Following last year's Experian data breach, many people froze their accounts to safeguard them from potential identity thefts. But with the spring homebuying season on the horizon, don’t forget to remind potential home shoppers that they may face some hassles getting approved for a mortgage if they don’t remember to unfreeze their credit first.Lenders tend to pull reports from the three main credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion
As more states legalize marijuana for recreational and medical purposes, the housing industry is increasingly looking to embrace it as a building material too, The New York Times reports.North Carolina boasts the first modern U.S. hemp house, which was constructed in 2010. About 50 homes in the country have since popped up with hemp built in.Hemp structures date back to Roman times. But now, some builders want to bring it back to their markets
The average credit score in the U.S. was 675 last year—the highest since 2012, according to Experian’s State of Credit: 2017 survey. More Americans fall on the higher end of the credit score spectrum, with 22 percent having “super-high” credit scores between 781 to 850 and 21 percent having “deep subprime” or very low credit scores below 600. Minnesota has the highest credit scores in the country, averaging 709.Mortgage debt was up
Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans were granted a three-month moratorium on their mortgage payments following Hurricane Maria’s destruction last fall. But many of those agreements expire this month, and thousands of homeowners are scrambling to get extensions.Further, some Puerto Ricans who may have stopped making their mortgage payments are now learning that the moratorium was not automatic. They believed their mortgages were frozen, but t
Millennials make up a quarter of the nation’s population and are expected to have huge influence over real estate in the coming years. But though the millennial population increased 4.7 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to Census data, the growth has not occurred evenly across geographic areas. The cities with the highest share of millennials as of 2015 are: Provo-Orem, Utah: 30.4 percent Austin, Texas: 27.2 percent San Diego: 27 percent
In FBI surveillance video, a young man of about 18 sits at his computer in his room. His mother, donned in a white bathrobe, approaches with a plate of cookies, sets it on his desk, and walks away as he continues to stare intensely at his computer screen. He’s not immersed in a video game. This man—perhaps a recent high school grad still living at home with his parents—is a typical hacker. And he's one of many who are increasingly disruptin
California housing markets are still among the top performers in the country, according to realtor.com®’s monthly rankings of the hottest housing markets. Realtor.com® ranks metros based on the most online listing views and the markets where homes are selling the fastest.Overall, the median home list price nationwide was $269,000 in January, 8 percent higher than a year ago. Still, list price increases have subdued somewhat in recent week
A space can have an instant effect on your mood. How can you make sure a home gives off positive energy and style? A recent article at The New York Times shares tips from designers on creating a home that supports a person’s well-being. Some of these tips could also apply to creating a more welcoming vibe in the staging of properties.Embrace the two-foot rule.Justina Blakeney, author of The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes,
Former president Lyndon B. Johnson owned the property from 1963 to 1971For $2.8 million, you’ll be able to live like a president — not at The White House, but at former president Lyndon B. Johnson’s 3,980 square-foot estate situated on 142 acres of land in the Texas Hill Country.The original ranch. (Photo: Dave Murray/DMTX Realty)Johnson bought the estate one week into his presidency in 1963 and used the home as his private retreat until 1
The traditional black-and-white business card is dying out in some professions, but salespeople and marketers are reinventing their look to keep others intrigued.The Wall Street Journal reports an increase in the do-it-yourself business card, marked by unusual designs and materials. Business cards are being made of everything from metal to plastic and even wood. Some are larger than your traditional business card, while others are much tinier to
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