News / Features

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Homebuyers plunking down more money for down payments

The average U.S. homebuyer in the third quarter made a down payment that was higher than any other quarter since the first quarter of 2000, according to a new report. A dominant trend in the report is that co-borrowing,

FHA to increase floor and ceiling loan limits in 2018

The Federal Housing Administration announced that they will raise loan limits in more than 3,000 counties nationwide in 2018. In total, 3,011 counties will have higher loan limits next year, up slightly from 2,948 counties in 2017 and a

Homebuilder considers residential project in Houston floodplain

In the months following Hurricane Harvey, it looks like Houston is slowly recovering from the storm’s damage. However, some builders could be becoming too confident moving forward with new construction. According to a report from the Houston Chronicle, Meritage

This Week in Houston Real Estate: Inside the former home of Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon

The former home of Hakeem Olajuwon is now on sale in north Houston. The home is 7,271 square feet and was custom built in 1983 for the Houston Rockets legend, according to the Houston Business Journal. The home features

Trulia: U.S. housing inventory down more than 10 percent

Tight inventory has nagged the U.S. housing market all year, but in the last quarter of 2017, the number of homes for sale plunged 10.5 percent year over year — the largest decrease since 2013, according to Trulia.  The

Mortgage delinquency dips to lowest rate in more than a decade

The number of past-due mortgage payments and of homes currently in some stage of foreclosure are the lowest they’ve been in 10 years, according to the monthly CoreLogic Loan Performance Insights Report. The report, which analyzes the health and

Agents not spared from effects of net neutrality repeal

The Federal Communications Commission vote on Thursday to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules will have enormous consequences for the real estate industry, the National Association of Realtors said in reaction to the hotly contested move. Real estate agents and companies

Post-Harvey rebound continues for Houston real estate market

Despite limited inventory after Hurricane Harvey, Houston’s real estate market was driven into positive territory by homebuyers and renters in November. This marks the third consecutive month of sales increases for Houston. According to the latest monthly report from

FHA to stop insuring mortgages with PACE loans

In a move the housing industry deems a victory, the U.S. Federal Housing Administration will no longer insure mortgages on homes that also carry liens by the Property Assessed Clean Energy program, PACE. When the Obama administration decided to

NAR seeks to impact tax reform

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released a letter Tuesday asking Congress to make three critical changes to the tax reform bill. NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall calls upon Congressional leaders to “retain current law on the capital gains exclusion for the

Minority homeownership lags in the United States

While homeownership continues to be a key part of the American Dream, minorities in the United States lag behind the rest of the country in homeownership rates. According to a new report from ABODO Apartments, a national apartment listing

Compass gains $450 million in real estate tech investment

Real estate tech company Compass announced it received a $450 million investment from Japanese company SoftBank Vision Fund on Dec. 7. This investment stands as the largest real estate technology investment in U.S. history and brings the total capital

This Week in Houston Real Estate: Walton Group acquires 1,445 acres of land for new master-planned community

Photo source: The Howard Hughes Corporation David Weekley Homes will be the builder of the final two phases of the Lakeland Heights neighborhood at Bridgeland. Three collections of home sites will be available in the neighborhood, with the new sections

Short-term extension approved for National Flood Insurance Program

Congress approved a short-term extension for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was included in a temporary federal government funding deal made Thursday. The extension ensures the program will operate as normal through Dec. 22. Its future, though, remains

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Fannie Mae: Housing sentiment nears all-time high in November

The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) grew to 87.8 in November, a 2.6 point increase from October, nearing September’s all-time high and marking a year-over-year increase of 6.6 points. Four of the six HPSI components increased. The

Fannie Mae: Gig economy workers hope to buy houses, but not in near future

We see evidence of it everywhere — big pink mustaches on car dashboards, round black “U” stickers slapped on the back of car windows and friends allowing out-of-towners to rent rooms in their homes for a modest price. The

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