General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Home Prices Rose in May in Defiance of Down Housing Market

Prices rose 0.7% from April to May after adjusting for increases typically experienced in spring, according to estimates released Tuesday by CoreLogic and the Federal Housing Finance Agency A drought of new listings continued to push up home prices in May despite an ongoing low-transaction environment, according to two widely tracked measures released Tuesday.Prices rose 0.7 percent from April to May after adjusting for the typical incr

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Rising Rents are Driving Homelessness, Advocates Say

Government investment in affordable housing will bring down the rising rate of homelessness, experts say Although mental-health conditions, disability and drug use have long been seen as the primary causes of homelessness, rising rents are in fact the driving force behind recent increases in the number of homeless people, advocates say — and rental-assistance programs are the solution.More than half a million people in the U.S. were homeless in

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The Most Popular Finishes in Kitchen Remodels

From sinks to faucets, find out what consumers prefer when outfitting their new kitchen.Homeowners are still warming up to smart-home technology in the kitchen. For now, they prefer mostly standard options when it comes to faucets and appliances, according to a new survey from Ferguson,(link is external) a supplier of home fixtures and appliances for kitchens and bathrooms. Ferguson recently surveyed about 1,000 consumers from across th

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Mortgage Rates Pull Back from Near 7% High

As home prices continue to surge, buyers may welcome even a slight dip in borrowing costs as they face affordability constraints.The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.78% this week, backing away from its near-7% mark last week. “That relief is welcome at a time when the St. Louis Fed is reporting there are tighter lending standards now for consumers seeking mortgages,” says Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of rese

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Home Sales Drop While Prices Surge Near Record High

Existing-home sales slowed again last month, but aspiring home buyers continue to face competition for limited inventory. Read more from NAR’s latest housing report.Existing-home sales continued to retreat in June as the housing market faces a crushing inventory shortage. But high buyer demand is still evident as home shoppers bid up prices.The median sale price for an existing home in June was $410,200, the second-highest recorded in the last

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US Single-Family Housing Starts to Drop as Building Permits Hit 12-Month High

U.S. single-family homebuilding fell in June, but permits for future construction rose to a 12-month high as a severe shortage of previously owned houses for sale supports new construction.The decline in housing starts reported by the Commerce Department on Wednesday partially retraced an abnormally large 18.7% surge in May, which had pushed groundbreaking on single-family housing projects to an 11-month high.Builders' efforts to ramp up construc

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Mortgage-Refinance Demand Recovers Some After Rates Come Off Recent Highs

Mortgage interest rates pulled back last week after jumping sharply to start July. That lit a fire under refinance demand but did little to help potential homebuyers. Total mortgage application volume rose 1.1% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index.This comes as the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balance

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Median Sale Price Climbs to $426K for Only Second Time in US History

Undeterred by high mortgage rates, buyers battling over scant inventory pushed June's median sale price to the second-highest level in history, according to new data released Monday by RedfinDangerously-low inventory levels propelled June’s median sale price to the second-highest level ever, according to a monthly market report published Monday by Redfin.The majority of inventory indicators dipped to record lows during the month, with the

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Mortgage Rates Surge to an 8-Month High

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is a stone’s throw away from reaching a 7% average. Monthly mortgage payments have jumped nearly $300 in the last year.Mortgage rates were back on the rise this week, averaging 6.96%, Freddie Mac reports. For home buyers, the rate jump is translating to an average monthly payment of $2,126 for the typical single-family home. Higher rates have pushed the typical monthly mortgage payment up more than $280, says Jes

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Manhattan Luxury Real-Estate Market Heats Up

Rising stock market, fading recession fears fuel sales to wealthy New Yorkers New York City’s luxury residential market is gaining momentum after stumbling early in the year, another sign that pockets of the U.S. housing market are stirring to life despite high mortgage rates. Manhattan’s most expensive homes posted their second-best June for contracts signed since at least 2006. Signs of a potential turnaround have defied expectati

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