Market News

If you compare the number of people who want to buy homes to the number of homes available to buy, you can get a pretty good sense of where the housing market is headed. For example, a new analysis from Freddie Mac shows that there were 90 million Americans between the ages of 15 and 34 in 2016. That’s 6 …

When mortgage rates started to trend upward earlier this year, a lot of the focus turned to how it would affect first-time home buyers. Because they have their own unique set of challenges, first-time buyers were expected to be hit harder by increasing rates. However, new numbers from Ellie Mae’s Millennial Tracker show that changing affordability factors haven’t deterred young …

For a while now, there’s been a balance between the feeling that buying a home is becoming less affordable and the perception that the economy is getting stronger. Americans are concerned about rising home prices and mortgage rates but, at the same time, they’re also seeing more job opportunities and higher wages. How this might affect a decision about making …

There’s a lot to consider when shopping for a house to buy. Not only do you have to think about the type of home you’d like and what features and amenities you’d like it to have but you’ll also have to select a neighborhood that fits well with your lifestyle. In short, everything from the number of bedrooms a house …

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were down last week from the previous week. It marks the third consecutive week of declines. But though rates fell, there wasn’t a corresponding jump in the number of home buyers requesting loans to buy homes. In fact, refinance activity rose 6 percent from the previous week, but …

Home design trends can be fleeting. This year’s hot color combination will be old news before you know it. So, unless you want to paint your home every six months, you’re better off choosing your home’s décor based on the things you love rather than the things you read about. There are, however, some trends that are more meaningful and …

Market conditions will differ from one neighborhood to the next. That’s why it’s said that real estate is all about location. One area can be hot with buyers while another sees falling prices and little interest. These days, inventory is the primary factor determining what conditions look like in a particular market. In neighborhoods where there are an increasing number …

When you’re in the middle of something, it can be hard to see things clearly. Only after you’ve gained some perspective and had time to reflect do things become clearer. Hindsight, after all, is 20/20. This is also true when it comes to the housing market. Each month, more data is released and compared to the previous month’s data. And, …

The internet and smartphones have changed the way we do things. Everything from how we buy groceries to how we listen to music has been affected by technological advances. So it should come as no surprise that shopping for a house has also been transformed by easy access to information and resources. A look at research from the National Association …

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were down last week for loans with conforming balances and the drop helped drive mortgage demand upward. In fact, demand for loans to buy homes was up 9 percent from the week before and is now 2 percent higher than the same week one year ago. Mike Fratantoni, …