First-time homebuyers are being squeezed out of the housing market recovery due to a sharp rise in home prices in some markets, a recent jump in mortgage rates, tighter lending practices, and competition from investors picking up lower-price property for cash, reports The Wall Street Journal. First-time homebuyers are more likely to be unemployed, underemployed,
HOUSING MARKET DOING SO WELL ONLY CONGRESS COULD DISRUPT THE MOMENTUM
Home builders’ confidence in the market for new single-family homes is at its highest level since January 2006. Kent Hoover Washington Bureau Chief Home builders’ confidence in the housing market hit its highest level since January 2006, rising for the third month in a row. The Housing Market Index compiled by the National Association
FED GIVES COMMUNITY BANKS A FEW BREAKS ON NEW CAPITAL RULES
The real test for Basel III Rule is whether the rule makes it easier or more difficult for banks to serve their customers,” said Frank Keating, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association. “If it makes it harder, that’s not what our still-recovering economy needs For immediate release The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday
Higher Mortgage Rates Won’t Kill Housing Recovery
Mortgage rates are back above 4% for the first time in a year, but the rate rise probably isn’t going to be enough to take the wind out of the sails of the housing market rebound. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported on Wednesday that rates jumped to 4.07% last week for the 30-year fixed-rate loan,
Why No City Can Afford to Forget About Seniors
Traditionally, mayors and economic developers have focused their efforts on making their communities great places for families, emphasizing good schools, up-to-date infrastructure, and low crime rates. Over the past decade or so, increasing attention has been paid to attracting younger talent. But one age group has factored much less in the conversation: older Americans. 10,000
: Real Estate’s 2013 Pivot Points: Interest Rates, Gen Y, Health-Care Demand
ATLANTA — Low interest rates, increasingly aggressive lending and Generation Y’s housing preferences are among the top factors shaping the U.S. real estate market this year, according to a group of leading real-estate experts. The Counselors of Real Estate, a Chicago-based global association of hundreds of real estate professionals and advisors, released the list Wednesday at the
SINGLE FAMILY BUILT FOR RENT MARKET SHARE RISES
At the start of 2013, single-family starts built-for-rent were up on a year-over-year basis, with the market share rising to a new high. Despite some recent ups and downs, the share of single-family homes built for rental purposes continues to rise. But by and large, the construction market for these homes remains a niche market, even
REAL ESTATE MARKET SPEEDS UP – FASTEST REAL ESTATE MARKETS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Very good snap shot of National market including Atlanta Stats Low Supply and High Demand are Largely Responsible, but Technology is also Creating a “New Normal” for the Expected Pace of Home Buying and Selling Ask a friend who’s trying to buy a home what the real estate market is like, and she will surely