Homeowners who love supersized homes may want to head to Scranton, Pa. Realtor.com® ranks Scranton as the top city to find the biggest bargains on big homes in the country.Nationwide, a home of over 3,000 square feet will cost $589,700, or about $147 per square foot, according to realtor.com®. In Scranton, however, the median list price of a home over 3,000 square feet is $379,900, or $94.99 per square foot.Realtor.com® researchers analyzed li
United Wholesale Mortgage, one of the country’s highest-volume lenders, is allowing borrowers an escrow-free option with their mortgage, at no extra charge. Even borrowers with less-than-perfect credit histories or who made small down payments may be eligible to bypass having an escrow account with the bank.Escrow accounts are typically required with banks for conventional home mortgages. They require borrowers to deposit money in advance for a
Apartment rents climbed in 88 percent of the 250 largest U.S. cities, with the national average rent reaching an all-time high in July, RentCafe reports. Seasonal demand and a rise in rental activity have offset a wave of new apartments that have opened up this year, the national rental listing service notes.The national average rent climbed to a record high of $1,409 in July, up 2.8 percent year over year.The largest apartment rental increases w
Where are the best neighborhoods for buyers and investors? ATTOM Data Solutions ranked more than 10,000 neighborhood housing markets nationwide using the letter grades A through F. The real estate data firm factored in six metrics: affordability, home price appreciation, school scores, crime rates, unemployment rates, and property taxes.ATTOM broke down the common housing characteristics and trends among each grade.The top five neighborhood
Borrowers got stuck with higher mortgage rates again this week. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbed for the second consecutive week, averaging 4.6 percent. Mortgage rates are now at their fourth highest level of the year, Freddie Mac reports.“The higher rate environment, coupled with the ongoing lack of affordable inventory, has led to a drag on existing-home sales in the last few months,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.
Commercial real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield made its debut on the stock market on Thursday, with shares jumping up to 7 percent in its initial public offering on the first day of trading. Cushman ended Thursday trading at $17.81 per share on the New York Stock Exchange.“Being public gives us a currency where we can accelerate our growth even above where it has been these days,” Brett White, CEO of Cushman, told CNBC.The company offe
The Federal Reserve decided Wednesday to hold off on raising its short-term interest rates. But it hinted that it likely will deliver its third interest rate increase of the year at its next meeting in late September. The Fed’s key rate does not have a direct impact on mortgage rates, but it usually influences them.“Economic activity has been rising at a strong rate,” the Fed’s statement read. Economic output rose at a 4.1 percent annual
Housing inventories in high-priced markets are gradually making a turnaround. One-third of the largest 45 U.S. metros saw a yearly increase in housing inventory in July, realtor.com® reports. In some markets, the inventory increase has been dramatic. For example, in Silicon Valley, the San Jose metro posted a 44 percent increase in inventory compared to a year ago.The greater number of choices, however, doesn’t mean lower prices. The median li
There must be a remodeling bug flying around Oklahoma City. The area ranked the highest of the 50 largest U.S. cities by volume of home improvement loans issued to homeowners, according to a new analysis by LendingTree.San Jose, Calif., ranked second on LendingTree’s list. Analysts say the city’s high home prices and tight inventory have benefited current homeowners, who are seeing a rise in equity that they can then apply to bettering their
Renters are struggling to catch a break. In seven of the largest U.S. cities, the average household would need to make at least six figures to comfortably afford the rent on a two-bedroom apartment, according to a new study by SmartAsset, a personal financial website. SmartAsset researchers looked at how much it takes to afford average rental rates in the nation’s 25 largest cities.Households that spend more than 30 percent of their incomes on
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