National News

Democratic senators propose 20-year mortgage for low-income, first-time homebuyers

The Low-Income First Time Homebuyers Act (LIFT) establishes a program to sponsor 20-year mortgages that would build equity at twice the rate of a conventional 30-year mortgage.

New-home sales rise in August

The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of July was 378,000, representing a supply of 6.1 months at the current sales rate.

Surge in multifamily construction drives housing starts in August

The increase was driven by a 21.6% month-over-month spike in the rate of new multifamily construction. Single-family housing starts, meanwhile, slid 2.8%.

NAHB: Builder confidence posts first monthly gain in four months

September’s reading of 76 was up one point from August, despite lingering challenges with labor and the building-material supply chain, the National Association of Home Builders reported, citing the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

RE/MAX: Home sales, prices decline in August

Month over month, home sales were down 3.5%, and the median sale price declined 1.2% to $335,000.

NAR sues DOJ after the department withdraws from antitrust settlement

The Justice Department’s original complaint against the National Association of Realtors, filed Nov. 19, 2020, alleges that the association enforced rules and policies that illegally hampered competition in residential real estate services.

Pending home sales up 6% from 2020 despite dwindling listings

A decline in new home listings has had little impact on the market as far as demand is concerned, according to a recent Redfin report.

Why the future of exurbs remains uncertain

Over the past year, outer suburbs, or exurbs, have experienced a particularly intense boom. It’s those distant areas which saw the sharpest increase in interested buyers, according to Realtor.com.

What do buyers want to see in your real estate listing marketing?

You might be surprised by the results of this survey.

New-home construction falls in July

“The bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming report comes from the increase in the overall number of permits issued, which can signal how much home construction is in the pipeline.” — First American deputy chief economist Odeta Kushi

NAR condemns racial profiling of Michigan agent

After a Black real estate agent and his client were detained by police while viewing a house, the National Association of REALTORS® took a strong stance against the “deeply disturbing” incident of “racial profiling.”

Lot values are priced at a record high… Will it continue?

Lot values for single-family homes are surging, according to an NAHB report. The current national median is $53,000: a record high.

No new median-home price records set in July

For the first time since early March, no new records were set for median-home-sale prices last month, ending the five-month streak of record-breaking home prices.

Housing affordability hits 10-year low

Just 56.6% of homes sold during the quarter were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $79,900, according to the National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index.

Realtor survey shows importance of tech in pandemic

Looking forward, 37% of the survey’s respondents expect drones to be the most-impactful technology over the next 24 months, followed by cyber security (34%), 5G (31%) and virtual reality (30%).

Share of international homebuyers fell last year

International buyers purchased 107,000 residential properties from April 2020 through March 2021, marking a 31% decline from the 154,000 residences bought the previous year.

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