Two Graphs That Show Why You Shouldn’t Be Upset About 3% Mortgage Rates

With the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from Freddie Mac climbing above 3%, rising rates are one of the topics dominating the discussion in the housing market today. And since experts project rates will rise further in the coming months, that conversation isn’t going away any time soon. But as a homebuyer, what do rates above 3% really mean? Today’s Average Mortgage Rate … Continued

Mortgage rates decline to 3.09%

Rates dropped from 3.14% in the prior week, according to Freddie Mac’s PMMS The average 30-year-fixed rate mortgage dropped to 3.09% during the week ending Nov. 4, down from 3.14% the week prior, according to the latest Freddie Mac PMMS Mortgage Survey. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.78%. Most economists believe mortgage rates will climb following as … Continued

Investors are buying more, but spending less

Investor purchases account for over 15% of all purchases so far in 2021 Real estate investors are buying more properties, but paying less for them, according to a report from RealtyTrac based on ATTOM Data Solutions home sales data. In the second quarter of 2021, investor purchases accounted for 15.4% of all home purchases nationwide, compared with 11.5% of all … Continued

There’s no sign of the typical fall slowdown in home buying

Redfin reports that 33% of homes go under contract within a week One-third of homes that went under contract had an accepted offer within one week of hitting the market, a new report from Redfin found. This is up from 30% during the same period a year prior and 2.2 points from a month earlier. The report is based … Continued

Important Distinction: Homes Are Less Affordable, Not Unaffordable

It’s impossible to research the subject of buying a home without coming across a headline declaring that the fall in home affordability is a crisis. However, when we add context to the most recent affordability statistics, we soon realize that, though homes are less affordable than they have been over the last few years, they are more affordable than … Continued

Millennials struggle to compete with boomers for homes

Buyers needing financing or insisting on inspection still competitive Young people make up a smaller share of recent homebuyers than in previous years most likely due to the increased market activity of baby boomers, a new Zillow report published on Thursday found. It’s hardly breaking news that the demand for housing has drastically increased over the past 18 … Continued

Housing affordability improves for second straight month

Index still below August 2020 level For the second month in a row, national housing affordability improved in August, according to the latest National Association of Realtors housing affordability index report. This improvement came as monthly mortgage payments fell by 1.1% while median family income fell by 0.7%. As of August 2021, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate … Continued

Experts Agree: Homeownership Provides a Path to Long-Term Wealth

A recent survey from LendingTree.com found there are multiple reasons why Americans would choose to purchase a home instead of renting. Some of the most popular non-financial reasons given include: The flexibility to make the space your own The pride homeownership offers The sense of stability In the same survey, 41% of respondents say they’d rather own a home than … Continued

What Do Supply and Demand Tell Us About Today’s Housing Market?

There’s a well-known economic theory – the law of supply and demand – that explains what’s happening with prices in the current real estate market. Put simply, when demand for an item is high, prices rise. When the supply of the item increases, prices fall. Of course, when demand is very high and supply is very low, prices … Continued

Study: 24% of sellers received four or more offers in 2021

Buyers needing financing or insisting on inspection are still competitive. Nearly one quarter of U.S. home sellers received four or more offers on their home in 2021, according to Zillow’s latest consumer housing trends report. The rise in the number of homes that received multiple offers is reflected in the increased frequency of bidding wars in 2021. Typical sellers received two … Continued

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