To understand housing demand, it helps to break it down generationally. For example, baby boomers – because they are older and more likely to be settled somewhere – are the least active in the market. Generation X, on the other hand, are in the prime of their professional life and, since they are making more money and have growing families, they account for a large share of buyers looking to upgrade from their first home into something more spacious. Finally, there are millennials. Born between 1982 and 2000, … [Read more...]

Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research Group puts out a monthly outlook covering economic and housing conditions and their expectations for the coming months. According to their February forecast, home buyers may have something to look forward to as spring approaches. That's because, this year's real estate market looks to be more favorable than it has been in the recent past. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae's chief economist, says many indicators are pointing toward a good spring for buyers. “On housing, a reduction … [Read more...]

New numbers from the National Association of Realtors show sales of previously owned homes fell 1.2 percent in January from the month before. It was the third consecutive monthly decline and, among the country's four major regions, only the Northeast saw an increase in sales activity. But, though that sounds like the housing market may be headed in the wrong direction, it doesn't tell the whole story. Why? Well, market fundamentals are actually improving for anyone who may be considering a move this year. In … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, mortgage demand increased 3.6 percent last week from the week before. And, though the majority of the improvement was refinance activity, purchase demand also rose. The news is encouraging, as it points to gaining interest as spring approaches. Joel Kan, MBA's associate vice president of industry surveys and forecasts, says the numbers show promise. “After four consecutive declines, purchase applications increased almost 2 percent over the … [Read more...]

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...]