The national median home price surged to $263,800 in June, a record high, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. That has prompted some buyers to hit the pause button.Buyers were still requesting tours at the same rate in June; however, 11 percent fewer buyers were submitting an offer, according to a recent survey by the real estate brokerage Redfin, which surveyed 15 major metro housing markets.Typically, the housing market starts
Interest rates dropped last week, giving homeowners and home buyers more incentive to lock in a lower rate as they apply for a mortgage. Total mortgage application activity for home buying and refinancing rose 3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis compared to the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. Applications, however, are still down by 25 percent from a year ago.Refinance applications saw the most activity la
More than half of American homeowners—58 percent—say they expect there will be a “housing bubble and a price correction” within the next two years, according to the latest survey of more than 1,000 Americans from ValueInsured’s Modern Homebuyer Survey.Many consumers surveyed say they believe that real estate is reaching the top of the market. Because of that, 83 percent of Americans surveyed say now is a good time to sell their home, up
The end is near for an increasingly popular program in which lenders help borrowers obtain a “Home Possible” 3 percent down payment loan from Freddie Mac by putting up 2 percent of the purchase price, leaving the borrower to come up with only the remaining 1 percent.Starting in November, lenders will no longer be able to put up 2 percent, according to a directive Freddie Mac released last week. Instead, borrowers either have to come up with
As home prices continue to rise, some mortgage lenders are loosening their underwriting standards so borrowers can purchase property sooner. “The reality has sunk in that there are buyers out there who will be able to buy homes and make the mortgage payments,” William E. Brown, president of the National Association of REALTORS®, told mortgage industry news website OriginatorTimes.com. The industry is “trying to give them more options to bu
Though rents are still rising across the country, the growth is slowing. Average monthly rents reached $1,350 nationwide in July, an uptick of only $1 since June and an increase of 2.6 percent from a year ago, according to data by Yardi Matrix.Supply is loosening up as a larger influx of new apartment buildings hits the market, helping to put a tighter lid on escalating rental costs. The RentCafé Blog reports that the largest jump in apartment c
Mortgage rates have mostly held steady the past few weeks, with the 30-year fixed-rate loan still averaging below 4 percent.“The 10-year Treasury yield was relatively flat this week, as was the 30-year mortgage rate, which rose 1 basis point to 3.93 percent,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Despite a strong advance estimate for second-quarter GDP, markets are erring on the side of caution."Freddie Mac reports the follo
Investors are increasingly turning their attention to student housing. The investment volume in student housing in 2016 jumped 64.5 percent year over year, compared to a 4.3 percent overall increase in the multifamily sector.Student housing still remains a relatively small portion of the multifamily sector, however. Student housing comprised 6.6 percent of total multifamily transaction volumes in 2016. But it’s soaring to record levels: In 2016
Real estate pros specializing in commercial real estate are seeing an increase in gross income and sales volume, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2017 Commercial Member Profile, released Wednesday.The median gross annual income for 2016 was $120,900, an 11 percent increase from the $108,800 income reported in 2015, according to the report, based on a survey of nearly 2,000 NAR members who conduct all or part of their busine
Mortgage financing giant Freddie Mac will begin this fall to tighten restrictions on low down payment mortgages that allow borrowers to only contribute 1 percent of the home’s purchase price. Borrowers will now be required to come up with at least 3 percent in order to then receive any contribution from a lender.Read more: Freddie Mac: Housing Is Still AffordableFreddie Mac and Fannie Mae started the low down payment offerings in 2014 by rolli
This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.
