The federal funds rate will rise by 0.25 percent The Federal Reserve announced today that it will raise the federal funds rate, the key interest rate that influences mortgage, auto loans and other forms of financing, by 0.25 percent. Additionally,

One-stop shopping offers benefits to homebuyers, but they still want agents’ help Fifty percent of recent homebuyers used one source, or one-stop shopping (OSS), to procure homebuying services, according to a National Association of Realtors survey. That is compared to 29 percent

America sees a range of three to 26 years to save for a downpayment, depending on the state It takes 6.45 years for an average first-time homebuyer to save for a down payment on a new home in Texas, according

Builder confidence in the market for newly constructed single-family homes remained relatively flat in December, dropping one point to 61 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). David Crowe, the NAHB’s chief economist, said past

What is the preferable home size? The median size for homes purchased in 2015 was 1,900 square feet, according to the 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the National Association of Realtors. Beyond that median, though, NAR uncovered

Fannie Mae’s 3-percent down-payment policy was met with praise and skepticism in equal parts, but how has it impacted housing? It was last October when Fannie Mae announced that, in an effort to broaden credit access, it would lower its

Although it’s still far from its pre-recession peak, car transportation is up There has been a significant increase in the number of Americans driving, according to a report released by Doug Short of Advisor Perspectives. The report looked at the estimated

Downsizing is a natural progression in housing we’ve come to expect of older generations, such as the aging Baby Boomers, whose preference for high square footage is diminishing as their children leave the nest and retirement sets in. But

The economy continues to recover, but Americans’ finances are still stuck in the mud A surprisingly large share of Americans are in a precarious financial state, according to a new, detailed study from The Pew Charitable Trust. For its study,

Prices are rising at a breakneck pace, but it’s not time to panic With record-setting home prices and skyrocketing rents, today’s housing market may seem naggingly familiar, like this might have happened before. Could the current boom result in another disastrous

According to NAR’s 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, single women made up 15 percent of the overall homebuying market, as opposed to single men, who only made up 9 percent of the market. In 2013, single women

Americans want their Cuban property. Since the 1960s, when Castro first seized power, that wanting has been a symptom most convinced themselves to ignore, despite filing claims against the country. However, when representatives of Cuba and the United States meet

Despite adding jobs, November offered more of the same for America’s economy The U.S. economy added 211,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.0 percent, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. November’s

The housing market continues to struggle despite an increase in high-quality mortgages Even though houses are selling at their fastest rate since 2007, sub-700 credit score buyers are still at the same level they were mid-2010. According to a

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced that loan applications dropped 0.2 percent from last week, according to its Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending on Nov. 27.  The results included an adjustment for the Thanksgiving holiday; on an unadjusted basis, the

Houston joins 32 other markets with new peak prices in 2015 The Houston metro area saw a new peak median price in 2015 at $219,450 in June, according to a new RealtyTrac report. Houston was one of 33 markets