National News

New home sizes shrink as demand for entry-level homes increases

After the 2009 recession, single-family home sizes have been increasing. But lately, that trend has been changing as builders are capitalizing on the demand for starter homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The median single-family square

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Trump’s tax plan a ‘non-starter’ for homeowners, NAR says

Though it would keep in place mortgage interest deductions, changes to the federal tax code proposed by President Donald Trump would hurt homeowners and the real estate industry, according to the National Association of Realtors. NAR commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to

Zillow’s ‘Zestimate’ facing class-action lawsuit

The Zestimate, Zillow’s algorithm-based property estimate tool, has long been a source of frustration for agents and those listing their homes. Now, the feature on Zillow’s popular website has officially come under fire, as two lawsuits against the online

Homes are selling faster than ever as inventory tightens

Demand for homes continues to grow as houses are selling faster than every before, according to Redfin. Typical homes went under contract in 40 days in April, 10 days faster than the previous year, making April Redfin’s fastest month on

Townhouse construction grows to help meet starter home demand

Despite a recent lull in growth, townhouse construction proves to be a crucial part of the entry-level housing market. In fact, a recent report by the National Association of Homebuyers predicts construction of this type of home will increase

Most homebuyers don’t believe in a “forever home”

The concept of a forever home – a single place that will last throughout a person’s life – is a dying idea to most people, according to Taylor Morrison’s 2017 Consumer Survey. The survey looked at 1,000 adults who

Total household debt in first quarter passes pre-recession peak

Total household debt reached $12.73 trillion in the first quarter of 2017, which is above the 2008 peak before the housing market crash and economic downturn, according to new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. However,

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Three masterplan community trends that are attracting new residents

Masterplan community developers are looking to expand the amenities and conveniences offered to residents in order to bring in new buyers. According to John Burns Real Estate Consulting, there are three major features that developers are offering in their

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Metro home prices accelerated for third consecutive quarter

Metro homes saw the strongest quarterly sales pace in a decade, which put pressure on existing inventory levels and led to the third consecutive quarter of accelerated home prices, according to the latest quarterly report by the National Association

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Housing affordability rises nationwide in Q1 2017

U.S. housing affordability increased slightly in the first quarter of 2017 due to rising wages and moderating home prices despite increasing mortgage rates, according to National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). Between January and

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Housing sentiment rebounds in April, survey says

The Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) rose by 2.2 percentage points in April to 86.7 percent and three percentage points compared to last year, according to April 2017’s National Housing Survey. Out of six total components, four saw positive gains when

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See which Boston ZIP code has the most “equity rich” properties

According to the Q1 2017 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report from ATTOM Data Solutions, nearly 5.5 million U.S. properties are seriously underwater, which represents almost 10 percent of all mortgages. This is up from 5.4 million in Q4,

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Fed could hike interest rates 9 times by 2020, report says

After remaining flat for years, federal interest rates could be increased nine times by 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s 2017 Budget and Economic Outlook. The Federal Reserve’s policy committee met last week and determined that no federal

Markets nationwide return to normal economic and housing activity

In the first quarter of 2017, markets nationwide have shown, on average, 100 percent normal economic and housing activity, according to the National Association of Home Builders‘ (NAHB) First American Leading Markets Index (LMI), which is based on current price,

Builders think families with children will have highest impact on home sales

Builders find that families with children will have the highest affect on home sales in 2017, according to the 2017 Builder 100 survey. Of its respondents, 68 percent believe that families with children will drive home sales, followed by

Boston homebuyers will find the best deals in the fall

  As home shopping season goes into full swing, buyers may find that patiently waiting for late summer listings will lead to the best selection and prices. A new report from Zillow looked at the listings and price data

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