A shower should be a sanctuary, a stress-reducing environment, somewhere you can easily relax and free yourself of a hard day’s work. But if your shower is beginning to feel outdated or is showing signs of wear, a shower renovation
How to Stage a House: A Room by Room Guide
If you’re planning to put your house on the market, you’re probably wondering how to get the most money for your home. That’s where staging comes in. Home staging is a proven way to get more buyers interested and help
Housing affordability improves for second straight month
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
Boise Idaho Housing Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
The Boise housing market is sizzling hot and is being fueled by low mortgage rates and limited supply compared to demand. The result is that buyers have to pay over the asking price. Boise’s metro area’s median sales price hit
Risk Rating 2.0: What to Know About FEMA’s New Flood Insurance System
For the past 50 years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has used the same flood risk methodology for calculating insurance premiums. The previous methodology, introduced as part of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, calculated homeowner’s risk by
How to Achieve the Cottagecore Aesthetic: 4 Tips to Follow
If you spend any time on the internet, you may have seen photos of quaint, ivy-covered homes surrounded by a field of wildflowers in the middle of the countryside. You might also be noticing people redecorating their homes to have
Nearly 14 million homes at risk of flooding in next 30 years
Changing environmental conditions will put 13.6 million residential properties at risk of flooding in 2051, an increase of 1.2 million over the next 30 years, according to a report published Monday by the nonprofit group First Street Foundation. The survey
Salt Lake City Utah Housing Market Trends & Forecast 2021-2022
The pandemic has supercharged Utah’s housing market driven by historically low interest rates and low unemployment rates. Utah housing market has been ranked as the nation’s #1 housing market for the strongest pace of job growth, along with low unemployment,
Industry prays for clarity but expects no mercy from Chopra
Rohit Chopra Affordable housing and consumer advocates hailed Rohit Chopra’s confirmation as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, but industry stakeholders hope the watchdog agency will not catch them off guard. The mortgage industry widely expects the CFPB to increase enforcement
GSE forbearance rate now at just 1.38%
Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume declined at a faster pace last week, as mortgage holders exit COVID-19 plans, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). And exits are expected to pick up the pace even more over the next few weeks.
Tucson Real Estate Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
Southern Arizona’s real estate market has been booming, and housing experts predict positive trends in the Tucson housing market in the second half of 2021. Tucson’s real estate market made headlines a decade ago for reaching incredible highs before the
Still many refi opportunities out there, new report finds
There is still ample opportunity in the market for lenders to rope in refi business, according to a quarterly report published Monday by Sales Boomerang. And the reason for this is two-fold. The report – which is compiled using data sourced
NYC Housing Market: Demand Continues To Outpace Supply 2021
This page has been updated to reflect the latest trends in the NYC real estate market as well as the statewide market. New York’s thriving real estate market shows no signs of slowing in the third quarter of 2021. The
Milwaukee Housing Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
Buying real estate in Milwaukee can be a worthy investment opportunity. If you are looking at investing in the Milwaukee real estate market as a potential investment opportunity, you must read till the end. Whether you’re looking to buy or
Realtors still get most of their leads from Facebook
Over half of Realtors said that social media was their top lead-generating technology tool, according to a new survey report from the National Association of Realtors. The most popular social media app among the random sample of Realtors surveyed was
Denver Real Estate Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
Will Denver’s housing market remain scorching hot in 2021? As the Denver Metro Housing Market continues to evolve, this blog will keep you up-to-date. While the Denver metro area remains a seller’s market, the August 2021 report indicates signs of
When will mortgage rates get over 4%?
In several previous articles I have opined that an increase in mortgage rates may be our only hope for slowing the escalation of home prices that we’ve been experiencing for the past year. With mortgage rates hitting above 3% last
Phoenix Arizona Housing Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
Phoenix has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the U.S. The Greater Phoenix housing market is extremely strong this year. It is a metropolitan area, centered on the city of Phoenix, which includes much of the central
What Is a Co-Op? The Pros and Cons of Housing Cooperatives
Investing in a housing cooperative can be a rewarding alternative to the traditional homebuying process. But buying a co-op comes with particular considerations and consequences. This article will review the pros and cons of investing in a co-op so you
Market for MSRs revs up as year-end approaches
The secondary market for mortgage servicing rights, or MSRs, has been heating up recently as interest rates tick up, increasing the value of MSR assets, and as other revenue streams for lenders begin to slow — such as loan refinancing.
Zillow’s purchase of ShowingTime closes
Zillow on Thursday completed its $500 million acquisition of ShowingTime, which real estate agents use to schedule home viewings, as federal regulators did not extend their window to review the deal. The Seattle-based home listings platform had announced buying the
Baltimore Real Estate Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
Is Baltimore going to be a sizzling real estate market for investors over the next twelve months? According to NeighborhoodScout’s data, Baltimore’s appreciation rate has been at or slightly above the national average over the last twelve months, at 8.29
How Wildfire and Smoke Damage Affect Your Home: What You Need to Know
Natural and environmental hazards driven by climate change are becoming key considerations for today’s homebuyers. Each year, wildfires burn millions of acres across the U.S. and cause severe damage to buildings, homes, and communities. Few homeowners can imagine the devastation
Home equity won’t be enough to prevent foreclosure for some
Despite record-high home prices, home equity may not save some borrowers in forbearance from foreclosure, according to a Black Knight’s report published Monday. Since 2010, around 10% of borrowers with more than 120 days in delinquency were referred to foreclosure,