It was a month of thanksgiving for the nation’s homebuilders November offered U.S. homebuilders many reasons to give thanks, with permits, starts and completions all in positive territory. According to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau, building

New projections from the country’s Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast big job gains for the construction sector over the next decade and emphasize the growing importance of environmentally conscious building. Over the 10-year period beginning in 2014 and ending

The federal funds rate will rise by 0.25 percent The Federal Reserve announced today that it will raise the federal funds rate, the key interest rate that influences mortgage, auto loans and other forms of financing, by 0.25 percent. Additionally,

One-stop shopping offers benefits to homebuyers, but they still want agents’ help Fifty percent of recent homebuyers used one source, or one-stop shopping (OSS), to procure homebuying services, according to a National Association of Realtors survey. That is compared to 29 percent

America sees a range of three to 26 years to save for a downpayment, depending on the state It takes 6.17 years for an average first-time homebuyer to save for a down payment on a new home in Illinois, according

Builder confidence in the market for newly constructed single-family homes remained relatively flat in December, dropping one point to 61 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). David Crowe, the NAHB’s chief economist, said past

What is the preferable home size? The median size for homes purchased in 2015 was 1,900 square feet, according to the 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the National Association of Realtors. Beyond that median, though, NAR uncovered

Fannie Mae’s 3-percent down-payment policy was met with praise and skepticism in equal parts, but how has it impacted housing? It was last October when Fannie Mae announced that, in an effort to broaden credit access, it would lower its

Although it’s still far from its pre-recession peak, car transportation is up There has been a significant increase in the number of Americans driving, according to a report released by Doug Short of Advisor Perspectives. The report looked at the estimated

The economy continues to recover, but Americans’ finances are still stuck in the mud A surprisingly large share of Americans are in a precarious financial state, according to a new, detailed study from The Pew Charitable Trust. For its study,

The quality of the neighborhood is the No. 1 thing homebuyers consider when choosing their next home, according to the 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from NAR. Homebuyer considerations, though, differ substantially as household composition changes, and

A new study from the Federal Reserve has made it clear – housing is not in a new bubble With record-setting home prices and skyrocketing rents, today’s housing market may seem naggingly familiar, like this might have happened before.

Americans want their Cuban property. Since the 1960s, when Castro first seized power, that wanting has been a symptom most convinced themselves to ignore, despite filing claims against the country. However, when representatives of Cuba and the United States meet

Despite adding jobs, November offered more of the same for America’s economy The U.S. economy added 211,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.0 percent, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. November’s

The housing market continues to struggle despite an increase in high-quality mortgages Even though houses are selling at their fastest rate since 2007, sub-700 credit score buyers are still at the same level they were mid-2010. According to a

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced that loan applications dropped 0.2 percent from last week, according to its Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending on Nov. 27.  The results included an adjustment for the Thanksgiving holiday; on an unadjusted basis, the