Finance - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Where to Buy Single-Family Rentals in 2019

Investors are still finding the single-family rental market a lucrative business. The average annual gross rental yield for a single-family home (that is, the annualized gross rent income divided by the median purchase price) was 8.8 percent in the first quarter of 2019, up from 8.7 percent a year prior, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q1 2019 Single-Family Rental Market report, analyzing 432 counties with populations of at least 100,000.“

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The Best Week to List a Home Is Quickly Approaching

Home sellers expecting the quickest sales may want to make sure the house is in tip-top shape for showings because a big week in the housing market is quickly coming. The best week to put a home on the market is March 31 to April 6, according to a new analysis from realtor.com®. Researchers analyzed the 50 largest real estate markets in the nation over the past three years to determine the best week to sell.During the week of March 31 to April 6

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New-Home Sales Are Skewing to Lower Price Points

Home builders are lowering their prices to appeal to a growing number of home shoppers. In January, 66 percent of new single-family homes were priced between $200,000 and $400,000, compared with 22 percent of homes that were in the $400,000 to $750,000 range, according to U.S. Commerce Department data. A year ago, 51 percent of homes sold in the $200,000 to $400,000 range, while 29 percent sold in the $400,000 to $750,000 price points.

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Getting a Mortgage Becomes Easier for the Self-Employed

Americans who are self-employed and freelance or contract workers have long had to struggle to qualify for a mortgage compared with those with W-2 forms or pay stubs that lenders can use to verify their incomes. For the self-employed, the mortgage process can be time-consuming and cumbersome. Lenders often require extra paperwork, such as full documentation of tax returns from the last couple of years (not just the electronic copy submitted to th

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How Will the Housing Market Fare This Spring?

Real estate pros often anxiously await for the spring selling season, a time known for an uptick in home sales. But will spring be as hot for the housing market this year as it has been in the past?Since the end of last year, home sales have slowed (a decline of 10 percent in December compared to a year prior), and properties have been sitting on the market for longer (46 days compared to 30 days a year ago).Nevertheless, Lawrence Yun, chief

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30-Year Rates Plunge 10 Basis Points This Week

Home shoppers are finding some of the lowest mortgage rates in more than a year.“Mortgage rates declined decisively this week amid various market reports, a strong bond auction, and further uncertainty around the Brexit deal, which all contributed to driving bond yields lower,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “At 4.31 percent, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is at its lowest since February of last year. While these

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Where Having a Pool Pays Off the Most at Resale

A pool could potentially boost a home’s sales price by nearly six figures in some locales, according to a new analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin. In Los Angeles, for example, homes with pools sell for nearly $100,000 more than comparable homes without one.Swimming pools were found to be most valuable at resale in Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; and Orange County, Calif. All three of these metro areas saw pools add a premium of more than $

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REALTORS: How to Help Consumers Get Off the Financial Sidelines

Some consumers may be holding back from homeownership due to a lack of financial knowledge. Sixteen percent of non-homeowners say they feel they would have difficulty qualifying for a mortgage due to a lack of financial knowledge. Thirteen percent say they do not know the first step in the process, according to the first quarter 2018 HOME report, produced by the National Association of REALTORS®.Embarking on a homeowning journey takes plenty of

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Buyers Face a Brighter Affordability Picture This Spring

Slower home price growth, deflated sales, and lower mortgage rates could create abundant opportunities for potential home buyers this spring.Though home prices are still up year over year in all 50 states, the overall affordability outlook is improving, according to Black Knight’s latest Mortgage Monitor Report. The decline in mortgage rates has helped increase consumers’ buying power by more than 6 percent and reduced mortgage payments on an

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Townhome Boom Opens Up Entry-Level Inventory

Townhome construction outperformed other building sectors in 2018, bringing more entry-level housing to the market. But while townhouse construction, along with other submarkets, softened during the fourth quarter, it is still poised for further expansion as more renters enter the sale market, the National Association of Home Builders reports. Townhouse construction—or single-family attached housing—also helps builders grapple with land short

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