First-time homebuyers are a scarce bunch, these days. Just when it seemed that the news on first-time homebuyers could not get any more distressing, here comes a new report from RealtyTrac to pour salt on the wounds. In short,

It’s a whole new world out there for new construction, as stunning stat after stunning stat drives home. The Census Bureau’s latest report on new single-family home sales is out, and its findings, at least on the surface, were

SmartAsset evaluated refinancing around Texas and the country to find that Houstonians are saving more. In Harris County, residents are saving more each year on mortgage refinancing than anywhere else in the state, an analysis from SmartAsset, a personal finance website,

The past few months, we’ve reported on the many thorny issues facing Millennials – that their wages in many industries have plummeted in recent years; that their savings rate is negative; that they have pushed roommate rates up to

Texas continued to lead the pack in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Home prices in the Lone Star State remained strong in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. Though the indices do not track Houston, prices were very encouraging in Dallas,

In a recent article on new construction, we reported that the multifamily share of total construction had risen from 17.2 percent of the market in Jan. 2002 to 35.1 percent of the market in Jan. 2014. Such a striking

Agents are working hard to make 2015 a profitable year, but low inventories are keeping sales slow. January marked the start of a new year, but it was hardly the hit the ground running beginning the market was hoping

Whenever you see a report on America’s evaporating middle class, you should think about the implications for housing. Homeownership is a defining symbol of American middle class life; indeed, the quintessential image of a single-family detached house, complete with

Builder confidence is far above the rate of new construction; what gives? Here’s an interesting nuance to the housing recovery: the Housing Market Index, which tracks builder confidence, dropped a couple points from January to February, finishing at 55;

Just how dramatic has housing shifted towards rentals, in the last seven years? Fifty-four percent of Houston residents now live in rental housing, up from 50 percent in 2006 and 41 percent in 1970; as if that weren’t enough, the renter

Houston is a booming market, but available homes are struggling to match demand, helping Cy-Fair emerge as a premier destination. Around the country, markets are normalizing, blurring the lines of favor to keep buyers and sellers on an even

Why are mortgage rates still so low? Allow us to count the ways. Average rates for the 30-year FRM may have ticked up last week, but they remain at their lowest point since May 2013. What’s behind the low stature

It was the same old story in January, with multifamily construction leading the way. Another year, another setting for multifamily dominance in residential construction. That was the central lesson from the Census Bureau’s latest report, which found multifamily permits, starts

A new study from the Federal Reserve brings more evidence to the table on the damaging economic effects of high student debt burdens We’re written in the past about the effects of student loan debt on the housing market

Houston had a hot 2014, but builders are predicting steep declines in the months ahead. Houston is at a crossroads. Oil prices have fallen to astounding levels; inventory is on a slow, downward roll; pending sales are declining by

The last couple weeks, we’ve been analyzing exclusive numbers from the CoreLogic Housing Credit Index, a detailed look at mortgage availability. Our central question has been a simple one: is it any easier, nowadays, to attain a mortgage? And after