In recent months, real estate professionals have had to hold their breath as they waited for an appraisal on a property to come back. Would it be lower than the agreed-upon selling price — and by how much? Many real estate professionals have blamed a high number of derailed transactions on low-ball appraisals. [...]
Foreclosures are falling quickly as more borrowers keep up with their mortgage payments and banks complete more loan modifications or approve short sales to avoid foreclosures on their books. For the first time since 2008, the number of borrowers who are behind on their payments or in foreclosure [...]
Now that gold prices have dropped like a brick, real estate is starting to shine again. Back in August 2011, when gold was at its peak, investors were asked where they’d want to keep their money long-term. According to a Gallup poll, 34% said gold was the best investment. Now, only 24% of investors [...]
As the time to file income taxes approaches, we need to take a new look at the changing tax landscape for homeowners. The dynamic atmosphere in Washington, D.C. has a different effect each year on which tax breaks are proposed, rescinded, changed, and extended for taxpayers who own a home. Thanks to the efforts of [...]
After the holidays, buyers tend to start getting more aggressive with their house hunting. Search activity usually peaks around March or April in most states, according to a new study of home searches from 2007 to 2012 conducted by Trulia. In September, searches slow down. By December buyer searches ebb to their lowest point of [...]
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae recently offered some predictions of what the housing market’s “normal” will look like in the next two years. In its report, “Transition to ‘Normal’?”, Fannie says while the housing market has shown improvement, uncertainty remains over both the economy and the real estate market. “Our forecast is that 2013 and 2014 will [...]
Home prices are increasing across the country as the number of homes for-sale continues to fall. But at a time when buyer demand is picking up, why is inventory still so low? Inventories fell to 1.82 million at the end of last year, a 21.6 percent drop from one year earlier, the National Association of [...]
Once Thanksgiving is over, the real estate world typically starts to wind down for the holidays and doesn’t usually reawaken until after New Year’s. But potential home buyers who are prepared to close in today’s competitive market may want to keep house hunting while everyone else is waiting for spring. REALTORS® especially recommend that [...]
Inventories of for-sale homes aren’t the only thing that is dropping. The amount of time homes are staying on the market is growing shorter as well—down 11 percent in the last year—according to the latest Realtor.com data. Homes were listed on average 95 days, according to September housing data. That is down from 107 days [...]
Low inventories of homes for-sale are becoming troubling to home buyers, Inman News reports. Almost every major market in the U.S. has posted double-digit decreases in for-sale listings. “The buyers tend to become a little frustrated as they are seeing homes that they want to ‘think about’ and before they can even get home to [...]
