s enough desire that investors still think it’s a lucrative investment, too.Tiny homes are often considered to be 500 square feet or less.Seventy-two percent of 2,000 Americans, surveyed in November by IPX1031, sai
All-cash deals are rising in certain areas of the country, comprising about 36% of the market nationwide, according to data from realtor.com®. Buyers who can pay all in cash are finding themselves in a prime position in the competitive housing market, as sellers tend to favor those who can. Meanwhile, buyers who must rely on financing are struggling to compete.Cash sales are climbing the most in the Northeast and West, up 3 and 2 percentage
Demand may fall for homes in areas at high risk of natural disasters, such as flooding and wildfires, which could cause price growth to slow. A new realtor.com® analysis shows that properties in such areas will likely see 5% less price growth in 2021 than homes in similar areas at low risk of natural disaster.This trend is already rising. Homes in high-risk flood areas have seen a sales price growth of 5 percentage points lower than similar home
Mortgage financing giant Fannie Mae announced it would be extending some of its flexible lending standards into 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The extensions include allowing verbal verification of employment and power of attorney flexibilities, as well as some appraisal alternatives to ensure that transactions don’t get delayed. The extensions also require more checks on payment histories of self-employed borrowers.The temporary measures w
Homeowners are building wealth as property appreciation surges to its highest level since 2014. In the third quarter, the average homeowner had gained about $17,000 in equity year over year, according to CoreLogic’s latest Home Equity Report. Owners in Washington State saw the largest annual increase in home equity at $35,800, followed by California at $34,000.“The housing market has remained a strong pillar in an otherwise tumultuous ec
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate averaged 2.71% this week, holding at the all-time low first set last week, Freddie Mac reported.The ultra-low mortgage rates are making homebuying more attractive and boosting sales activity to the highest level since 2006, economists said at the National Association of REALTORS®’ virtual Real Estate Forecast Summit on Thursday. While home prices are rising annually by double-digit percentages, mo
Despite the economic uncertainties continuing to surround the pandemic, one fact has become crystal clear: Americans are ready to buy a new home. Low inventory, bidding wars, and record-low mortgage rates are giving consumers a new sense of FOMO—fear of missing out—and spawning a hot housing market, Ali Wolf, chief economist for real estate analytics company Zonda, said Thursday during the National Association of REALTORS®’ virtual Re
Low mortgage rates may also be helping to keep elevated delinquencies in check, according to a new report from CoreLogic."Our analysis of CoreLogic public records shows that more than one-half of all home mortgage loans created since the onset of the pandemic have been no-cash-out refinance," says Frank Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic. "By reducing their mortgage rate with these types of loans, homeowners have been lowering both their inter
This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.
