National News

Builders bullish on 55+ market, but labor shortages loom

Industry confidence in the single-family housing market for older adults reached an all-time high last quarter. The National Association of Home Builders’ 55+ Housing Market Index continued its recent incline with a reading of 72, up six points from last quarter

Real Estate in Brief: Cooler prices, association hires and more

Redfin sees first annual home price decrease since 2012 While most national indicators have shown home price growth falling over the last several months, Redfin is the first to report that price increases have hit negative territory. In its

Indicators suggest an upcoming buyer’s market

After the release of the Case-Shiller Index and the National Association of Realtors’ Pending Home Sales report, it seems like the spring market is finally ready to take off. The CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index reported a four percent annual gain

Competition lawsuits roiling the industry

Real estate has been hit with multiple legal challenges to the status quo, particularly in how agents get paid. The first suit, filed in federal district court in Chicago, takes aim at a rule it says was instituted by

Real Estate in Brief: FHFA plans, new-home sales and more

New FHFA director discusses plans for mortgage market Earlier this month, the Senate confirmed Mark Calabria as the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The FHFA oversees government-owned mortgage insurers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together

Why Americans aren’t moving as much

Residential migration and mobility, both interstate and domestic, has been declining steadily for a few years now. About 10 percent of Americans on average moved out of state, in the last five years. But between the 1940s through the

Keller Williams moves closer to release of iBuying service

Since Opendoor unveiled its instant-offer home listing service in 2014, other companies have been working to develop other versions of the service that’s come to be dubbed iBuying. Most recently, Keller Williams announced the opening of its own iBuyer

Home sales fall back to earth in March

After a strong nationwide rebound in February’s home sales figures, purchase activity resumed its downward trajectory in March. According to the National Association of Realtors’ existing-home sales report released April 22, completed transactions fell 4.9 percent between February and

Real Estate In Brief: Opportunity Zone rules, purchase activity and more

Updates on Opportunity Zone rules, tax breaks The Treasury Department released a document April 17 offering the first detailed look into regulations it is proposing around the new Opportunity Zones program. Announced as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts

NY Fed: Don’t underestimate first-time buyers

In a multi-part series on its economics blog, researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York broke down some misconceptions related to first-time homebuyers. Some of their findings offer a new perspective on this crucial group of Americans

Hispanics the only ethnic group with net growth in US homeownership

In the decade following the housing crisis, Hispanic and Latino populations accounted for the majority of growth in the U.S. homeownership rate, according to a recent report from the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. The 2018 “State

Real Estate in Brief: Mortgage reform, house flipping and more

Chase CEO urges mortgage reform In his most recent annual letter to shareholders, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon expressed concerns about the current state of mortgage industry regulation in the U.S. “The country desperately needs mortgage reform,” Dimon wrote

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Houston is No. 2 for construction gains

Houston was ranked the No. 2 city in the country for construction gains, according to a recent article by realtor.com. Despite a nationwide slowdown in construction, Houston was one of several cities in the US that saw an increase

Consumer confidence in housing market surges

Surveys of American consumers continue to point to renewed optimism in the housing market. Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index approached an all-time high reading in March, gaining five points over February to reach 89.8. This was driven by

Real Estate in Brief: Rent burden, global affordability and more

Freddie Mac: Florida metros among most rent-burdened Housing affordability is an issue that dominates discussions of local politics, but the data on the topic can be hard to interpret. Studies from multiple sources regularly rank U.S. cities according to

What new tax laws mean for homeowners this year

April 15 this year marks the first Tax Day under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, one of the most significant overhauls of the federal tax code in decades. While Tax Day is the deadline for most Americans,

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