Finance - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Slight Uptick in Home Sales as More Listings Hit Market

Buyers are finally getting more housing options to choose from. Read more from NAR’s latest housing report.Home affordability conditions are improving slightly, which helped to fuel more real estate transactions in July. Existing-home sales, which account for completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, saw their first uptick in about four months, rising 1.3% in July compared to June, NAR’s latest housin

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US Home Prices Rise 0.2% in July, Slowest Growth Since January 2023

The slow price growth is attributed to a shortage in housing inventory and limited buyer competition, according to a Redfin report published on TuesdayWhether it’s refining your business model, mastering new technologies, or discovering strategies to capitalize on the next market surge, Inman Connect New York will prepare you to take bold steps forward. The Next Chapter is about to begin. Be part of it. Join us and thousands of real estate

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Top 50 Hottest Zip Codes of 2024

Our list of the top 50 ZIP codes shows the concentration of buyer demand in affordable Midwest markets and well-located Northeast markets that offer convenience and value. Homes in the hottest ZIP codes tend to be larger than the U.S. average. Despite their size advantage, a majority of the hottest ZIPs see prices at or below the U.S. median. The Northeast markets on the list tended to be higher priced, but offered more space at a discount relati

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Affordable Housing Struggles Persist Despite Decrease in Austin Rents

Affordable Housing Challenges Persist in Austin Despite Rental DecreaseDespite a recent decrease in rent prices in the Austin area, many residents continue to struggle with finding affordable housing options. The story of Leigh Vladyka, an art teacher at an Austin public school, highlights the ongoing difficulties faced by individuals trying to make ends meet in a city where housing costs are rising faster than incomes.Leigh Vladyka's monthly ren

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Renting Now Beats Buying in All Major US Cities

The latest Realtor.com Rental Report reveals a significant shift in the US housing market, as renting a starter home has become more financially advantageous than buying in all of the 50 largest metropolitan areas. This trend, observed since February, is driven by elevated mortgage rates, high home prices, and a decline in rents. However, in July, a milestone was reached in which renting became more affordable than buying in all major metros, a c

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Annual Inflation Rate Slows to 2.9% in July, Lowest Since 2021

Inflation rose as expected in July, driven by higher housing-related costs, according to a Labor Department report Wednesday that is likely to keep an interest rate cut on the table in September.The consumer price index, a broad-based measure of prices for goods and services, increased 0.2% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.9%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for respective readings of 0.2% and 3%

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Biden Invests $100 Million to Fuel Housing Construction

The White House is expanding low-cost financing, easing regulations and incentivizing local reforms in a wide-ranging effort to increase housing supply.The White House is announcing $100 million in grants to state and local governments to spur the construction of new housing, one of a host of new administrative actions to boost housing supply.The Biden administration has witnessed record levels of housing production, driven by a pandemi

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Many Buyers Have Yet to Take Advantage of Lower Mortgage Rates

Borrowing costs have fallen to their lowest level in more than a year, but homebuying activity is only seeing small gains.Mortgage rates have fallen in recent weeks, but home buyers are showing restraint rather than rushing back into the housing market to snag a lower rate. ‘’The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.47% this week, Freddie Mac reports.Even as mortgage rates remain at their lowest level in more than a year, mortgage applicati

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More Americans are Tapping Home Equity Credit Lines, NY Fed Says

Americans who want to tap the rising equity of their homes without giving up their low mortgage rates are increasingly turning to home equity lines of credit.After almost 13 years of declines, balances on home equity lines of credit, known as HELOCs, have begun to rebound, gaining 20% since bottoming out at the end of 2021, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit released Tuesday.Meanwhi

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Mortgage Rates Fall to 5-Month Low

The Federal Reserve signals a possible rate cut could come in September. Could that cause rates to drop even lower?Home buyers and refinancers had the opportunity to lock in the lowest mortgage rates since early February this week, averaging 6.73%. Plus, the average mortgage rate is now lower than a year ago.The Federal Reserve also suggested this week that a possible cut to its key benchmark rate could take place this fall.That may prompt some p

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