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In an AP-NORC poll conducted in February, 38% of U.S. adults approved of how Biden was handling his job. Black adults are more likely than white and Hispanic adults to approve of Biden, but that approval has dropped in the three years since Biden took office. This is stuff that requires work,” Quentin Fulks, principal deputy campaign manager for the Biden campaign, said in an interview. Still, the Biden campaign and the broader Democratic Party are confronting their own struggles, despite their cash and organizational advantages. And in Nevada, Biden will continue promoting a new housing proposal that would offer a mortgage relief credit for first-time homebuyers and a seller's tax credit to encourage homeowners to offload their starter homes.

Persons: Joe Biden, Harris, Biden, Donald Trump, They're, Trump, Jill Biden, ” Quentin Fulks, “, ”, Maria Cardona, White, Lael Brainard, Sen, Catherine Cortez Masto, —, ” Cortez Masto, Linley Sanders, biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Biden, Asian American, Bilingual, GOP, Republican National, Trump, RNC, Trump's, Democratic Party, AP VoteCast, ”, White, National Economic Council, Republican, Associated Press Locations: Nevada , Arizona, Texas, Reno , Nevada, Washoe County, Las Vegas, Phoenix, U.S, Arizona, Maryvale, Nevada and Arizona, Biden's State, Biden’s, Nevada , Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, In Arizona, Nevada, Dallas, Houston

☆ Premarket stocks: Why Zillow is worried about America’s housing market shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Zillow reported that it outperformed the residential real estate industry by 12 percentage points in 2023. That’s because one of the main ways Zillow makes money is through lead generation for real estate agents. “This shift in the structure of real estate transaction costs is too new to understand how it will impact housing market dynamics,” a spokesperson said. Zillow could make even more money if real estate agents offer their services piecemeal, he said. The takeawayThere’s a lot of disagreement between analysts about the future of Zillow and the real estate industry at large.

Persons: Zillow, ”, Dan Kurnos, it’s, Zillow’s, they’ll, who’s, Kurnos, ” Stephen Brobeck, “, It’s, Homes.com, William Blair Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, National Association of Realtors, Realtors, Benchmark Company, NAR, Zillow, Consumer Federation of America, CNN, Bank of America Locations: New York

The announcement is unlikely to have much of an impact on mortgage rates, but commentary coming out of the meeting might. If Powell says that the Fed still believes that inflation is coming down and that it just wants to see more data before it starts cutting rates, mortgage rates might not move much. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. This is good news for mortgage rates — as inflation slows and the Federal Reserve is able to start cutting the federal funds rate, mortgage rates are expected to trend down as well.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal, Fed, Zillow, Federal Reserve, Mortgage, Association, ARM Locations: Chevron

☆ The top 10 U.S. cities where a $100,000 salary goes the furthest—half are in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It turns out, that includes how far a $100,000 salary will get you, according to a recent SmartAsset study. A six-figure income offers the most purchasing power in El Paso, Texas, the study found. In El Paso, a $100,000 salary amounts to around $88,840 after taking out those expenses. One factor potentially fueling the Lone Star State's dominance is its tax friendliness, since Texas does not collect state income taxes. However, residents still pay federal income taxes and face some of the highest property taxes in the country.

Persons: Zers —, — Organizations: Council for Community, Economic Research, Census, Christi, Houston, Star Locations: Texas, U.S, El Paso , Texas, El Paso, Mexico, RentCafe, San Antonio, Lubbock

☆ Home prices likely to keep rising even as lower mortgage rates bring more supply, according to BofA
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Existing home prices should keep climbing when mortgage rates slide, Bank of America said. The number of existing home sales on offer fell last year as mortgage rates rose and sellers opted to wait it out to hold onto lower rates they locked in years ago. "As of January, the median sales price of existing single-family homes had grown 5% y/y, while the price for new single-family homes fell 3% y/y." AdvertisementSo far in 2024, mortgage rates have come down from multi-year highs seen last October, falling to 6.74% this month. January's existing home sales were the highest since August, and even small declines in mortgage rates are enough to encourage bursts of activity.

Persons: —, It's, Redfin, Skylar Olsen Organizations: of America, Service, Bank of America, CNBC

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, PepsiCo and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors see the event as a bellwether for artificial intelligence, as Nvidia is expected to unveil new products and updates. Alphabet , Apple — Shares of the Google parent company gained nearly 7% following a Bloomberg report that said Apple was discussing licensing Alphabet's Gemini artificial intelligence engine into the iPhone. Apple climbed roughly 2%. PepsiCo — The beverage stock rose nearly 4% after an upgrade to overweight from equal weight by Morgan Stanley . PepsiCo's business fundamentals should bottom out early this year and then rebound in the second half, according to Morgan Stanley.

Persons: Apple, Tesla, Morgan Stanley, Uber, — CNBC's Pia Singh, Jesse Pound Organizations: Nvidia —, Conference, Investors, Nvidia, National Association of Realtors, realtors ., —, Google, Bloomberg, Apple, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Reuters, Bank of America, PepsiCo, Technologies Locations: San Francisco, Japan

☆ The way Americans buy and sell homes is about to get turned on its head
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The way Americans buy and sell homes is about to get turned on its head. And other broker tactics that critics say are anticompetitive, such as a rule that made sellers’ agents set compensation for buyers’ agents, will be prohibited. Goodbye, 6% commissionsFor decades, Americans have paid a standard commission of around 6% when selling a home, split between the seller’s broker and the buyer’s broker. A separate new rule will require buyers’ brokers to enter into written agreements with their buyers. Second, it led buyers’ brokers to push more expensive homes on buyers, so their payout would be higher.

Persons: Cowen, Stephen Brobeck, Norm Miller, Miller Organizations: CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, Industry, Consumer Federation of America, University of San Locations: America, University of San Diego

Average 30-year mortgage rates are now in the upper 6% range, which is where they were at the start of the month. Where mortgage rates go next depends on the economy. Until inflation comes down further, mortgage rates will likely remain near their current levels. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ The best time to sell your home — in 2023, listings in this period sold for $7,700 more, research finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spring, the season when home buying and selling activity kicks off, is around the corner. Available housing supply is already rebounding: The number of new listings jumped 14.8% from a year ago, the largest annual gain since May 2021, according to new data from Redfin, a real estate site. Buyers are typically looking to land a new home before their children's new school year while a seller's house benefits from the fresh flowers and renewed greenery post-winter. In 2023, homes listed in the first two weeks of June sold for 2.3% more, a $7,700 boost on a typical U.S. home, according to a new Zillow analysis. "We've learned that real estate cycles don't always happen [at this] time of year," said Melissa Cohn, regional vice president at William Raveis Mortgage.

Persons: Amanda Pendleton, We've, Melissa Cohn Organizations: Zillow, Finance, William, Mortgage Locations: Redfin, U.S

As inflation slows and the economy balances out, mortgage rates are expected to go down this year. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates would impact your monthly payments. Mortgage Rates for Buying a Home30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Go Up (+0.23%)The current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.53%, up 23 points from where it was this time last week, according to Zillow data. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Back Above 6% (+0.23%)The average 15-year mortgage rate is 6.03%, up from last week. Mortgage rates also rose dramatically in 2023, though they started trending back down toward the end of the year.

Persons: you'll, It's, refinance Organizations: Zillow, FHA Locations: Chevron

Mortgage rates started the week relatively low, but they're back up today. Mortgage rates are expected to go down in 2024, but they've been elevated so far this year in response to still-high inflation. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's interest rates will affect your monthly payments. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesAverage 15-year mortgage rates inched down to 6.16% this week, according to Freddie Mac data.

Persons: they've, you'll, Freddie Mac, it's Organizations: Zillow, Federal Reserve Locations: Chevron

☆ Real estate stocks plunge as NAR agrees to landmark settlement that rewrites rules on commissions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The National Association of Realtors announced a $418 million settlement to end antitrust lawsuits. Real estate stocks including Zillow and Redfin fell Friday after the announcement. AdvertisementShares of real estate companies plunged on Friday following an announcement from the National Association of Realtors that resolves a lawsuit with home-selling groups and effectively nixes the standard 6% commission for home purchases. As part of the settlement, the NAR has agreed to prevent sellers' brokers from determining the compensation for buyers' agents. AdvertisementTaken together the changes will rewrite the longstanding real estate business model which had sellers pay their broker and the buyer's broker.

Persons: Redfin, —, Nykia Wright, Kevin Sears Organizations: National Association of Realtors, Service, NAR

☆ Looking to sell your home? Here are 4 cheap or free things you can do boost its value and get a higher price, according to Zillow.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But there are still a few small things to consider before selling that could help you bump up your house's value even further. 4 things to boost your home's valueFirst, Pendleton said adding a fresh coat of interior paint can add value to your home. Dark gray outperformed white in every single room that we tested," Pendleton said. "So it is a really good option, even in the bedroom and the bathroom, if you feel like, 'Oh, dark gray is way too much for my kitchen.' She added: "I'm telling you, dark gray covers a lot of imperfections, and it feels modern.

Persons: You've, you've, it's, Amanda Pendleton, Pendleton, Zillow, Soapstone countertops, I'm Organizations: Business Locations: Zillow's, soapstone

The latest forecasts expect mortgage rates to go down in 2024 and 2025, with experts predicting that 30-year rates could fall somewhere between 5.9% and 6.1% by the end of this year. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesAverage 15-year mortgage rates were 6.22% last week, according to Freddie Mac data, which is a four-basis-point decrease from the previous week. Now that the Fed has paused hiking rates, mortgage rates have come down a bit. Once the Fed starts cutting rates, which is likely to happen this year, mortgage rates should fall even further.

Persons: Freddie Mac Organizations: Federal, Zillow, Federal Reserve, Fed Locations: Chevron

☆ A huge wave of housing inventory hit the market in February as the 'lock-in' effect eases
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Zillow reported that a wave of new inventory hit the market in February. New listings of existing homes on Zillow jumped 21% year-over-year last month. The data suggest the "lock-in" effect and frozen housing market are softening. AdvertisementHigh mortgage rates, elevated home prices, and tight inventory have kept many Americans sidelined from the housing market since the pandemic. Zillow data out Thursday showed new listings of existing homes jumped 20.8% in February compared to the same time in 2023, and climbed 20.3% month-over-month.

Persons: Zillow, — Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Real-Estate Agents Use 'Steering' to Hide Cheap Houses From Homebuyers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Technically, the seller can promise as little as $0 to the buyer's agent; after all, why pay for someone you didn't hire? But multiple agents told me there are all kinds of ways shady practitioners try to skirt the rules. Critics say the stickiness of the going commission rate is evidence of steering's ubiquity. He said buyers' agents might call and say, "'Why is there no buyer's commission?" There are lots of willing brokers out there; if you suspect steering, agents told me, you've got plenty of options for a second opinion.

Persons: should've, Redfin, Julie —, Julie, Wendy Gilch, Gilch, they're, Doug Miller, Real, Rex, Keller Williams, I'm, Brendon Bowers, we're, Stephen Brobeck, Brobeck, they'll, you've, Rich, they've Organizations: Department of Justice, National Association of Realtors, Business, Facebook, Realtors, NAR, Consumer Federation of America, DOJ Locations: America, Minnesota, Austin, Houston, Kansas City , Missouri, Phoenix

☆ See how badly your home could be hit by heat, wind, and bad air over the next 30 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Dan Latu | Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Realtor.com has unveiled a set of climate risk tools that homeowners and homebuyers alike can use to learn the specific climate risks of a property. The tools, called Heat Factor, Wind Factor, and Air Factor, are available starting Wednesday and can map out a neighborhood's risks of above-normal days on the heat index, chances of experiencing wind gusts over 50 mph, and days of poor air quality. More than 40% of US homes, valued at a combined $20 trillion, are vulnerable to extreme heat, wind, and poor air quality, according to a Realtor.com analysis. Understanding your home's climate riskPrior to releasing the heat, wind, and air quality tools, Realtor.com already provided fire and flood risks for properties based on data from First Street. First Street, a climate-risk firm, is also behind the data on extreme heat, wind, and air quality now added to listings.

Persons: Realtor.com, Oscar Seikaly, Bob Stephens, homebuyers, Danielle Hale, Hale, Z, Redfin, we've Organizations: Service, Factor, Air Factor, Business, San, Sun Locations: Florida , California, Texas, Miami, San Francisco, California, Florida

Mortgage rates ticked up a little bit in response to Tuesday's slightly hotter-than-expected Consumer Price Index data. But mortgage rates probably won't drop substantially until we get more data showing that inflation is continuing to slow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. This is good news for mortgage rates — as inflation slows and the Federal Reserve is able to start cutting the federal funds rate, mortgage rates are expected to trend down as well.

Persons: they're, they've, Fannie Mae's, Fannie Mae Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, ARM Locations: Chevron

☆ Home prices in these 8 cheap cities are primed for outsize appreciation amid the worst US housing affordability crisis in 40 years, says Zillow's chief economist
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

For Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen, this means homes around the country that are relatively cheap should have tailwinds for appreciation in the years ahead. While cheaper homes in every market should outperform, Olsen also said that the affordability crisis means that lower-cost cities around the US are well-positioned for appreciation. In addition to mostly being cheap on an absolute basis, most of the cities are cheap on a relative basis. The eight cities Olsen listed are compiled below in no particular order. Median home price sale data (list price for Hartford) is included, as well as data from Olsen's affordability metric and average monthly mortgage payments.

Persons: Skylar Olsen, —, Olsen Organizations: National Association of Realtors, Business, Hartford Locations: Hartford , Connecticut, Providence , Rhode Island, Boston, New York

☆ A millennial who moved from Vancouver to LA says he has no plans to head back to Canada. An improved social life offsets high rent costs and the US healthcare system.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

After all, his entire personal and professional life had been in Vancouver, Canada, the 33-year-old told Business Insider via email. Last October, after several months of splitting his time between Canada and LA, Martin and his husband secured visas and moved from their Vancouver suburb to West Hollywood. While he's not a fan of LA's rent costs and the US healthcare system, he said the move has had a "life-changing" impact on one thing: his social life. Business Insider asked Martin what the biggest pros and cons have been of his Canada-to-California move, and whether the improvement to his social life has offset the downsides. Their social life is a big reason why.

Persons: —, Stuart Martin, Martin, he's, He's Organizations: Service, Business, West Hollywood, Survey, LA, Wall, of Agriculture Locations: Vancouver, Canada, Los Angeles, LA, West Hollywood, West, California, Louisiana, West Virginia, Hawaii , Illinois, New York

☆ Premarket stocks: The rent is too damn high. It’s keeping interest rates elevated, too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In short, the rent is too damn high — and it’s keeping inflation and interest rates elevated alongside it. We’ll see if they’re right on Tuesday morning when February’s CPI data is due out. “Shelter inflation has been a big focal point for the market,” they wrote in a note on Monday. “We remain confident that [rent prices] will flatline in 2024, rather than fall,” Capital Economics analyst Thomas Ryan wrote in a recent note. That means a current deceleration in rent prices won’t be fully factored into inflation data until February 2025.

Persons: Greg McBride, ”, Jerome Powell, “ It’s, Powell, aren’t, “, Thomas Ryan, Ritti Singh, Singh, won’t, isn’t, Goldman Sachs, Clare Duffy, Reddit, it’s, That’s, Matt Egan, Joe Biden, Bespoke’s Paul Hickey, ” Hickey Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, CPI, Bank of America, ” Capital, Housing Justice, Fed, Dallas Fed, AAA, Federal, Investment Locations: New York

☆ Everyone is worried about inflation. Here’s why it’s tracked two different ways
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Housing, housing and more housingThe housing sector carries more than four times as much weight in CPI compared to the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. But, with PCE, housing has a much more limited impact on the inflation index. Both indexes are faulted for using this metric to calculate housing inflationBoth indexes use a widely criticized metric called owners’ equivalent rent (OER) to track housing inflation. But it can often take months for these trends to show up in either the PCE or CPI housing indexes. Another issue with using OER to track housing inflation is that it doesn’t really affect homeowners.

Persons: Joe Biden, Frederic J . Brown, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal, Cleveland Federal Reserve, PCE, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Getty, Commerce Department, Bank of America Locations: New York, November’s, AFP

☆ Homebuyers need to earn 80% more than in 2020 to afford a house in this market. It's not just due to high mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Factors beyond high mortgage rates are affecting housing affordability for many Americans, according to experts. Almost four years ago, a household earning $59,000 annually could afford a new mortgage without spending more than 30% of their monthly income and with a 10% down payment, according to a recent report by Zillow Group. While the typical household in 2024 makes about $81,000 a year, up from $66,000 in 2020, wages have not kept up with housing costs. "Since January of 2020, the typical mortgage payment on the typical home in the U.S. has nearly doubled," said Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow. Nowadays, potential homebuyers need to make about $106,500 a year in order to afford the typical home today, an 80% increase from January 2020, according to Zillow.

Persons: Orphe Divounguy, Kirabo Jackson, Jackson Organizations: Zillow Group, Finance, White House Council, Economic Advisers Locations: U.S, Zillow

Average 30-year mortgage rates have generally been hovering in the 6.30% to 6.40% range this week, according to Zillow data. Where mortgage rates go next depends on the economy. As long as inflation continues to slow and the labor market doesn't heat back up, mortgage rates should go down in 2024. This means that we could see mortgage rates inch down just ahead of the summer months. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ 10 U.S. metro areas where homes are selling the fastest—none of them are in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Creditnews Research, an independent research house, released its new ranking of the fastest-selling housing markets in the U.S. To do a pre-Covid versus 2024 comparison, the study used metrics from January 2020 to January 2024. Five of the top 10 fastest-selling metros were also among the top areas that lost the most per-capita housing inventory since the beginning of the pandemic. Florida had one of the strongest housing markets during the pandemic, according to CNBC's America's Top States for Business ranking, but not a single city in the state ranked in Creditnews Research's top 10. It's a signal that the housing market in the Sunshine State isn't what it used to be.

Organizations: Research, U.S, Business, Creditnews, Sunshine State Locations: U.S, East Coast, Florida, America's, States

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