National News

6 Key Facts About the Homes Consumers are Buying Today

Single-family detached? Senior-related housing? New? Old? What homes do consumers want today? In the grand world of American housing, what properties are holding the most sway with homebuyers nowadays? And how do those preferences shift across generational lines? In our

Builder Confidence Hits Eight-Month Low in March

Homebuilders are feeling a little less confident this month. A key measure of builder confidence declined this month, with the Housing Market Index (HMI) dropping two points to a level of 53. Released monthly by the NAHB, the HMI tracks

New Construction in February Plunges on Weak Multifamily Activity

The latest construction report looks bad, but as usual, there’s more than meets the eye. The numbers do not warm the heart – last month, housing starts were down 17 percent from January and 3.3 percent from Feb. 2014,

The Millennial Mind: Frugal, Inquisitive and Ready to Buy

Ninety-two million Millennials represent the largest living generation and the future of homebuying. Millennials, while not the most active buyers and sellers, are real estate’s most important demographic, and for one reason in particular: there are so many of them.

Consumers Demand More From Lenders

TD Bank survey shows what clients want: more information. In the wake of the rebuilding year of 2014, the market, while still in recovery, has been cast in a distinctly more appealing light, as consumers are once again eager

Homeownership Rate Fell to 20-Year Low in 2014, Worse For Younger Americans

Everyone has seen the various reports that the U.S. homeownership rate has fallen in recent years, but how much as it really declined? To find out, we took a deep dive into the Census Bureau’s data on the matter,

4 Important Details About Today’s Homebuyers

What are some of the defining traits of homebuyers in today’s housing market? Every spring, Christmas comes early in the form of NAR’s Generational Survey, a massively detailed look at homebuyers, sellers and the generational divides that exist between

4 Reasons You Should Doubt the ‘Official’ Unemployment Rate

Sure, unemployment has been falling, but the way we measure unemployment is riddled with problems Last week, we reported that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in February, the lowest it’s been in nearly seven years. News

Major Changes Coming to Consumer Credit Ratings

The manner in which the major credit-rating agencies judge consumer credit will change in a big way. The three major credit-rating agencies will be overhauling their methods for addressing both credit disputes and medical bills, according to a new

5 Must-Know Details About the Latest Jobs Report

There were several aspects of the new jobs report that real estate agents should be aware of. The government released its latest jobs report earlier today, and as with past reports, there was a subtle mixture of highly positive and slightly

When it Comes to Homes, Bigger is Definitely Better in America

Americans love big houses, and that’s true across generational and economic lines. Only 40 percent of Americans are living in their ideal home size, and 43 percent wish they were living in a home that is somewhat or significantly larger.

3 Graphs That Show How Inequality is Impacting Housing

Until the economy improves, housing will never fully recover – and the stats are not encouraging. Quite a bit of our reporting, in recent weeks, has focused on inequality and income disparity, and for good reason – a housing

Americans Stuck Worrying, Not Buying

A new survey from The Pew Charitable Trusts provided insights into why Americans are hesitant to enter the housing market. Set to the backdrop of 2007’s financial tempest, 2014 was comparably a good year for many American families. However,

Massachusetts Home Prices Post Moderate Increases in CoreLogic Price Index

The latest price index from CoreLogic covered home prices through January. Home prices in the state of Massachusetts rose 5.8 percent year-over-year in January, according to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic; when distressed sales were excluded, that increase jumped to

New Construction Wavers in January, But Long-Term Trends Highly Positive

January may have seemed like a disappointing month of construction, but a deeper look at the trends reveals much to smile about. Overall construction spending in January was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $971.4 billion, according to the

Pending Home Sales Hit Highest Mark in 18 Months

Pending home sales shot up in January, suggesting positive numbers down the road. Pending home sales hit their highest level in 18 months in January, according to the latest analysis from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home

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