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.

Could remote work fuel housing demand for years to come?

Last year’s en-masse move to remote work has driven what Zillow has dubbed the Great Reshuffling, as homeowners working from home have paused and reevaluated where and how they live.

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.

Mortgage rates remain flat at 2.88%

“The net result for housing is that these low and stable rates allow consumers more time to find the homes they are looking to purchase,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater said.

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.

Boston Housing Scorecard: Housing starts and existing-home sales rose in August

Housing inventory fell in Boston during August, while housing starts and existing-home sales rose.

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.

Median home sale prices increase 16% from 2020

Even as the real estate market is showing signs of cooling and more sellers are dropping asking prices, median home prices increased by double digits from last year.

Toll Brothers, Equity Residential team up for $1.9B multifamily JV

The strategic partnership will initially target developments in six metro areas where both companies have a “significant or growing presence”: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Denver, Orange County/San Diego, Calif.; and Seattle.

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.”