National News

Trump administration suspends planned FHA insurance premium reduction

In one of its very first moves since assuming power, the Trump administration has suspended a reduction in FHA mortgage insurance premiums. Originally announced just 11 days ago, the reduction would have lowered insurance premiums 25 basis points (or

7 important qualities of the Baby Boomer buyer in 2017

Understanding buyers is going to be especially important this year – interest rates and prices are rising, inventory shortages remain commonplace throughout the U.S., and our housing market is now operating under a president promising a broad spectrum of

Study: Top 20 most trusted homebuilders in America

Taylor Morrison Home Corporation is once again the most trusted homebuilder in America, according to Lifestory Research’s 2017 Home Builder Study. Polling the opinions of more than 31,000 active home shoppers, Lifestory Research’s survey, now in its fifth year,

Housing associations celebrate Carson as HUD secretary, but experts urge caution

Ben Carson is close to becoming the next head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and industry associations are throwing their support behind him – while many housing experts are not. In a letter sent to

Zillow ranks The White House as America’s most valuable home

The White House is the most valuable home in the nation, according to a new report from Zillow. Currently valued at $397.9 million, the White House has appreciated 15 percent since the Obamas moved in eight years ago. Zillow first

5 questions on how Ben Carson will manage the nation’s housing market

In mid-November of 2016, Ben Carson’s business manager, Armstrong Williams, told a Retuers reporter that Carson was turning down President-elect Trump’s offer to join his Cabinet, because his life had “not prepared him to be a Cabinet secretary.” Less

FHA to reduce annual insurance premiums in 2017

In what is likely his final act as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julián Castro today announced a reduction in FHA mortgage premiums from 0.85 percent to 0.60 percent. According to an announcement from HUD, the FHA’s annual

The smart-home feature that homebuyers want in 2017

Smart home technologies are one of the most pervasive trends in real estate today, and a recent survey from Coldwell Banker and Vivint Smart Home found that among the currently available varieties, voice automation is the most popular. Understanding

Sente Mortgage chief executive talks housing under Trump (Part 1)

Tom Rhodes is the CEO of Austin-based lender Sente Mortgage, and a past president of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association. In our conversation with the long-time lender, we discussed what housing will look like under President Trump, Housing Secretary

A guide to the 2017 buyer: Young Boomers

As we mentioned in the last entry in our “A Guide to the 2017 Buyer” series (which covered Generation X, and before that Millennials) the question of “What does this year’s buyer look like?” is particularly pressing in 2017, and for

The no. 1 reason why so few Millennials are buying homes in Greater Boston

For years, agents and analysts alike have wondered why so few Millennials are buying homes, but a new analysis of Census data has provided a remarkably straightforward answer – they’re all living at home with their parents, and at

A guide to the 2017 buyer: Generation X

As we mentioned in the first entry in our “A Guide to the 2017 Buyer” series – which covered Millennials – the question “What does this year’s buyer look like?” is particularly pressing this year. It’s pressing because we start

A guide to the 2017 buyer: Millennials

At the turn of every new year, a question that always picks at any real estate professional’s mind is,”What does this year’s buyer look like?” The question is particularly important in 2017 because we’re starting it off by inaugurating

Long-time NAR CEO Dale Stinton retires

After 11 years as the National Association of Realtors’ chief executive, and more than 36 years of real estate service, Dale Stinton is retiring. And so the storied career of one of NAR’s most loyal employees is brought to

5 incredible ways homeownership has changed during the housing recovery

When the U.S. housing bubble peaked in 2004 and 2005, the market seemed to be in grand shape: the homeownership rate was 69 percent; the Case-Shiller National Home Price Index was 184.4, a 135.5 percent increase from 1994; and

8 reasons President Obama was housing’s champion

President Obama’s legacy will take shape over the coming years, but one thing is clear – he will be remembered as a champion of homeowners, a fact his record bears out. Here are a few of his most notable achievements, as they

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