This marks the sixth consecutive weekly decline for mortgage rates, leaving some borrowers wondering how low will they go. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.82% this week, the lowest average since September 2017.“While the drop in mortgage rates is a good opportunity for consumers to save on their mortgage payment, our research indicates that there can be a wider dispersion among mortgage rate offers,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’
Home design reality TV shows may be inspiring more consumers to take on a house flip for themselves. The U.S. home flipping rate reached a nine-year high in the first quarter of this year, ATTOM Data Solutions reports.In the first quarter, 49,049 homes were flipped, representing 7.2% of all home sales during the quarter—the highest home flipping rate since the first quarter of 2010, the report shows. Researchers define a home flip as a property
The lesbian, gay, and bisexual community is a growing segment of buyers and sellers who show distinct patterns and behaviors that real estate professionals should be keyed into, according to a new report released by the National Association of REALTORS®, “The 2019 Profile of LGB Buyers and Sellers.” For example, gay, lesbian, and bisexual buyers are less likely than their heterosexual counterparts to purchase a detached single-fami
U.S. homeowners who have a mortgage saw their equity increase by 5.6% over the past year, according to the Home Equity Report, released Thursday by CoreLogic. The average homeowner gained $6,400 in home equity between the first quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of this year. (U.S. homeowners with mortgages account for about 63% of all properties nationwide.)Some states saw larger gains than others. For example, Nevada homeowners gained an ave
It’s the 75th anniversary of the GI Bill, which created the VA home loan program—an avenue bringing military business your way. This week marks the 75th anniversary of the GI Bill, which provides financial resources to veterans who aspire to become homeowners—and serves as an avenue bringing military business your way. The milestone comes at a symbolic time, as June is National Homeownership Month. On Wednesday, the
At an open house, buyers will carefully size up a home, either to buy or simply out of curiosity. Here are a few details to pay particular attention to when prepping for an open house:The front door: This is the first spot buyers see. Is the paint chipped? Are the lighting fixtures covered in spiderwebs? The front door could set the tone for the rest of the house on whether this is a well-kept house or one that lacks maintenance, Elizabeth L
More consumers are buying their groceries online, which has sparked a higher demand for cold storage warehouses and distribution centers. E-commerce food delivery services like AmazonFresh, Peapod by Giant, and Blue Apron are sparking an entirely new area of growth for investors, CNBC reports.“About 2% or 3% of all goods on groceries are bought online, and we expect the space could explode to 13% over the next 5 years because of the penetr
Using a narrator in your listing video can make a property stand out in the market. It certainly has for a new listing that features Oscar winner and Hollywood powerhouse Michael Douglas. Douglas recently lent his voice to narrate his $32.4 million listing for his home in Spain.Douglas narrates the history of the seven-building estate, called “S’Estaca,” located on the island of Mallorca in Spain. The home was built in the mi
The top housing market for home buyers in the country is … drum roll … Albany, N.Y., according to a newly released realtor.com® study.The combination of low sales price growth and more homes for sale is making Albany a hot choice for home buyers, according to the study. The median list price was about $295,000 in April—about 5% below the national median of $310,000.“It’s a very middle-class, homey city,” Anthony Gucciardo, a local br
If you spot a bird nest near a home, don’t be quick to dismiss it. Nesting birds can cause more damage to your home than you might expect, warns a new article at realtor.com®.By nature, birds want to nest near homes, associating it as a protected location away from predators and extreme temperatures, Dirk Van Vuren, professor of wildlife biology at the University of California, Davis, told realtor.com®.But nesting birds can actually physicall
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