For the second consecutive year, Vermont was ranked as the safest state in the nation, according to a new report released by WalletHub. The Northeast dominated the list of safest places in the country, with six states in the region nabbing spots in the top 10.WalletHub factored in 37 safety indicators for each of the 50 states, including crime, unemployment, job security, road safety, emergency preparedness data, workplace safety, and more to ra
Selling is sounding more appealing. The percentage of Americans who reported now is a good time to sell zoomed to a record high in May, according to Fannie Mae’s latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index, based on a survey of about 1,000 Americans on their views about the housing market. Meanwhile, the net share of Americans who say now is a good time to buy fell 8 percentage points and reached a record low last month.“High home prices have led ma
Apple wants to help curtail distracted driving, which is what’s behind its latest feature that will block texts and other news alerts while you’re driving. The “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature will be added to iPhones this fall as part of Apple’s iOS 11, the latest version of operating software for the company's mobile devices. Users can choose to disable the feature.Here’s how it works: When your phone is connected to a car u
Home buyers were in a rush to lock in low mortgage rates last week, sending total mortgage application volume soaring 7.1 percent, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday.“Purchase application volume increased to its highest level since May 2010,” says Joel Kan, an MBA economist. “Refinance activity bumped up as well in response to moderating rates, but remained generally subdued.”Home purchase applications skyrocketed 10 perc
Home equity is an important part of the assets that families depend on later in life—in fact, it is one of the top two assets that households rely on in retirement, outside of a pension or Social Security benefits, according to a new report titled, “Importance of Individual Account Retirement Plans and Home Equity in Family Total Wealth.”Researchers at the Employee Benefit Research Institute compared assets in households headed by those bet
Government-sponsored financing giant Fannie Mae will ease its requirements next month, raising its debt-to-income ceiling from 45 percent to 50 percent on July 29. The move could pave the way for a larger number of new buyers to qualify for a mortgage, particularly millennials who may be saddled with student loan debt.The debt-to-income ratio compares a person’s gross monthly income with his or her monthly payment on all debt accounts, includin
Many retirees are preferring to keep a mortgage, even if they have the means to pay it off. They say they want to take advantage of low mortgage rates and tax rates and free up their savings for other uses, The New York Times reports.But without a full-time job, are they able to still qualify for a home loan? Banks say they are still willing to lend to retirees, as long as they have regular monthly income coming in, like a pension and Social Secu
There’s a reason utility bills feel like they’re taking a bigger bite out of households’ budgets. On average, utility costs—electricity natural gas, water, and sewer—add 25 percent to monthly housing costs for homeowners and 21 percent to housing costs for renters, according to a newly released white paper by ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm, and UtilityScore, a software provider for solar and other home improvement compan
More than two-thirds of Americans believe that owning a home is an essential part of the American dream, according to a new survey released by the National Association of Home Builders of more than 11,300 registered voters.“Americans continue to place a high priority on homeownership and work hard to achieve this goal for their families,” says NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald.Other recent surveys also have shown a high desire for homeownership
If you want to generate more online search traffic for your business, surveys are increasingly showing the number one tactic you need to focus more on: blogging.“It’s not necessarily the most popular tactic among small businesses,” writes Forbes columnist Brian Sutter, in referencing the WASP Barcode 2017 “State of Small Business Report.”Indeed, according to the 2017 Small Business Survey, the most effective means to garner more search
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