If you want an accurate read of how many interested home buyers are active in the housing market right now, you can't do much better than a measure of appointments to view available homes. The number of showings potential buyers set up provides a pretty good snapshot of how much demand there is from qualified buyers. And, according to ShowingTime's Showing Index – which tracks appointments to view homes – there's a lot. “Showing activity continued to increase overall as we moved into 2018, with several markets … [Read more...]

According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing homes fell 3.2 percent in January and are now at their slowest pace since last September. This isn't all that surprising, considering home sales tend to slow during the winter. However, there are a few things to watch in the weeks ahead. For one, the number of homes available for sale. Low inventory is often named as the main issue holding home sales back, but according to NAR's chief economist, Lawrence Yun, there's reason for optimism. “There's … [Read more...]

For many years following the financial crisis, interest rates hovered near historic lows. Partly, this was because keeping rates low was a way to encourage investment in the economy. However, as the economy grew stronger, the expectation has always been that rates would begin to rise. And, now that economic fundamentals are stronger, rates have indeed pushed upward. Some evidence of this can be seen in the most recent mortgage application survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association. According to their weekly look … [Read more...]

Smaller, affordable homes are in high demand these days. With a growing number of first-time home buyers entering the market and a lower-than-normal number of entry-level homes available for sale, there is a lot of competition for good, affordable homes among younger buyers. Because of this, owners of smaller homes are seeing big equity gains when compared to homeowners at the higher end of the market. Zillow senior economist, Aaron Terrazas, says there are a couple of reasons for this. “When the housing market … [Read more...]

As the spring home buying season approaches, there are many moving parts analysts and experts look at to determine how home buyers and sellers might fare. Economic growth, the job market, interest rates, home prices, buyer demand, and inventory are just some of the factors that will determine how many hopeful home buyers find new homes this year. According to one outlook – from Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research Group – conditions are good for buyers, except for one specific, long-standing obstacle. “We … [Read more...]

If anyone knows the new home market, it's builders. After all, their business depends on demand for newly built homes. That's why the National Association of Home Builders surveys them monthly to gauge their perception of the market today and over the next six months. According to their most recent survey, builders are optimistic, even setting a post-recession high for expectations for future sales. “The HMI gauge of future sales expectations has reached a post-recession high, an indicator that consumer demand for … [Read more...]

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, demand for mortgage applications fell 4.1 percent last week from the week before. But though there was another increase in average mortgage rates, the decline was not seen as solely a reaction to higher rates. In fact, the drop was seen, at least partially, as a response to volatility in the stock market last week. Joel Kan, an MBA economist, told CNBC he still expects activity to grow as we enter the spring season. “Refinance activity is … [Read more...]

A “bedroom community” refers to a suburb outside a major metropolis where the majority of residents commute to the city for work. These town have a number of characteristics that identify them but, according to new research from NeighborhoodScout, they are also known for safety. In fact, these suburban cities topped their most recent list of the nation's safest cities. Andrew Schiller, CEO of NeighborhoodScout, says bedroom communities combine features that are attractive to home buyers. “We continue to see bedroom … [Read more...]

Equity is among the main arguments in favor of homeownership. After all, as you pay your mortgage each month, you are, in essence, putting away money that you will be able to draw from should you ever sell your house or take out a home equity loan. In short, homeownership can act as a type of forced savings account. The results of the Federal Reserve's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances provides some evidence of this. According to the survey, homeowners over the age of 55 held $10.6 trillion in residential … [Read more...]

Without the benefit of two incomes, single home buyers face some added challenges when looking to buy a house. For one, it takes longer to save for a down payment. In fact, according to a new analysis, married or partnered couples can save a 20 percent down payment on the typical home in less than five years. For single home buyers, it takes closer to 11 years. Add to that, single home buyers are more likely to be looking for a smaller, affordable home – which is precisely the type of house that is currently in … [Read more...]