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Real estate news in Houston

Is the pandemic-driven second home buying boom over?

Report finds buyers are backing off from buying second homes, but what’s causing the turnaround?

Rent-to-own housing company launches in Atlanta, Phoenix with plans to expand 

Pathway Homes was formed by ResiLabs, a partnership between real estate private equity investor Regis Group, single-family rental landlord Invitation Homes Inc. and venture-capital firm Fifth Wall. 

Mortgage applications, interest rates rise first week of January

“MBA expects solid growth in purchase activity this year, as demographic drivers and the strong economy support housing demand,. However, the strength in growth will be dependent on housing inventory growing more rapidly to meet demand.” — Mortgage Bankers Association associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting Joel Kan

Omicron worries push mortgage rates down

Fears of an economic fallout are causing long-term U.S. mortgage rates to fall as the newest COVID-19 strain reignites worry among Americans. 

Eviction crisis unfolds as courts process backlog of filed cases

Eviction filings are rising as millions of Americans are being forced from their homes months after lawmakers allowed the federally imposed eviction moratorium to expire. 

Redfin reports 10 housing records set in 2021

The pandemic and work-from-home orders have changed where, when and why people buy homes. As a result, housing prices hit the highest median of all time in 2021, as the number of homes for sale fell to an all-time low and the demand for second homes surged, according to a new Redfin report. 

NAR applauds President Biden’s nomination of FHFA director

The National Association of REALTORS®  applauded President Joe Biden’s nomination of acting Federal Housing Finance Agency director Sandra Thompson to serve in a permanent capacity.. “Her talents and experience will benefit the enterprises, homeowners and home buyers and the mortgage-financing ecosystem,” NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith said in a press release.

NAR donated nearly 3,500 meals to Americans in last six months

As part of an ongoing relationship with the Food Recovery Network (FRN), the National Association of Realtors provided roughly 3,475 meals to Americans in the past six months, according to a press release. 

Survey: Millennial homeowners most burdened by debt, homeownership costs

Millennials are at the greatest risk of becoming house-rich and cash-poor as the generation is spending the highest percentage of their monthly income on homeownership costs compared to other generations, according to a new Hometap report.

Mobile homes appeal to young and middle-class buyers as home prices surge

With home prices continuing to reach new heights  across the country, many potential homebuyers are seeing the mobile-home market in a brand new light as single-family home prices become less affordable for young and middle-class buyers. 

CoreLogic: Could 2021 be the first multi-trillion dollar real estate market?

As more money is being spent on real estate than ever before, the booming market is on pace to shatter records this year, according to a recent CoreLogic report.

FHFA announces conforming loan limits for Fannie and Freddie mortgages

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced its 2022 conforming loan limits (CLL) for conventional loans acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Are investors to blame for low housing inventory?

Investors across the country are looking to cash in on skyrocketing house prices and rents, putting them in competition with new buyers trying to work their way to homeownership. Real estate investors bought a record 18% of the homes sold in the third quarter, according to a new Redfin report.

Are investors to blame for low Seattle housing inventory?

Nationally, investors bought a record 18% of homes sold in the third quarter of this year, and they are increasingly turning to single-family homes, according to Redfin. 

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller: Home-price gains take a pause

“If I had to choose only one word to describe September 2021’s housing price data, the word would be ‘deceleration. Housing prices continued to show remarkable strength in September, though the pace of price increases declined slightly.” — S&P DJI managing director Craig Lazzara.

Redfin: Homebuying demand reaches all-time high

The demand for housing in the U.S. has reached a new all-time high since 2017, a rare occurrence for this time of year when the market typically slows. According to a Redfin report, a recovering economy and all-time low mortgage rates are critical factors in the current market. 

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