The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage plunged 22 basis points this week, the largest one-week drop in 10 years, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage survey.“The Federal Reserve’s concern about the prospects for slowing economic growth caused investor jitters to drive down mortgage rates by the largest amount in over ten years,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Despite negative outlooks by some, the economy continues to c
More homeowners plan to spruce up their homes this year, but a lot of things can go wrong—particularly financially—when setting out to do a home remodel. More than a quarter of home renovation projects go over budget.Some of the biggest budget breakers for owners completing a home renovation project, according to a new infographic from Job Site Image, a company that offers construction photo documentation, are:Choosing more expensive pro
Pending home sales posted a slight drop in February, but economists are shrugging off any concerns that it could be a sign of any murky spring for the housing market.The National Association of REALTORS®’ Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, fell 1 percent in February to a reading of 101.9. Contract signings are down 4.9 percent year over year.“In January, pending contracts were up close to 5 perc
Tighter underwriting that the Federal Housing Administration announced March 14 for higher-risk loans doesn’t mean applications for those loans won’t get approved, just that they’ll be subject to more intensive manual review, and that’s an understandable move for the agency, NAR says.“We recognize it’s something the agency has to do to protect its insurance fund,” says Megan Booth, director of housing policy for NAR.About
Housing discrimination, or the fear of it, is keeping many consumers in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community from buying a home and contributes significantly to sagging homeownership rates in the LGBT community, finds a new survey of nearly 2,300 LGBTs.Forty-four percent of respondents said they would be anxious about how welcoming potential neighbors and the community would be of them, and 40 percent would be overly concerned ab
Affordability is a driving factor when purchasing a home for retirement, says Danny Goodman, COO of 55places.com, a resource for active adult communities in the U.S.“Whether retirees are looking to stay close to family, move to a warmer climate, adopt a low-maintenance lifestyle, or join the camaraderie that comes with active adult communities, the small towns recognized here offer practical options and attractive amenities at a reasonable pric
The Federal Housing Administration has announced tighter lending standards, which could put up to 50,000 mortgages in jeopardy annually. The FHA insures mortgages for first-time home buyers and often borrowers with low credit scores and high loan payments relative to their incomes. The clampdown is on lending rules that the FHA believes are allowing too many risky loans to be approved.The FHA says it will begin to flag more loans a
Homeowners are getting richer. In the fourth quarter of 2018, about one-quarter of all properties with a mortgage were considered “equity rich,” meaning the amount owed on the property was 50 percent or less of the home’s estimated market value, according to research from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate research firm.Some home sellers are deciding it’s a good time to cash in. Sellers in San Francisco saw the highest gains at sale
Lower mortgage rates are making for a rosy spring selling season, even if the economy is starting to show some sluggishness, economists note in Freddie Mac’s March forecast.“The real estate market is thawing in response to the sustained decline in mortgage rates and rebound in consumer confidence—two of the most important drivers of home sales,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Rising sales demand coupled with more inv
Many housing markets have recovered since home prices plunged during the housing crisis more than a decade ago. HSH.com’s Home Price Recovery Index—which culls data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Home Price Index—shows which markets have fared best since the crisis ended.The 10 metro areas that have recovered the most are:1. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo.: 88.28% (amount above previous peak)Peak value: $276,000Current value: $51
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