Opportunity zones are keeping pace with national home price trends and proved to be a solid investment in the second quarter. Median single-family home prices rose annually in 75% of opportunity zones in the second quarter. In about half of them, home prices increased by at least 15%, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate research firm.Opportunity zones offer tax breaks for...
Mortgage rates inched up slightly from their near all-time lows this week. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.87%, Freddie Mac reported.“Following last Friday’s strong jobs report, which revealed broad based gains in employment and wage growth, mortgage rates are moving higher,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “After dropping for six consecutive weeks, the 30-year...
Bidding wars are growing more commonplace in the rental market as the demand for apartments and single-family rentals outpaces the supply. “We’ve been leasing property for almost 20 years, and we haven’t seen an applicant pool this competitive since we’ve started,” Vipin Motwani, managing principal at Iron Gate Development in Clinton, Md., told CNBC. Two weeks ago, Motwani listed a home for rent...
Homes are selling faster than ever—in less than a week in the country’s most active housing markets.Realtor.com® released a new report revealing housing’s top 10 ZIP codes for 2021. This year’s list showed some of the most significant drivers behind the hottest markets:Housing affordability with asking prices that offer bigger houses for the moneyA growing number of high-income millennialsClose...
Lot values for single-family, detached homes have never been higher. In 2020, prices jumped 18% to a median lot price nationwide of $53,000, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the National Association of Home Builders.The higher prices for lots—along with material costs—have pressed on buyers’ and builders’ budgets in building new homes.Lots are priciest in the New England area. Half...
As the rental market surges, investors are looking to extend their portfolios. Many investors are mom-and-pop investors, who own one or two properties. But where can rental investments offer the biggest returns over the long term?SmartAsset, a personal finance resource, analyzed 120 U.S. cities with populations of 200,000 or more to determine which markets pose the most favorable home investments. They...
Most kids are heading back to school in person this year, but many parents are still coveting the virtual classroom spaces they created at the start of the pandemic. Many real estate pros believe they’re still a selling point, too.Real estate pros continue to market and stage such spaces to attract potential home buyers.“The family’s priorities have changed. People want these learning centers,”...
In 2020, home buyers left states with high taxes and pricey housing in favor of lower-cost metro areas, such as Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, according to CoreLogic’s 2020 Hottest Cities for Homebuyers Report.“The pandemic created a perfect recipe for consistently employed Americans,” said Archana Pradhan, CoreLogic’s principal economist. “If it had been...
Higher home prices are translating into mega wealth for those who own.Thirty-four percent of residential properties in the U.S. with a mortgage were considered “equity rich” in the second quarter, which means the combined estimated amount of loans secured by the properties was at least 50% of its estimated market value, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions. The number continues to grow,...
New fears over the fast-spreading COVID-19 delta variant are moving mortgage rates lower. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage spent another week under 3%.“With global uncertainty surrounding the delta variant of COVID-19, we saw 10-year Treasury yields drift lower and consequently mortgage rates followed suit,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dipped back...