The share of households considered burdened by high rents is dropping, according to the 2017 National Rental Housing Landscape, a report published by New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate & Urban Policy. But that doesn’t necessarily mean landlords are slashing rents.Researchers say the reason for the drop is mostly due to the higher number of wealthier families who are opting to rent. This has allowed landlords to raise pri
Some desperate home buyers who aren’t able to save enough for a down payment are turning to crowdfunding.And mortgage lenders are making it easier for buyers to do so. CMG Financial, a mortgage provider, launched HomeFundMe, an online platform to allow borrowers to crowdfund the down payment of a home purchase without fees. The crowdfunding platform also has the backing of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.Saving for the down
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage inched upwards this week, averaging 3.85 percent. It’s the highest average in six weeks, Freddie Mac reports.“After holding steady last week, rates ticked up this week,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 10-year Treasury yield rose 8 basis points, while the 30-year mortgage rate increased 2 basis points to 3.85 percent.”Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortg
The places that hipsters tend to call home are among some of the hottest housing markets in the country, according to a joint study by realtor.com® and Yelp. Based on the rankings, Columbus, Ohio, earned the No. 1 spot as the hottest hipster market.Columbus (and more specifically its ZIP code 43202) ranked first out of 50 cities for best markets for hipsters—that is, those who embrace the indie culture and tend to embrace lifestyles of artis
Whether you’re making a listing presentation to potential clients or speaking in front of a group of agents, there are subtle ways to appear more confident, likable, and approachable while speaking with authority. Business strategist Marc Gordon offers these five tips that will help you “fake it ’til you make it.”1. Dress the part. When choosing an outfit, consider two factors: whom you’re speaking to and where you’ll be speaking. Th
Your sweat equity will pay dividends when the home sellsKey Takeaways The key to staging a home on a budget is manual labor with a detail-oriented focus.Staging a home on a budget isn’t as hard as you may think. As a real estate agent, you can advise sellers on how to instantly boost the appeal of their home using tricks of the trade that cost little or no money and bring a huge return on investment.Small changes add up to create buyer-friendl
Seller-financed deals are increasingly coming under scrutiny. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is investigating some larger investors using seller financing in real estate deals, accusing some investors of abusing the practice by evicting buyers for missing just a single payment or selling homes at the end of the agreements that are in complete disrepair.Legislators in three Midwestern states—Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan—are targeting
Keeping a home warm during the colder months of the year can prove to be expensive. With energy costs on the rise, many households are facing higher energy bills each year.Fixr.com, which provides "Cost Guides" of estimates to common household remodeling projects, highlights five projects to help increase a home’s energy efficiency and keep utility bills lower. (Fixr.com also provides cost estimates below of the projects listed.)1. Find unor
Having a salary over $100,000 is the standard some clients face in certain areas of the U.S. when it comes to homebuying. NAR’s quarterly Metropolitan Median Area Prices and Affordability Indexfrom the second quarter of 2017 helped CNBC identify the 10 cities with this high income necessity. The data included in the index assumes a 4 percent mortgage rate for all areas, as well as a monthly principal and interest payment limited to 25 percent
More victims are coming to light from Sunday’s deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Robert McIntosh, a real estate professional with Century 21 Gold Rush in North Pole, Alaska, was reportedly shot three times in the chest and one time in the arm by the gunman who fired from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino into an open crowd below of concert goers in Las Vegas Sunday night.McIntosh was rushed to surgery and is r
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