Rising interest rates and the economy are the top two current issues to watch in real estate, according to the Counselors of Real Estate’s Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate 2018-2019, a list of the biggest threats to the housing market. For the first time, CRE broke its annual list down into current and longer-term issues to watch during the industry’s next year.Top Current Issues to Watch1. Interest rates and the economy: As interest ra
Millennials aren’t turned off by home improvement projects. They are more likely than any other generation to remodel any part of their home, according to a HomeAdvisor’s 2018 True Cost Survey. Millennials are twice as likely as baby boomers to complete bathroom and kitchen remodeling projects. They are also more likely to build a deck or porch and paint a home’s exterior than other generations too.Millennials, those born between 1980 an
Cities with the highest proportion of non–owner-occupied properties are most likely to be found in the South or West, according to a new analysis from the online lender LendingTree.“Southern cities may be attracting investors due to low prices and growing populations,” the report notes. Also, some “residents in Southern cities may not be able to access homeownership due to lower median salaries, creating a ready pool of renters.”The rep
Many homebuyers face a tough decision: To live in the city or commute from the suburbs. In some city centers, the cost of living is actually not as high as the outlying metro area, while in other cities homeowners will find more purchasing power in the metro area.SmartAsset, a personal financing resource, broke down the costs of commutes near major hubs to find the areas where it pays off the most to commute. The survey compared metro areas acros
The recent drop in interest rates appears to be short-lived. Mortgage rates inched higher last week, prompting loan demand to soften.Total mortgage application volume, which includes home purchases and refinancings, dropped 1.5 percent last week compared to the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. Applications are now 15.4 percent lower than a year ago.Refinance volume, which tends to
Fewer homeowners are falling behind on their mortgage payments. Only 4.3 percent of mortgages in March were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure), according to the Loan Performance Insights Report, released Tuesday by CoreLogic. The March foreclosure inventory rate—which reflects the share of mortgages in some stage of the foreclosure process—was 0.6 percent, which is the lowest rate of that m
According to a new study, more than half of Americans who have or plan to purchase a home admit they’re concerned about the ability to afford a home in the current market. The study is based on a survey of 1,000 consumers and was released by national online lender Laurel Road. One of the biggest barriers to affordability, respondents said, is the down payment.Nearly half—or 46 percent—of Americans say they are unfamiliar with alternative d
Federal authorities announced Monday that an investigation resulted in 74 arrests of people in the U.S. and overseas who allegedly took part in schemes to intercept wire transfers from businesses and individuals, including in real estate transactions. Federal authorities seized nearly $2.4 million and recovered about $14 million in fraudulent wire transfers.The arrests were made as part of a six-month investigation, dubbed Operation Wire Wire, th
Texas real estate pro Ben Caballero is making headlines again by topping his previous sales record in 2016 with a new world record of $1.9 billion in home sales in 2017, according to an announcement on Monday.Caballero sold 4,799 homes last year, which totaled $1.906 billion. Caballero is a real estate professional with HomesUSA.com in Addison, Texas. In 2016, his $1.444 billion in sales among 3,556 homes landed him the title as real estate’s
Though homeowners are seeing their equity grow—properties with negative equity fell 3 percent in the first quarter of this year—2.5 million homes nationwide still are considered underwater, according to CoreLogic’s Home Equity Report. Negative equity refers to borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth and can occur because of a decline in a home’s value or an increase in mortgage debt.But rising home prices are
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