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
Some of the nation’s once hardest-hit housing markets are now among some of the healthiest.Notably, over the past decade, Tampa, Fla., had lost thousands of homes to foreclosure. Now, it is the healthiest housing market in the country, according to TenX, a real estate auction and analytics firm.TenX rated the locations based on several factors, including population and job growth, the unemployment rate, wage growth, and inventory and constructi
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
As a broker-owner or manager, you may be getting the question from agents as to whether having a personal business website is still relevant today, and worth the time, money, and effort. Beyond providing a profile for your agents on your company’s site, it is still wise for independent sales associates to establish their own websites, says Desare Kohn-Laski, broker-owner of Skye Louis Realty in Coconut Creek, Fla., as long as agents keep these
More than 378,000 new apartments are expected to be built nationwide this year, a 30-year high, according to data from the firm Axiometrics. That means a lot more construction cranes filling skylines.Chicagoans will see the most. Chicago has more cranes for residential projects than 11 other major U.S. cities recently analyzed, according to the Crane Index, a biannual survey of crane activity conducted by Rider Levett Bucknall North America.Chica
Letting others know where you are when out on appointments with clients is an important real estate safety tip. Google Maps, the popular mapping service, has announced that it has added real-time location sharing. You can allow peers or family to keep tabs on your whereabouts during your workday, along with your estimated time of arrivals to appointments.To activate, open the side menu or tap the blue dot that shows where you are on the map. Then
Forty-two percent of homes sold in February were listed for less than a month across the country, according to the latest data release from the National Association of REALTORS®. Properties, on average, stayed on the market for 45 days last month, down significantly from a year ago when the nationwide average stood at 59 days.Some hot markets—notably in California—are seeing homes sell much faster than the national average.The metro areas wh
Sure, bedrooms and bathrooms are the two largest factors that can affect apartment rent. But a new study also finds several amenities that renters are willing to pay more of a premium to get.A study by RentHop, an apartment search website, finds that some of the amenities that have the greatest impact on price in the 10 largest metro areas are: an elevator, doorman, in-unit washer and dryer, fitness center, “pets allowed” policy, and dedicate
The internet may have entered more aspects of a real estate transaction over the past decade, but consumers haven’t abandoned their desire for a real estate professional’s assistance, according to Steve Murray, president of the consulting firm Real Trends, who has been tracking for 40 years how real estate agents conduct their jobs. In fact, consumers are willing to pay even more for real estate agents’ services. The average real estate com
The number of homes for sale is at the lowest level on record, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, who began tracking inventory 18 years ago. That means many home buyers likely will find fewer options this spring, and the homes that are being listed tend to sell fast and at a premium.The lack of new-home supply is one culprit. Housing starts are only at about 75 percent of their historical average. Builders are focusing on pricie
This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.
