Record-high home prices do not necessarily indicate a housing bubble, and while real estate in some areas of the U.S. is seeing rapid appreciation, those markets are also showing signs of stability. Realtor.com®'s research team sought to identify metros where home prices are soaring but a housing bubble is most likely not a threat."These are the Goldilocks of today's housing market," says Javier Vivas, manager of economic research for realtor
Some cities are better than others to ride out your golden years. Bankrate.com examined costs, weather, health care, crime, taxes, and cultural amenities to determine the best 10 places to retire in the U.S. These states topped the list: New Hampshire Colorado Maine Iowa Minnesota Virginia Massachusetts South Dakota Wisconsin IdahoSource: “The 10 Best States for Your Retirement,” Bankrate.com (March 29, 2017)
For the second consecutive week, average mortgage rates fell, lowering the borrowing costs of buyers."The 10-year Treasury yield remained relatively flat this week,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 30-year mortgage rate fell 9 basis points to 4.14 percent, another significant week-over-week decline.”Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending March 30: 30-year fixed-r
A slight drop in mortgage rates last week did not lead to much mortgage activity. Total mortgage application volume—for refinances and home purchases—mostly stayed flat last week, dropping by a mere 0.8 percent compared to the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday.The MBA reported the average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 4.33 percent last week from 4.46 percent the we
Mortgage lenders’ optimism reached a high in a first-quarter survey, even as lenders expressed pressing challenges to their profit margins, according to Fannie Mae’s 2017 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey.Lenders say they’re most upbeat about the direction of the economy and home prices. They also continue to report modest easing of credit standards across all loan types, with plans to continue to do so over the next three months.“This qua
Many households are mortgage-ready but don’t try to buy a home because they can’t come up with a down payment, according to Rob Crane, CEO of Down Payment Resource in Atlanta.And yet there are hundreds of down payment assistance programs around the country that many households could tap if they only knew about them.To be sure, many households won’t qualify for down payment assistance, because they simply earn too much money. But many of the
Mortgage financing giant Freddie Mac has expanded access to credit for American families without credit scores. Beginning in June, borrowers without credit scores may be able to easily qualify for purchase mortgages or no-cash-out refinance transactions. Still, borrowers will have to show payment references, like records showing timely housing payments.Freddie Mac currently allows lenders to manually underwrite mortgage loans to borrowers without
Homeownership remains a “critical part” of the national economy and “ongoing weakness in the single-family housing market, represents a substantial hurdle limiting the pace of economic growth,” according to a newly released study by the Rosen Consulting Group and Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics for the National Association of REALTORS®.Homeownership not only helps individuals build personal wealth but is also vital for
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased slightly, following two months of steady rises."The 10-year Treasury yield fell about 10 basis points this week,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 30-year mortgage rate moved with Treasury yields and dropped 7 basis points to 4.23 percent. This marks the greatest week-over-week decline for the 30-year mortgage rate in over two months, a stark contrast from last week's jump fol
The Federal Reserve has made two swift rate hikes in just four months and vows of more to come. But there’s a way to slow the pace of interest-rate hikes: Build more homes, Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®, writes in his new column at Forbes.com.Building more apartments and single-family homes would help slow down inflation, Yun says.The nation has typically added 1.5 million new housing units each ye
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