According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates moved higher last week. Rates were up 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. Mike Fratantoni, MBA's senior vice president and chief economist, says he expects rates to trend higher throughout 2022. “MBA's new March forecast expects mortgage rates to continue to trend higher through the course of 2022,” … [Read more...]

Homeownership has its perks. Among them, it's a financial investment. When home prices rise, homeowners benefit. And last year, homeowners benefited in a big way. In fact, according to one new analysis, home values rose higher than the median income in 25 of 38 of the metropolitan areas included in the study. In other words, homeowners gained more in equity than the median worker made in income. Home appreciation even topped $100,000 in 11 of those cities. In San Jose, for example, the typical home grew $229,277 in … [Read more...]

In an interconnected world, events in other countries have an effect on our economy. That's certainly the case these days, according to Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research Group's latest monthly outlook. According to the group, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with existing supply-chain issues, has caused considerable downside risks to the U.S. economy and housing market. Fortunately for home buyers and sellers, though, Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae's senior vice president and chief economist, says the … [Read more...]

Sales of previously owned homes fell in February, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were down 7.2 percent from the month before and 2.4 percent from last year at the same time. There were a number of factors that likely contributed to the decline, including higher mortgage rates and a lower than normal number of homes for sale. But while challenges remain, there are signs a better balanced market may be on the way. Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, says inventory is beginning to improve. … [Read more...]

The housing market needs more homes. They are plenty of buyers but not enough houses for sale. That leads to higher prices and more competition for available listings. Fortunately, though, new home construction is expected to increase this year and, according to newly released numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, it already has. Their February new residential construction report shows the number of homes that began construction during the month was 22 percent … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates increased last week from one week earlier. Rates were up 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. The increase follows a decline the week before, the first in 12 weeks. Joel Kan, MBA's associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting, says recent rate fluctuations have been caused by several … [Read more...]

For the most part, homes are all the same. They all have a kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and a main living area. Those are givens. Aside from the number and size, those rooms aren't what get buyers excited, though. For home buyers, the things that really set a listing apart are the details, bonus rooms, and style of a house. A home's features and aesthetic can make it sell faster and at a higher price than other homes, even in the same area. But what are the features that today's home buyer desires most? Well, … [Read more...]

Spring is well known as the time of year when the housing market heats up. After waiting out the winter, home buyers return and begin hunting for a home to purchase. Naturally, the increasing number of interested buyers also makes spring a good time for homeowners who want to sell. And this year, home sellers may have even more reason to get ready for spring. According to a recent analysis from the National Association of Realtors' consumer website, the number of homes available for sale remains historically low, … [Read more...]

Increasing mortgage rates have prospective home buyers concerned about affordability. But while higher rates may have buyers calculating costs, mortgage lenders don't expect they'll deter Americans from shopping for a home this year. In fact, according to Fannie Mae's most recent Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey, participating lenders expect buyer demand to remain largely stable, despite rising rates. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae's senior vice president and chief economist, says there are a number of unknowns that will … [Read more...]

It's said that home is where the heart is, but your home is also a financial investment. That's why homeowners who are thinking about potential home improvement projects will typically try to calculate what kind of return on investment they'll get for the upgrade. After all, it's easier to justify the expense if you know, when it's time to sell, your home will garner a higher price. These days, though, homeowners have become a little less focused on their financial return and a little more interested in creating … [Read more...]