General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Average Mortgage Amounts Reach Record Highs

The average purchase loan amount has reached a new record high: $402,200, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. The higher-priced segment of the housing market continues to perform strongly, the MBA says.Mortgage amounts have been climbing to new record highs since April 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Mortgage applications for home purchases were up 17% last week over last year, the MBA reports.Home buyers are borrow

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Welcome to the Team Lori Preston Dealing the Tampa Bay Area

iPro was founded on the idea of building a better living with champion real estate services. We focus on incorporating and mastering the latest technologies and perform all types of real estate transactions. Our team of professionals set a stronger standard of business and give superior results.Click here for information on becoming a salesperson.

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88% of Metros See Double-Digit Price Gains

Higher home prices nationwide are hitting buyers’ pocketbooks. Eighty-eight percent of 161 metros tracked by the National Association of REALTORS® posted double-digit price increases annually in the fourth quarter of 2020. That marks a jump from 115 metros that posted such growth in the third quarter.The national median existing-home price jumped nearly 15% on a year-over-year basis in the fourth quarter to $315,900, NAR reports. All majo

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HUD Extends Housing Protections to LGBTQ Americans

The National Association of REALTORS® applauded an announcement Thursday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that the agency will enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. HUD’s move effectively expands civil rights protections to LGBTQ Americans seeking housing and housing-related services. The decision follows an executive order from the Biden administration direct

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Welcome to the Team Katherine Beltran Dealing the Tampa Bay Area

About Katherine My name is Katherine Beltran. I was born in Miami, Florida, and raised in Spain, by Venezuelan and Cuban parents. I am fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian and known for putting a great deal of energy and dedication into everything I do. I am a licensed real estate professional, with a considerable amount of experience in both central and South Florida. In my work with various clients, my multicultural background has proven to

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3-Month Forbearance Extension for FHFA Loans

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced it would allow borrowers with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed loans to request an additional three months of forbearance.Originally, borrowers with federally backed mortgages could request up to 12 months of forbearance if experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But FHFA is now allowing those still struggling to make their mortgage payments to prolong their current forbearance.E

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What Sellers Should Not Display in their Home Office

The home office has become an important space to stage, but certain memorabilia displayed could turn off some buyers who view the property in-person or online.“For more buyers to see themselves in that office space, you’ll do well to take a lot of ‘you’ out of it first,” Chris Haro, a real estate professional in Hilton Head, S.C., told Apartment Therapy.For example, real estate pros and stagers say college degrees and other homeowner ac

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The Top 10 States for LEED Green Building

The number of “green” buildings is growing across the country—and Massachusetts is leading the way with the most LEED-certified square feet per capita, according to new rankings released by the U.S. Green Building Council.More than 60% of LEED certifications were from office, healthcare, higher education, and K-12 projects. Warehouses, distribution centers, multifamily, and retail projects represented nearly 20% of LEED certifications.“If

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10 ZIP Codes with the Largest Growth in Home Equity

About 17.8 million residential properties in the U.S. with a mortgage were considered equity-rich in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm. That means the combined estimated amount of loans secured by those properties was 50% or less of their estimated market value.But some areas are seeing home equity grow faster than others. Overall, six of the 10 states with the bigge

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17.8M Homes are now Considered ‘Equity-Rich’

Housing appreciation has grown over the last few months with the surging real estate market. Thirty percent—nearly one in three—of homes with a mortgage in the U.S. are now considered “equity-rich,” according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate research firm.A home being equity-rich means that the combined estimated amount of loans secured by the property is 50% or less of the estimated market value. In short, it mean

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