Real Estate Markets & Economy
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index increased for the fourth consecutive month, to 84 in December, marking a high for the year last seen in February
The year saw explosive rivalries, wild stock market performances and plenty of rage
It's not just the housing market. The prices of US consumer goods have been rising faster than at any 12-month period since 1982, according to the Consumer Price Index released Friday
The average rate for a 30-year, fixed rate loan was 3.10% this week, according to Freddie Mac's latest lender survey
Booming buyer demand, withering US lumber supplies and a tariff hike on Canadian softwood have pushed lumber prices to a pandemic high, with sales contracts closing at $950 Wednesday
The top US housing markets for 2022 are mostly affordable tech hubs with outdoor recreational opportunities that have become attractive alternatives to pricier coastal markets of late
Redwood Trust, which issues 'jumbo' loans that are off limits to Fannie and Freddie, said in a new critique that costlier markets are better served by private lenders
The upward spiral continued as home prices surged a record 18% year over year in October to the highest growth rate in the 45-year history of CoreLogic's Home Price Index
Homebuilders and real estate firms posted strong hiring trends even as a federal jobs report came up far short of expectations for November
The average rate for a 30-year mortgage has been climbing in recent months and now rests 17 percent higher than its all-time low in January, according to Freddie Mac’s latest lender survey
Applications to refinance fell 41% from a year ago as rates increased for the third week in a row, according to The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey
Recent inventory shortages may ease somewhat in 2022, but demand will probably still exceed supply and affordability will be challenging
Fed chair Jerome Powell says economy is 'very strong' and inflation now looks like more than a transitory issue
Opinion
Many have pointed to the failure of Zillow Offers as proof that the Zestimate is inaccurate, but the company’s struggles actually reinforce the critical role that quality automated valuation technology plays in the iBuying process
An 18% increase in conforming loan limit, to $647,200, is the biggest leap in records dating to 1970
Zavvie has found that both iBuyers and Power Buyers are seeing explosive growth — suggesting Zillow's recent moves don't reflect weakness in the iBuying concept
Prices rose 4.2 percent in the third quarter of 2021 and were up 18.5 percent over the same time last year, according to the latest House Price Index by the Federal Housing Finance Agency