The real estate market tends to slow down in the fall and winter. Spring and summer are far more popular with home shoppers. But last fall, in addition to the normal seasonal slowdown, mortgage rate increases caused many potential home buyers to put a hold on any plans to purchase a house. In short, affordability conditions, the holidays, and harsher weather dampened demand for homes. Since then, however, mortgage rates have decreased and for-sale inventory has shown signs of recovery. This combined with a healthy … [Read more...]

The fact that younger Americans these days are facing some financial challenges is well documented. Rent has increased and so has student loan debt. That can make saving money to buy a home difficult. So it shouldn't be too surprising to hear that there are an increasing number of young adults living with their parents. But new numbers from the Urban Institute make clear just how many. According to their research, the share of people between the ages of 25 and 34 who are living with their parents has increased from … [Read more...]

Finding the right home involves a little bit of luck. After all, the chances that there'll be a place in your price range, with all of the features you desire, in the neighborhood you want to live in, at the exact time you're looking aren't necessarily great. But, the more homes there are available for sale in the area you're searching, the better those odds become. That's why inventory is such a hot topic these days. There's been a shortage of homes for sale over the past few years and it's made buying a house … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were down across all loan categories last week. Rates fell for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. But despite rates having become more favorable over the past several weeks, demand for loans to buy homes has also been falling. Joel Kan, MBA's associate vice president of industry surveys and forecasts, says … [Read more...]

Saving for a down payment is often a big hurdle for buyers, especially those purchasing their first home. Without the benefit of equity from a previous home's sale, first-time home buyers have to come up with the money from scratch. That can be difficult, especially if they live in an area where there are fewer homes available in an affordable price range. So, if you're thinking of buying a home in the near future, how much should you expect to need? Well, one recent analysis looked at down payments by state and … [Read more...]

Choosing a home to buy is a pretty big decision. For the amount of money and time you'll end up investing, it wouldn't be smart to make it a hasty one. But depending on how competitive your market is, you also can't spend too much time deliberating over a particular property. So what's a normal amount of time to expect to be searching for the right home to buy? Well, according to new numbers from the National Association of Home Builders, 58 percent of buyers who were actively looking for a home to buy during the … [Read more...]

Buying a home means making an investment in the real estate market. And, while it may not be your main motivation for buying, the chance that you'll see a return on that investment is undoubtedly a good thing. It's among the reasons that homeownership has retained its appeal over the years. It's also why new numbers from ATTOM Data Solutions are encouraging. Their Year-End 2018 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report shows that in the fourth quarter of last year more than 14.5 million properties were considered … [Read more...]

Last year's housing market had its challenges. Though there was plenty of interest from home buyers, too few homes for sale, rising interest rates, and high prices dampened some of the enthusiasm. Now, according to the most recent Home Purchase Sentiment Index from Fannie Mae, Americans may be feeling more optimistic about their options. That's because, in addition to an 8 percent increase in the number of respondents who say their income is substantially higher than it was at the same time last year, there are … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell sharply last week across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. But though rates were more favorable, requests for mortgage loan applications still fell. In fact, overall demand was down 2.5 percent from the previous week. Joel Kan, MBA's associate vice president of industry … [Read more...]

Homeowners who sold a house in 2018 saw an average gain since purchase of $61,000, according to new numbers from ATTOM Data Solutions. ATTOM's Year-End 2018 U.S. Home Sales Report found that home sellers averaged a 32.6 percent return on investment when comparing the price their home sold for with the original purchase price. The improvement was an $11,000 increase from the year before. But though that's good news for anyone thinking about selling a home sometime soon, ATTOM's chief product officer, Todd Teta, says … [Read more...]