Finance - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Mortgage Rates Unexpectedly Dip Below 3%

Home buyers have another shot at snagging mortgage rates under 3% this week. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 2.99%, defying expectations that below 3% rates were now gone.The Federal Reserve recently warned that it will soon begin tapering its bond purchases, which is expected to move rates up. The National Association of REALTORS® is predicting that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will average 3.5% by mid-2022.But over recent weeks

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Upcoming Dates when Home Buyers Pay Lowest Premiums

Home buyers may find more opportunities with a greater number of listings for sale and may be able to snag better housing deals this month. A new analysis from ATTOM Data Solutions shows that October is the best month of the year to buy a home.Buyers who close in October tend to get better deals compared with those who purchase during the spring buying season. Homes tend to fetch lower premiums than other months of the year. For example

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Debt Limit Deal Came After NAR, White House Meeting

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill announced Thursday that they've reached a deal to lift the national debt ceiling through December while continuing to work on a longer-term budget solution. The deal comes a day after Charlie Oppler, president of the National Association of REALTORS®, met with President Joe Biden and other business leaders at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the issue.Biden called the meeting to pressure Congress to act before Oc

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Builders Seek Alternative Materials for Faster Construction

Builders are up against short supplies of a variety of materials needed to build homes, such as wood paneling, ceiling joists, and pipes. They’re searching for substitutes to keep construction schedules on time, but the process is also adding to their costs.Supply shortages have become a common story in the homebuilding industry over the past year. More than 90% of builders say they have faced a shortage of appliances, framing lumber, plywood,

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Condo Prices are Shooting Through the Roof in Florida

Priced out of the single-family market, more buyers are now turning their attention toward often a more affordable alternative—condominiums and townhouses. Over the past year, sales have rapidly been on the rise, whether for a permanent residence or even as a second home.Twice as many condos sold in May than a year earlier, according to realtor.com® data. However, that is being measured against a 46% drop in condo sales in May 2020 compared to

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Mortgage Rates Back Above 3%

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.01% this week, posting a sharp rise after spending nearly four months below 3%. Economists expect mortgage rates to continue to increase modestly over the next few months.“Mortgage rates rose across all loan types this week as the 10-year Treasury yield reached its highest point since June,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Many factors led to this increase, including the Fed

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7 Cities with the Most Affordable Mansions

Home buyers are demanding more space: bigger homes and more rooms. So, where can they find a locale with affordable mansions?Realtor.com®’s research team set out to identify the areas with massive mansions—5,000-plus square feet—for less than $1 million. That isn’t exactly an easy feat: The national median list price for homes of 5,000-plus square feet was $1.58 million in August. The prices of larger homes climbed 17% over the past year

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10 Most Affordable Counties for Homeowners

Home prices surging has been squeezing housing affordability. Seventy-five percent of the U.S. counties recently analyzed had less affordable median-priced single-family homes in the third quarter compared to their historical averages, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm.Home prices are rising faster than wages in most of the country. Record low mortgage rates have helped home buyers offset some of these high

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What Americans will Sacrifice to Buy a Home

Most Americans want to own a home at some point in their life, and they say they’re willing to make sacrifices to achieve it. For some, that means forgoing alcohol or vacations for a year to save. But others say they’re willing to give up having kids in order to have their dream home. About 60% of recent survey respondents say they’d prefer their dream home over 40% who said they’d prefer kids first, according to a new survey from Cinch H

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Mortgage Rates Averaged 2.88% this Week

Mortgage rates barely budged this week, but that likely soon will change after the Federal Reserve’s bond tapering announcement this week.The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.88% for the week ending Sept. 23, Freddie Mac reports.Rates are largely predicted to rise on the heels of the Fed’s decision to reduce its bond purchases before the end of the year. The National Association of REALTORS® is forecasting that 30-year fixed-rate

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