National News

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How much school districts really matter to new homebuyers

Many homebuyers are willing to compromise on almost anything except location. But according to new survey data from realtor.com, location has become synonymous with school district. Of all successful buyers surveyed, 73 percent say school boundaries are “important” to

Sluggish mortgage rate growth could help home sales

As home prices continue to reach record-high levels, even modest increases in the inventory of homes for sale have not been enough to improve the picture for homebuyers in the second half of 2018. But winds could be shifting

Single-family starts in 2017 were under pre-recession levels

There was an increase in single-family home starts in 2017 compared to the year prior, but the national average still fell short of normal levels seen before the recession. The 2017 Survey of Construction, released by the National Association

Congress passes short-term flood insurance extension

In a last-ditch effort to maintain some sort of flood insurance for homeowners, Senate passed another short-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on the day that the current program was set to expire, according to HousingWire.

Redfin ranks most competitive cities

Redfin unveiled a new metric, the Redfin Compete Score, which ranks cities based on how competitive the homebuying market is in that area. The scale ranges from not very competitive, where multiple offers are rare and homes take months

NAR profile shows rising membership, more diversity

The National Association of Realtors membership grew this year, jumping from 1.22 million in March 2017 to 1.30 million in April 2018. Overall, the2018 National Association of Realtors Member Profile suggests that new members are more diverse than their

Pending home sales up with supply increasing across the nation

The worst of 2018’s inventory crunch may be coming to an end, according to recent data from the NAR’s pending home sales report. Nationally, the pending home sales index (PHSI) saw a 0.9 percent uptick in June, jumping from

NAR reports a decrease in international home sales

The housing market’s low supply and high prices have been affecting residents across the nation for a while, but now experts are starting to see these trends harm international home purchases in the U.S. According to a news report,

Real Estate in Brief: Majority of prospective buyers are first-time homebuyers, satisfaction with mortgage originators and more

In the second quarter of 2018, fewer people plan to buy a home in the next 12 months than recorded in previous quarters, according to the National Association of Builders Housing Trends Report. Just 14 percent of adults are

Cook County used Zillow’s Zestimate tool in official assessments. Really?

Homeowners may be angry for a number of reasons when they see their property tax bills this year. Not only are tax bills going up — about $100 over last year’s average and a $450 average increase over two

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US household energy use falling as homes become more energy efficient

U.S. household energy use fell by more than 10 percent between 2009 and 2015, despite a 4 percent increase in the number of households over the same period, according to analysis of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration

Millennials and baby boomers defy assumed market trends

Millennials and baby boomers, the two largest demographic groups in history, are not as predictable as many home developers thought. UrbanLand reports that millennials — people age 37 and younger — are not too crazy about the urban, renting

House passes National Flood Insurance Program extension

The House of Representatives has passed a bill to extend the National Flood Insurance Program for another month. But with less than one week until the current program is set to expire, it’s up to the Senate to pass

How the residential real estate market has changed over the past decade

The National Association of Realtors analyzed existing home-sale figures for the past 10 years, stretching from May 2008 to May 2018. Comparing the analytics from the the month of May across this timeframe, NAR research data specialist Michael Hyman

Luxury home market sees significant gains due to upward economic trends

With high-paying job growth and upward stock market trends, the luxury home market has seen significant changes in the first half of 2018, according to realtor.com. Despite luxury home prices rising 4.6 percent for $1 million-plus homes, sales have

Single-family home construction rate drops in June

Construction activity for single-family homes declined in June, according to the latest monthly report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Single-family home starts in June 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual

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