Posts by Zur

What the Fed rate hike means for homebuyers by Kathryn Vasel   @KathrynVasel It's a tough market for homebuyers. Prices are high and supply of available homes is low. And while the Federal Reserve's rate hike could make home buying more expensive, house hunters shouldn't start panicking yet. The Fed increased its benchmark interest rate…

Ready Or Not, Another Rate Hike Is Coming By: Brad Thomas All signals suggest that The Federal Reserve will increase rates this week, traders suggest there’s a 90% probability. Since the last hike in December (from 0.25% to 0.5%), the labor market has strengthened and economic activity has been improving. Last week the Labor Department said…

Guess Which Generation Is Making the Biggest Comeback in Real EstateBy Clare Trapasso  Doc Martens are back in fashion, this time on the shelves at Nordstrom. Hollywood starlets sport ’90s choker necklaces and Nirvana T-shirts. And guess what? Generation X home buyers are making their comeback, too. Gen X may not be getting as much…

Should You Retire On Your House? POST WRITTEN BYMark Warshawsky Many American households will face a significant retirement financing gap unless they save more, invest more efficiently, retire later, and/or distribute their retirement assets more efficiently.  Yet the pain of such difficult behavioral changes might be mitigated by better use of an asset that almost…

Mortgage applications rise 2.3% as rates hit three-week low Diana Olick @DianaOlick Mortgage rates have been wavering in a tight range for the past month, but a slight decrease last week helped put some energy back into the mortgage market. Total mortgage application volume rose 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week…

After Trump’s first week, homebuyers will pay more Diana Olick | @DianaOlick If you're out house hunting this weekend, expect to pay more for the same house that was on the market last weekend. New policy from the administration of President Donald Trump, as well as reaction to that, have made borrowing costs more expensive…

Obama administration lowers government mortgage costs, claims Trump won’t reverse Diana Olick | @DianaOlick Future borrowers are about to get a break on their monthly mortgage payments — a parting gift to the housing market from the Obama administration, which may or may not be returned by the Trump administration. The Federal Housing Administration, the…

Homebuilders super happy but not building more homes: Here's what's up with that by: Diana Olick @DianaOlick At face value the numbers make no sense. A monthly survey of homebuilder confidence in December released Thursday from the National Association of Home Builders spikes to the highest level in 11 years. The one-month move, entirely attributed…

Why you shouldn't panic about rising mortgage rates by Kathryn Vasel   @KathrynVasel Mortgage rates have been on a steady rise recently, but buyers shouldn't panic — rates are still very low. The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 4.16%, up from 4.13% last week, according to Freddie Mac. A year ago,…

Mortgage rates are surging in the wake of the presidential election. by Kathryn Vasel   @KathrynVasel The average rate of a 30-year-fixed rate mortgage has jumped to 3.94%, up from 3.57% last week. In the past two weeks, the rate has increased 40 basis points. But that's still pretty low. This time last year, a…