National News

HARP gets extension and FHFA announces new refinancing offering

The Home Affordable Refinance Program will not expire at the end of this year, as previously thought. The Federal Housing Finance Agency says it will continue through Sept. 2017. FHFA’s announcement comes alongside news that Fannie Mae and Freddie

The smart home gap: An opportunity for sellers

Many buyers want their homes to be outfitted with smart technology, but most homes don’t have it, according to a consumer survey from The Demand Institute. It’s an opportunity for sellers. Seventy-three percent of consumers agreed that having home automation

Pending home sales rise to second-highest level since 2006

July marked the second highest reading in over a decade for pending home sales, with the Midwest being the only area to see a decline in contract activity during the month. The Pending home Sales Index (PHSI), which tracks the

Boston home prices continue strong growth in new Case-Shiller

The Greater Boston housing market continued its strong pace in the most recent Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which covered home prices through June. Per S&P’s computations, home prices in Greater Boston rose 0.6 percent from May to June and 4.7 percent from

Home start gains projected into 2018

There aren’t enough homes, and that’s a problem in multiple markets. But it might not be for too much longer. “As most real estate professionals know, housing costs are still climbing,” National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun wrote

Are McMansions finally going the way of the dinosaurs?

McMansions – the mass-produced, over-the-top, poorly appreciating eyesores that became the poster children of the housing bubble – seemed to be on the way out. Average and median home size had fallen considerably during the market downturn, as builders trimmed their ambitions

Trump on housing: ‘A home builder taught me everything I know’

Donald Trump spoke to the National Association of Home Builders this month, and it turned out to be one of the most important speeches of his campaign: it was about housing. He reminisced about what it was like growing

4 things to know about multigenerational households

Multigenerational households – those that include two or more adult generations, or grandparent and grandchildren – are at an all-time high in the U.S., according to a new Pew Research Center analysis. Based on census data through 2014, Pew

Fair housing to help guide Clinton-Kaine housing policy

Tim Kaine believes he and Hillary Clinton can change the housing industry. “A house is more than just a place to sleep,” the Virginia senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee wrote in his “How to make housing fair in

To sell or remodel: Homeowners choose…

In June, the nation’s housing inventory fell. It’s now at a 4.6-months supply. It’s a trend defining several metropolitan markets throughout the country. A report from John Burns Real Estate Consulting recently explained, at least in part, what may

Clients interested in smart locks? Help them prevent hacks

Nearly half of Americans either have or hope to invest soon in smart home technology, a Coldwell Banker survey found. They probably don’t know that the smart home feature the survey found “most appealing” to homebuyers can be hacked.

Four ideas to jump-start labor in construction

Everyone knows the construction industry is facing a labor shortage. Some speculate a worsening of that shortage is imminent. But at least one person – Betsy Scott, director of the think tank Housing Innovation Alliance – believes there is a solution

Clinton’s fair-housing champion could start national conversation

The presidential election is mere months away, and so far the conversation on the campaign trail seems to be limited to wages, terrorism, crime and bickering. But what about housing? Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential pick, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, has

What’s the final word on student debt and housing? It’s complicated.

The statistics are hardly encouraging: student debt has more than tripled in the last 10 years; its serious delinquency rate is higher than any other form of debt, including mortgages and credit cards; it now totals $1.37 trillion, and

Four fears keeping Millennials from buying a home, and how to manage them

There are four major fears keeping Millennials from buying a home, according to a recent survey from NerdWallet: the fear of committing to a partner; the fear of inevitable home repairs; the fear of not having money for other

Yelp and realtor.com provide new neighborhood-learning tool

Realtor.com and Yelp have partnered to give consumers easier access to neighborhood trend data – and agents could benefit. “Deciding on a potential neighborhood is often the first step in the home buying process,” says Ryan O’Hara, chief executive officer

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