General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Starter Homes Still Cheaper than Renting in Many Areas

Aspiring first-time homebuyers may not want to give up on that competitive house hunt: In many markets, they could save money by owning.Buying a starter home is more affordable than renting in nearly half of the largest U.S. metros, according to a new study released by realtor.com®.The U.S. median rental price has climbed nearly 10% year over year to $1,607. That is 15.5% higher than the monthly payments for a starter home, the lower-priced tier

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Supreme Court Ends Eviction Moratorium

In a 6-3 decision late Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium. The move brings relief to the country’s small housing providers, who have faced financial hardship for more than a year.In a statement sent to all members overnight, the National Association of REALTORS® said, “This decision is the correct one, from both a legal standpoint and a matter of fairness. I

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Co-Working Spaces Surge Amid Return-to-Office Uncertainty

Co-working spaces continue to have a big moment in the commercial sector as more businesses are drawn to flexible and short-term solutions amid COVID-19 and its latest fast-spreading delta variant.Technology companies are reportedly one of the major industries that are snatching up co-working spaces, such as WeWork, The Wall Street Journal reports. Their rental contracts may be for “hot desks” or for more than 50,000 square feet leases th

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Lender Offers Mortgage Discount to the Vaccinated

Neat Loans announced that clients who get a COVID-19 vaccine will receive a $500 discount on home financing through the company. The discount applies to $500 on closing costs for residential purchases or when refinancing a mortgage loan.More companies are requiring their employees to get vaccinated prior to returning to the office. But now some firms are extending that to clients with enticing offers to motivate more people to get vaccinated agai

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Property Taxes are About to Rise

Skyrocketing home prices over the last year may soon hit current homeowners in the form of property taxes. Housing experts are predicting property taxes to climb higher in 2021 than the 4% uptick in 2020.Many city governments lost revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic and, as reassessments kick in, homeowners may be faced with a soaring bill. Property taxes are expected to increase by about 6.5% in 2021, according to realAppeal, a company tha

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Welcome Broker-Partner David Gervais

About David David moved to Austin in 1991 and started his Real Estate career as a New Home Professional Sales Consultant with a major builder. There he learned the homebuilding process literally from the ground up. Starting with an undeveloped lot, choosing the floor plan, elevation and upgrades to be incorporated into the spec homes or assisting buyers at the design center with all the many options available to them as they customized their to b

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Top 10 Mortgage Lenders in Second Quarter

As the housing market booms, lenders have faced a significant uptick in mortgage demand. Low-interest rates are fueling a frenzy. Mortgage applications for home purchases jumped 22% in the second quarter compared to the first quarter and are up 52% compared to a year ago, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q2 2021 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report.The largest quarterly increases in residential purchase mortgage originations

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Where Homes are Selling for $100K Over Asking

Home buyers should expect to bid way over the asking price in Austin, Texas. The city has homes fetching the highest amounts over asking price in the country—$100,000 or more.Nearly 2,700 homes in Austin have sold this year for $100,000 or more above the initial listing price, according to an analysis from Redfin, which examined sales records through Aug. 11. Researchers note that some U.S. cities have seen more properties sell at a premium, bu

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Mortgage Rates Barely Budge, Remain Below 3%

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage held near last week’s average and continues to average near historical lows and under 3%.“Mortgage rates stayed relatively flat this week,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Housing is in a similar phase of the economic cycle as many other consumer goods. While there is strong latent demand, low supply has caused prices to rise as shortages restrict the amount of sales activity that otherwi

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Mortgage Giant will Soon Accept Bitcoin Payments

United Wholesale Mortgage, the second largest mortgage lender in the U.S., announced it will accept cryptocurrency for home loans by the end of this year. UWM wants to be the first lender to do so in the national mortgage industry.“We’ve evaluated the feasibility, and we’re looking forward to being the first mortgage company in America to accept cryptocurrency to satisfy mortgage payments,” CEO Mat Ishbia said during UWM’s second quarte

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