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☆ US home prices show signs of stabilizing, reports show
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Amina Niasse | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Octavio Jones Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 29 (Reuters) - U.S. housing prices showed further signs of stabilizing in June, according to two reports out Tuesday that signaled the lengthy run of softening sales prices may be bottoming out. Both reports showed prices rose modestly month-over-month. House prices rose 3.0% between the second quarters of 2022 and 2023, FHFA said. FHFA's data showed June’s year-over-year gains were strongest in the East North Central and New England regions, up by 5.4% and 6.8%, respectively. On a city basis, the Case-Shiller data showed Chicago and Cleveland experiencing the greatest price accelerations.

Persons: Octavio Jones, FHFA, ”, Anju Vajja, ” Craig Lazzara, DJI, Amina Niasse, Safiyah Riddle, Andrea Ricci, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Federal Reserve, FHFA’s Division of Research, Statistics, East North, Thomson Locations: Tampa , Florida, U.S, “ U.S, East North Central, New England, Chicago, Cleveland

☆ US home prices rose in July after 5 months of declines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington, DC CNN —US home buyers have a new challenge in addition to mortgage rates above 7%: Prices are rising again, reversing five months of year-over-year declines, according to a National Association of Realtors report released Tuesday. Prices rose in the Northeast, Midwest and South but were unchanged in the West in July, the NAR report found. Current homeowners are refusing to sell and are hunkering down with their ultra-low mortgage rates that are at least half the current rates. Sales of existing homes — which include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — dropped below expectations and were down 2.2% from June to July. “Two factors are driving current sales activity — inventory availability and mortgage rates,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.

Persons: —, ”, Lawrence Yun, Freddie Mac, Melissa Cohn Organizations: DC CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, ”, William, Mortgage Locations: Washington, Northeast, Midwest, West

☆ US 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumps to near 21-1/2-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Safiyah Riddle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage rates surged this week, with the popular 30-year fixed rate hitting the highest level in more than 21 years, further complicating the housing market outlook. The average 30-year rate shot up to 7.09%, the highest level since April 2002, from 6.96% in the prior week, mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac said on Thursday. But sky-high mortgage rates could temper recent building trends, keeping supply tight and house prices elevated. Higher mortgage rates were blamed for the ebb in confidence among homebuilders in August. "The housing market has been surprisingly resilient, confounding expectations for the last year," said Bright MLS chief economist Lisa Sturtevant.

Persons: Octavio Jones, Freddie Mac, Freddie Mac's, Sam Khater, Lisa Sturtevant, Safiyah Riddle, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, U.S, Commerce Department, MLS, Thomson Locations: Tampa , Florida, U.S

☆ U.S. mortgage rates spike to highest since November, approach 22-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Safiyah Riddle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

New townhomes are seen under construction while building material supplies are in high demand in Tampa, Florida, U.S., May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Octavio JonesAug 9 (Reuters) - The average U.S. 30-year mortgage rate jumped to a nine-month peak on Wednesday and hit the second-highest rate since 2001, as interest rates reacted sharply to a downgrading of U.S. government debt. Rates have not been that high since November 2022, which were then the highest levels since 2001. Recent data has suggested that the home price cooling engineered by the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hiking campaign could be slowing down. But the recent data showing higher mortgage rates and crimped demand could be welcome news for overall shelter costs and the U.S. central bank's effort to bring inflation down.

Persons: Octavio Jones, Joel Kan, Safiyah Riddle, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, Mortgage, Association, Association's, Federal, Thomson Locations: Tampa , Florida, U.S

☆ The genius plan that could bring down skyrocketing home prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Not only did this help to slow down skyrocketing housing costs, it inspired a bipartisan, nationwide expansion of the policy. Home prices in Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, doubled between 2009 and 2016 and prices across the rest of the country followed close behind. "A typical New Zealand city looks a lot like a typical US city," Gray said. There are three models of housing construction in US cities right now, Gray said. "In terms of an overall objective, I think bringing down house prices to construction costs is an ultimate sign of housing abundance."

Persons: Upzoning, Jenny Schuetz, Matthew Maltman, who's, Ryan Greenaway, Guo Lei, Maltman, There's, Auckland's upzoning, Vicki Been, Bill de Blasio, Schuetz, Nolan Gray, Gray, let's, Brett Coomer, that's, Allison Zaucha, Freemark, we're, Emily Hamilton, Eliza Relman Organizations: Brookings Institute, Auckland, Economic, University of Auckland, New, National Party, Housing, Economic Development, New Zealand, California YIMBY, Urban Institute, Houston, Montana Republicans, George Mason University Locations: New Zealand, Auckland, Australian, Zealand, Auckland , New, New Zealand's, New York, Europe, California, Zealanders, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, Washington, Portland , Oregon, Montana, California . Utah, Minneapolis, New York City

☆ Austin is copying Houston's playbook for making housing more affordable
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Demand for housing in Austin, Texas has outstripped even its relatively rapid housing production. Austin's upzoning measures are designed to incentivize "gentle density" — also known as infill housing or missing-middle housing. And even if you don't care about housing policy, you are feeling this in a very intimate way." Aerial view of neighborhood outside of Austin Texas. Most recently, Dallas city Council member Chad West is leading the charge to consider cutting minimum lot sizes in his city.

Persons: Austin, Jenny Schuetz, They've, Schuetz, Emily Hamilton, Nicole Nabulsi Nosek, Greg Anderson, there's, Joe Sohm, Anderson, Nosek, Chad West Organizations: Service, Apple, Brookings Institute, George Mason University, Reasonable, Austin Habitat, Humanity, Chad Locations: Austin , Texas, Texas, Wall, Silicon, Austin, Houston, Austin Texas, California, Dallas

☆ Austin went from a 'weird' oasis to one of the most expensive cities in the US. Now it's fighting runaway housing prices.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Austin, Texas has become one of the least affordable cities in the US in part due to steep housing costs. This week, city lawmakers took a significant step toward helping boost housing supply. The city council approved a resolution that reduces the lot size necessary for a home. Research has found that increasing the market-rate housing supply makes housing more affordable for both middle- and low-income residents, despite widespread skepticism that the laws of supply and demand apply to housing. Last year, a Texas appeals court struck down a previous city council effort to increase housing density through upzoning.

Persons: Austin, who've, Leslie Pool Organizations: Service, Apple, Austin Chamber of Commerce Locations: Austin , Texas, Wall, Silicon, Texas, Austin, City, upzoning

☆ US home prices stay near record high, even as sales drop in June
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Even after falling, June’s median price hit the second-highest monthly median price on record going back to 1999, according to a National Association of Realtors report released Thursday. The median existing home price was $410,200 last month, just 0.9% less than the all-time high from one year ago of $413,800. It marked the fifth month of year-over-year drops in median home sale prices. “Relatively high mortgage rates near 7% and historically low inventory of existing homes on market is hindering sales activity,” said Yun. The pent-up demand will surely be realized soon, especially if mortgage rates and inventory move favorably.”Home prices remain highOne of the reasons home prices remain high is because It’s summer.

Persons: ”, Lawrence Yun, —, Yun, “, “ It’s Organizations: DC CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, “, downer Locations: Washington

☆ Mortgage-refinance demand recovers some after rates come off recent highs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mortgage interest rates pulled back last week after jumping sharply to start July. Total mortgage application volume rose 1.1% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. "Mortgage rates declined last week, as markets responded positively to incoming data showing that U.S. inflation continues to cool," said Joel Kan, an MBA economist, in a release. The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 28.4% of total applications from 26.8% the previous week. Mortgage rates haven't budged much to start this week, as they're still hanging in the high 6% range on the 30-year fixed.

Persons: Blaine, Joel Kan Organizations: Mortgage, Federal Locations: Minnesota

☆ As Cases Soar, ‘Dementia Villages’ Look Like the Future of Home Care
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Joann Plockova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent morning in this quiet village outside Amsterdam, an older woman stocked shelves inside the local supermarket. In the plaza just outside the store, a group of men sat around a table, chatting the hours away. Over in the town square, a woman in a hijab sipped coffee outside the cafe. Many of the people here don’t realize that they are living in the world’s first so-called “dementia village,” and it can be difficult for visitors to tell the difference between the residents and the plain-clothed staff. “To be honest, at that moment I had made my choice already.”

Persons: Gert Bosscher, Anneke, “, Hogeweyk, ” Locations: Amsterdam, ”, Hogeweyk

☆ US home prices fall by largest amount annually since December 2011
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The median existing home price was $396,100 last month, down 3.1% from a year ago, marking the largest year-over-year price reduction since December 2011. Sales of existing homes — which include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — rose 0.2% from April to May. Annually, sales were down 20.4% from a year ago, and the seasonally adjusted annualized sales pace dropped from 5.4 million units a year ago to 4.3 million in May. “Relatively steady rates have led to several consecutive months of consistent home sales.”There are marked regional variations in prices, however. But affordability challenges remained amid super low inventory of homes to buy.

Persons: ”, Lawrence Yun, Yun, Danielle Hale, Hale, —, Anna Bahney Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, National Association of Realtors, “, NAR Locations: Minneapolis

☆ Affordable Housing Woes Paint a ‘Bleak Picture’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Patrick Sisson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Then in November she received a call that brought tears to her eyes: A two-bedroom house at Mirasol Townhomes, a public housing development of townhouses and single-family homes, had opened up for just $675 a month. Her previous monthly rent of $950 strained her salary as a dispatcher for a home cleaning service. “There’s a lot of people in San Antonio who struggle with finding housing,” Ms. Velez said. “It’s just out of their price range.”Her experience echoes the broad challenges created by an affordable housing shortage in the United States. Builders have been stymied since the pandemic by higher costs for materials and labor, stricter lending practices, rising interest rates and supply chain hiccups.

Persons: Erika Velez, “, Ms, Velez, “ It’s Organizations: Builders Locations: San Antonio, United States

☆ 10 US cities where real-estate investors can get the best bang for their bucks in lower home prices relative to higher rents charged, and 10 with the worst returns, according to a research firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Agent Advice found 10 cities that yield a high return with home values below the national median. A shortage of new listings is helping to steady property prices as elevated interest rates present affordability challenges for buyers." Cities with the best returns on investmentA recent study by Agent Advice analyzed home values and typical rent prices across US cities. He added that the top ten cities for the best ROI have a typical housing value far below the national average. And as many as seven of the ten have a typical housing value less than 50% of the national average.

Persons: Chris Heller, Victor Whitmore, Whitmore, Travis Hanson, Thomas Harr, Harr, Heller, Jackson Organizations: Investors, Trading Economics, Columbus, Dothan, Sumter Locations: Tulsa , Oklahoma, Lubbock , Texas, Columbus , Ohio, Cities, Houma, LA, Johnstown, Beckley, WV, Decatur, IL, Shreveport, Peoria, SC, Texarkana, TX, TN

☆ A residential real-estate developer shares 2 details to pay attention to when shopping for a home — and the No. 1 feature that can boost a property's value
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Developer Harsh Thakker explained what to look for, including small details like the trim. Pay attention to small details and the structure"The biggest thing is to look out for the details," said Thakker, including the trim and outlets. Good signs for home appreciationIn Thakker's experience, walkability is the number one feature that can boost a home's value. Right now, in Thakker's market, modern homes are more valuable than other styles, which is part of the reason his team is constructing modern homes in Chestnut Flats. "Whereas, the other one was more modern, using hardie-plank or other modern materials, and had open space and contemporary finishes.

☆ US home prices fall by most in 11 years but sales are down
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Sales had shown some life, rising in February after a full year of declines due to surging mortgage rates, but that momentum has since cooled. Annually, sales were down 23% from a year ago and the seasonally adjusted annualized sales pace dropped from 5.57 million units a year ago to 4.28 million in April. Mortgage rates were rising in February and pushing toward 7% in March when many of these April closings went into contract. But the current sales pace is down 33% from the cyclical peak of a 6.34 million unit pace in January 2022. In the South prices were down 0.6% to $357,900 and in the West prices have fallen 8% from a year ago to $578,200.

☆ Home sales fell in March, reversing gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington, DC CNN —US home sales fell in March, after a turnaround in February that followed a full year of declining home sales due to surging mortgage rates, according to a National Association of Realtors report released Thursday. Sales of existing homes in March — which include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — dropped 2.4% from February. Mortgage rates remain volatile — so far this year average rates have ranged from 6.09% to 6.73%. “Home sales are trying to recover and are highly sensitive to changes in mortgage rates,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. Many potential sellers feel “locked in” by their ultra-low existing mortgage rates that they bought or refinanced into over the past few years.

☆ A real-estate investor who estimates his properties have appreciated over 60% in value explains exactly what he's looking for in a property — and how he finds great deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Part-time real estate investor Atif Afzal says his properties have gone up in value by more than 60%. He invests in Monroe, New York, which is about 50 miles north of New York City. Atif Afzal bought his first property in Monroe, New York in 2019. What he's looking for in an investment propertyAfzal has a few specific requirements when he's looking at investment opportunities. It helps that he's worked with the same realtor since day one, he said, since she's aware of exactly what types of properties he's looking for.

☆ A 37-year-old immigrant who started with 'zero credit' and couldn't get a mortgage when he moved to New York explains how he built a 4-property portfolio that's helped him achieve financial independen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

When Atif Afzal moved to the US in 2018, he didn't have a credit score and had to start from scratch. His lack of credit became a problem when he wanted to buy a home, so he saved up to buy it in cash. When Atif Afzal moved from India to upstate New York in 2018, he didn't have a credit score. Unable to secure a mortgage, he decided to buy his first property with cash. When he first decided to buy property, "my priority was selecting an awesome location," he said.

☆ London's priciest townhouse just listed for $74 million. Here's what's hidden beneath it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Will PryceOne of the most expensive townhouses in London listed Monday for 60 million pounds (about $74 million). The home's subterranean level includes a swimming pool that spans 39 feet and a pool deck furnished with daybeds. Below the townhouse residences are subterranean parking spots that eliminate the need for on-street parking. Here's a closer look around — and under — London's newest $74 million listing, which is being sold fully furnished. This can be achieved on a subterranean level because the rear garden is one level below street grade.

☆ It took a progressive Virginia suburb 8 years to let developers build apartments instead of single-family houses. It shows how hard it is to build middle-class housing in the US.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Arlington, Virginia, is finally set to pass a "missing middle" housing policy after years of debate. Arlington is just the latest community to address missing middle housing as a part of a broader national reckoning. Across the country, critics of increasing housing density in single family neighborhoods are disproportionately older, wealthier, white homeowners. Advocates of missing middle housing say there's a deep generational gap when it comes to housing density. Despite the massive effort it took to come to the verge of passing missing middle housing, Arlington officials predict change will be slow and limited.

☆ Home prices just broke a decade-long streak
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The steep decline in sales activity is driven by the large increase of mortgage rates over the past year. Mortgage rates remain volatile — in February, rates rose half of percentage point — but prices in some areas are cooling, according to NAR. “Conscious of changing mortgage rates, home buyers are taking advantage of any rate declines,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. The huge jump in sales was surprising, said Yun, showing just how sensitive homebuyers are to slight reductions in mortgage rates. This has pushed rates lower over the past week.

☆ A real estate investor who owns over 1,000 units and retired at age 36 explains how leveraging his equity and harnessing the 'velocity of money' helped him make 'millions and millions and millions of
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Just 13 years after buying his first property, Dave Allred retired at age 36. Altogether, he estimated that his portfolio equity has currently reached over $30 million in total value. On the other hand, an investor's equity in a deal rises every year due to natural market appreciation. "Every month there's a principal reduction on your mortgage, so you're building real equity there as well, also through market appreciation," Allred said. In other words, paying attention to cash-on-equity means that investors can harness the leveraging power of equity to rapidly grow their portfolios.

☆ 'That's really bad advice': A real estate investor who owns over 1,000 units and retired at age 36 explains why 'zero-money-down' strategies like wholesaling will no longer work for investors in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"Bootstrapping" real estate strategies like wholesaling have exploded in popularity in recent years. A veteran real estate investor, he has in the last two decades amassed a robust portfolio that includes ownership in over 1,250 units across 30 different properties in 15 states, according to documentation verified by Insider. He added: "Debt is a wealth magnifier … That's the beauty of real estate. In recent years, these strategies, such as wholesaling — where investors make a profit by being the middleman in a real estate transaction — have wildly exploded in popularity. According to Allred, investors were able to make money simply by being in the game and having any exposure to real estate.

☆ Home sales sank in January for the 12th straight month
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington, DC CNN —US home sales declined in January for the 12th consecutive month as mortgage rates remained elevated and stubbornly high prices kept homebuyers out of the market. That’s the longest streak of declining home sales on record, going back to 1999, and also marks the weakest sales activity since 2010. In January 2022, the average rate for a fixed-rate mortgage ranged from 3.22% to 3.55%, according to Freddie Mac. “Prices vary depending on a market’s affordability, with lower-priced regions witnessing modest growth and more expensive regions experiencing declines.”Even as home sales dropped, home prices continued to climb last month nationally. Inventory remains historically low, with few homeowners looking to give up their ultra-low mortgage rates to buy a new home with a higher rate.

☆ A real estate investor who owns over 1,000 units explains how he was able to officially retire at age 36 by 'reverse engineering' his financial freedom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

He was able to achieve this feat by "reverse engineering" his financial freedom. In fact, he attributes much of his success today as a real estate investor to setting "audacious" goals for himself — and achieving them by whatever means necessary. To Allred, achieving true financial freedom meant having enough recurring passive income to entirely cover his family's cost of living. At that time, he decided to officially retire from door-to-door sales and go into real estate full-time. Continuing to grow his real estate fundAround 2015, Allred also began getting involved in real estate syndications.

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