National News

RE/MAX: 2017 rounds out with record high home prices and low inventory

2017 ended as a seller’s market, with rising home prices and low housing inventory greeting homebuyers across the nation. According to the latest RE/MAX’s National Housing Report, home prices are hitting record highs in December 2017. The median home

Crowdsourcing platform to help employees pay off down payments

With rent costs soaring and student loans piling up, it’s no secret individuals aged 18-35 need all the help they can get to afford some of life’s necessities, like buying a home. In fact, 70 percent of millennials say

Early-stage mortgage delinquencies increased following active hurricane season

Following a very active hurricane season, the number of early-stage mortgage delinquencies increased in October to 2.3 percent, up from 2.2 percent in October 2016, according to CoreLogic’s latest monthly Loan Performance Insights Report. However, the number of mortgages

$1 million isn’t so luxurious anymore

In a recent examination of homes in the United States — whether or not they were for sale — Trulia found that, while not quite literally, $1 million homes are a dime a dozen these days. Across the country’s

Must-have kitchen designs for 2018

Many homeowners around the country have big renovation plans for 2018, and a number of them are eying the heart of their home: the kitchen. According to the 2018 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, 87 percent of homeowners are making

FHFA looks to update credit scoring, mortgage financing in 2018

The Federal Housing Finance Agency will be making changes as outlined in its 2018 Scorecard, which was released late last month. The scorecard highlights specific conservatorship priorities for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions (CSS). The three main

Consumer bureau rolls back expected HMDA regulations for 2018

Mortgage lenders who were concerned about increased regulation and compliance in 2018 with the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act no longer need to worry. Under the new rules announced in 2015, lenders would have needed to provide significantly more information

Blake Boldt
Mortgage questions answered

Mortgage lenders throughout Chicagoland have squarely turned their attention to 2018, and their job is considerable. Along with implementing new processes and technologies, they must adapt to new laws and regulations as well as the changing tides of the

NAR reveals Realtor confidence in the 2018 housing market

The Realtors Confidence Index from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that Realtors are confident about what’s to come in the first half of 2018. On a scale of 1 to 100, the report measures NAR members’ housing

Home-price-appreciation-december-corelogic-sales
A quarter of US homes sold above list price in 2017

Home sales in 2017 showed nearly one-quarter (24.1 percent) of buyers paid more than the asking price, netting sellers an additional $7,000 on average over their initial offering price. The share of homes selling above list price has grown

Demand for luxury homes slowed in 2017

The demand for luxury homes slowed nationally in 2017, a new report from realtor.com shows. While sales in the upper tier remain strong, activity in the overall housing market exceeded the pace of luxury home sales across the country.

Virtual reality revolutionizing real estate for homebuyers

Virtual reality is the next revolutionary topic for 2018 in the world of real estate, Coldwell Banker found in a recent survey of 3,000 homebuyers. The new survey, conducted by Harris Poll, showed the desire for VR home tours,

How buyers are financing their homes

Across the country, both home prices and demand for homes grew in 2017, driven by low inventory. As supply and affordability can be a hurdle for some homebuyers, many are still optimistic about their ability to receive financing even

Fannie Mae: Buyer confidence falls at the close of 2017

The number of Americans who feel confident enough to buy or sell fell significantly in December 2017, undoing the previous month’s increase in confidence. According to Fannie Mae’s monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index, which surveys 1,000 consumers about a

Credit scores decreasing for millennial homebuyers

Credit scores among millennial homebuyers declined slightly from November 2016 to November 2017, according to Ellie Mae’s most recent Millennial Tracker report. The decrease in average credit scores of closed loans to millennials was most apparent for FHA and VA loans.

The number of renting households declined for the first time in 14 years

While the number of renters now outpaces homeowners — with about one-third of the country’s population living in rentals — 2017 saw the first year of a slight decline in renting households since 2004, according to a recent report from

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