Category: Real Estate

Mortgage rates fell last week for the fourth straight week, but neither current homeowners nor homebuyers seemed particularly impressed. Total mortgage application volume rose just 0.5% last week compared to the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances…

Last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell all but confirmed that an interest rate cut is coming soon. “The time has come for policy to adjust,” the central bank leader said in his keynote address at the Fed’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For Americans struggling to keep up with sky-high interest charges, a likely…

New houses are seen for sale at Woodland Village, built by Lifestyle Homes housing developer, in Cold Springs, Nevada. Andri Tambunan | AFP | Getty Images It appears to have taken a few weeks for current homeowners to realize mortgage rates had dropped dramatically. And when they did, they acted. Applications to refinance a home…

Aleksandarnakic | E+ | Getty Images A construction boom in the U.S. has resulted in lower rents and other benefits for renters. Record-construction activity since the pandemic has increased the supply of empty units, meaning more inventory is available for renters. More multi-family units were completed in June than in any month in nearly 50…

d3sign | Moment | Getty Images Inflation continued to retreat in July, aided by easing price pressures for consumer staples like food and energy and physical goods like new and used cars. The consumer price index, a key inflation gauge, rose 2.9% in July from a year ago, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Wednesday.…

Sdi Productions | E+ | Getty Images Homeownership has long symbolized the American Dream, embodying stability, wealth creation, and community investment. Yet, for millions of Americans, especially younger generations and first-time homebuyers, that dream is slipping away. Rising home prices, stagnant wages, and restrictive mortgage terms have made it increasingly difficult to take that crucial…

The Federal Reserve could start lowering interest rates as soon as next month, based on the latest inflation data. “We think that the time is approaching,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference after the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting in July. For Americans struggling to keep up with sky-high interest charges, a likely September rate cut may bring some…

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks at an Aug. 10 campaign rally in Las Vegas. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images Affordable housing is a cornerstone of the “opportunity economy” that Vice President Kamala Harris sketched out last week. Harris’ economic policy pitch included proposals to lower the costs…

Richard Newstead | Moment | Getty Images LONDON — Britain’s biggest high street lenders are continuing to slash borrowing costs after the Bank of England’s first interest rate cut in four years sparked a boom in homebuyer activity. Barclays, Halifax, HSBC and NatWest are among the lenders now offering five-year fixed rate mortgages of under 4%, below…

A sign is posted in front of a home for sale on August 07, 2024 in San Rafael, California.  Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Closed sales of previously owned homes rose 1.3% in July compared with June to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 3.95 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. That…

A house under construction is seen between completed houses in a new development in Brambleton, Virginia on August 14, 2024. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images Mortgage rates fell for the third week in a row last week, but the rush to refinance took a breather. Applications to refinance a home loan dropped 15%…

In this article DHI LEN PHM Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Shareholder returns for top homebuilders D.R. Horton and Lennar outpaced the wider S&P 500 between August 2014 and August 2024. Analysts downgraded the investment outlook of both companies this summer. However, some investors remain optimistic about the industry’s prospects for performance. Stock Chart…

Rent Café has released its 2022 year-end report, which looks at the most competitive rental markets this year. Although apartment construction is at a historic high, finding a rental in 2022 has been challenging. Nationally, the average renter had to compete with 14 other apartment seekers to secure a rental, which didn’t stay listed longer…

The Federal Reserve is expected on Wednesday to raise interest rates for the seventh time this year to combat stubborn inflation.  The U.S. central bank will likely approve a 0.5 percentage point hike, a more typical pace compared with the super-size 75 basis point moves at each of the last four meetings. This would push…

After 15 years, one of New Zealand’s most significant properties has been priced for market at $5.2 million―the grand estate’s otherworldly gardens blushed with myth. Its substantial lake was the set piece for a doomed hobbit who found a golden ring buried on its murky bottom for two and half millennia. New Zealand film director…

Over the last decade, there was an influx of Americans into regions where climate change is making wildfires and extreme heat more common, according to an analysis of multiple data sets done at the University of Vermont (UVM). Broadly speaking, Americans migrated to the cities and suburbs in the Pacific Northwest, parts of the Southwest…

Ocean views, beaches and big waves are enduring attractions. The coastal Southern California city of Newport Beach benefits from its bordering resource with a harbor, surfing and two piers. Not surprisingly, the upscale community also has its share of boutiques, fine dining restaurants and highly sought-after housing. Views of the water and the horizon are…

Heat pumps are becoming more popular for residential housing with energy prices increasing and the need to reduce use of fossil fuel heating systems. Andrew Aitchison | In Pictures | Getty Images Thinking about a home heat pump? New and expanded government incentives, coupled with sharply rising utility costs, make it more compelling. Especially when…

The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the home. Not only is it a sanctuary, but it’s also a space where the right design choice can add value. 2022 was a unique year for bathroom trends because it didn’t appear that there was anything majorly new, innovative, or must-have. Rather, homeowners were…

The Central Business District of Pittsburgh J. Altdorfer Photography | Getty Images After bidding wars during the pandemic, demand for home purchases has fallen amid higher mortgage interest rates. That dynamic has made some markets are more attractive for first-time home buyers for 2023, according to a Zillow report released this week. The real estate…