National News

Keller Williams plans its own iBuyer service

Since Opendoor unveiled its instant-offer home listing service in 2014, other companies have been working to develop versions of the service that’s come to be dubbed iBuying. Most recently, Keller Williams announced the opening of its own iBuyer program, Keller

Why Americans aren’t moving as much

Residential migration and mobility, both interstate and domestic, has been declining steadily for a few years now. About 10 percent of Americans on average moved out of state, in the last five years. But between the 1940s through the

Home sales fall back to earth in March

After a strong nationwide rebound in February’s home sales figures, purchase activity resumed its downward trajectory in March. According to the National Association of Realtors’ existing-home sales report released April 22, completed transactions fell 4.9 percent between February and

Real Estate In Brief: Opportunity Zone rules, purchase activity and more

Updates on Opportunity Zone rules, tax breaks The Treasury Department released a document April 17 offering the first detailed look into regulations it is proposing around the new Opportunity Zones program. Announced as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts

NY Fed: Don’t underestimate first-time buyers

In a multi-part series on its economics blog, researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York broke down some misconceptions related to first-time homebuyers. Some of their findings offer a new perspective on this crucial group of Americans

Hispanics the only ethnic group with net growth in US homeownership

In the decade following the housing crisis, Hispanic and Latino populations accounted for the majority of growth in the U.S. homeownership rate, according to a recent report from the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. The 2018 “State

Real Estate in Brief: Mortgage reform, house flipping and more

Chase CEO urges mortgage reform In his most recent annual letter to shareholders, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon expressed concerns about the current state of mortgage industry regulation in the U.S. “The country desperately needs mortgage reform,” Dimon wrote

new-construction-housing-starts-december-2015-2016-census-bureau
Southern cities lead in new construction

The Census Bureau recently released a report for February 2019, showing a shortage of homes on the market. Despite a national drop in construction of new homes, a few cities have still been able to push permits for new

Consumer confidence in housing market surges

Surveys of American consumers continue to point to renewed optimism in the housing market. Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index approached an all-time high reading in March, gaining five points over February to reach 89.8. This was driven by

Real Estate in Brief: Rent burden, global affordability and more

Freddie Mac: Florida metros among most rent-burdened Housing affordability is an issue that dominates discussions of local politics, but the data on the topic can be hard to interpret. Studies from multiple sources regularly rank U.S. cities according to

Tax Day takeaways for your clients

April 15 this year marks the first Tax Day under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, one of the most significant overhauls of the federal tax code in decades. While Tax Day is the deadline for most Americans,

Real Estate in Brief: Facebook v. HUD, record-low rates and more

Facebook charged with housing discrimination by HUD The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on March 28 formally charged Facebook with discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The charge comes after the agency filed a

Will buyers rule the market this spring?

The coming spring season, when home sales usually take off, could be a great one for buyers as the stars align in their favor: Mortgage rates are low, inventory levels are higher and price growth has slowed. Already, home

FHA changes may tighten credit for homebuyers

First-time homebuyers hoping to utilize the popular Federal Housing Administration loan program may find it more difficult to be approved for a mortgage this year, as the agency moves to reduce growing risks related to the program. FHA loans

Home sales surge ahead of spring

For real estate agents, spring may have arrived early this year. After a string of anemic reports through the winter, home sales numbers picked up across the U.S. in February. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home

More Americans say now is a good time to buy a home

The state of the U.S. housing market has shifted rapidly in the last few months, but are consumers keeping up? A new survey from the National Association of Realtors makes the case that low mortgage rates and increased inventory

Oops! We could not locate your form.