October Home Sales Forecast: Back to Normal
Home sales likely moved past late-summer weather disruptions in October, with both existing and new home sales reverting to recent norms.
Changes to Capital Gains Taxes Could Radically Alter the Calculus for Home Sellers
Proposed changes to the laws governing the exclusion of home sales from capital gains taxes would both radically change the time horizon for short-term homeowners considering selling their home and have a potentially huge impact on the inventory of homes for sale.
12 Counties Account for a Third of U.S. Flood Insurance Claims
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) bails out (literally) underwater homeowners, providing primary flood insurance to properties with significant flood risk. The homeowners who have been buoyed most by flood insurance live in a small number of places with high-value homes.
For all the homeowners the National Flood Insurance program buoys, the program itself barely stays afloat. As the deadline to reauthorize the program quickly approaches – with the House passing a bill this week – federal lawmakers need to decide whether to throw more money into the leaky program, or seriously repair the NFIP.
Mortgage Rates Rise on Economic Data from European Union, Senate Tax Reform Bill
Mortgage rates rose about five basis points at the end of last week on strong economic data coming from the European Union and on the Senate’s tax reform bill. They held steady at this higher level for the first half of the week.
2018 Predictions: The Inventory Crisis Will Drive the Market
In most markets around the country, inventory of homes for sale has become so tight that housing is now a game of musical chairs: Nobody wants to stand up from the home they’re currently living in and list if for sale, for fear they won’t be able to find another home to buy.
Senate Tax Plan Would Make MID Feasible on Fewer Homes Than House Bill
Changes to the nation’s tax code as proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate are set to impact current and would-be homeowners in a number of ways.
How Republicans and Democrats View Property Taxes
They diverge on fairness, with Republicans thinking property taxes are unfair to high-income households and Democrats thinking they’re unfair to low-income households.
Political Parties Agree on Value of Homeownership
Republicans are slightly more likely than Democrats to believe that homeownership is necessary to live the American Dream -- but metros with slower home value growth are more politically divided on that question.
Mortgage Rates Fall Following Tax Reform Bill
This week, with no major economic releases scheduled, unscheduled events—particularly any major announcements on tax reform progress—will likely dictate movement in the market.
