Mortgage applications fall, as refinancing hits 20-year low
A significant drop in mortgage interest rates was not enough to entice homeowners to refinance their loans last week. Total mortgage application volume decreased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis compared with the previous week, and is 13.5 percent lower than the same week one year ago. Eve...
Market Matters
With media coverage of the real estate market and REALTORS®’ role in the transaction under heightened scrutiny, Market Matters offers proactive solutions to help you make sense of the often conflicting and confusing data, market studies, and news reports about your industry and profession.Â...
HELOC counts rebounded in the first quarter
Home equity lines of credit (HELOC) originations rebounded to begin the year, a sign that homeowners have shrugged off changes to the federal tax code that eliminated some incentives for using equity lines. First-quarter new HELOC counts totaled 347,875 in the January-through-March period, which was...
Housing Shortage Tracker
Home prices around the country are continuing to surge—and they are not likely to slow down any time soon. In the last three years, the national median home price has increased about 20 percent, with annual gains of six percent on average. Meanwhile, in some areas, home prices are hitting warp spe...
Beyond The Headlines
Non-homeowners in SF could spend $2.5 million in rent by age 60 Source: The San Francisco Chronicle A new report finds that those who put their money into rent rather than home equity blow an estimated $2.5 million between the ages of 25 and 60. Making sense of the story: The study by the personal R...