Rapid Reaction: March 2017 Federal Reserve Interest Rate Hike
Today’s widely anticipated interest rate increase is a reflection on the broad-based strength of the U.S. economy, and already partially priced into mortgage markets.
A Picture’s Worth: Driverless Cars
Switching to a driverless system could eliminate roughly two-thirds of the current cost of a typical Uber ride
How Driverless Cars Could Help Solve our Affordable Housing Woes
When it comes to housing our workforce, there are substantial economic gains to be had by enabling more workers to move to growing cities for high-paying jobs, or at least by creating an efficient way to commute between areas with affordable housing and areas with good jobs. Driverless cars promise to help us with both.
Rapid Reaction: February Jobs Report
Employers added 235,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate remained unchanged, according to the February jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Tax Relief: The (Non)Impact of Vancouver’s Real Estate Tax on the Seattle Market
In August 2016, the government of British Columbia, Canada, enacted a 15 percent tax on foreigners buying homes in the rapidly growing city of Vancouver. Most now agree that the Vancouver housing market has slowed substantially since last summer, but the data remain inconclusive as to any specific effects on international buyers of Vancouver homes. And there is less agreement on whether the tax has pushed would-be buyers of Canadian homes to instead consider U.S. homes south of the 49th parallel, especially in nearby Seattle.
Savings on Auto-Pilot: How Much Less Could Driverless Car Commuting Cost?
Thanks to ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, the cost of getting a door-to-door ride of a few miles today is less expensive than ever. And looking ahead, switching to a driverless system could eliminate roughly two-thirds of the current cost of a typical Uber ride (even using very conservative assumptions) – helping pave the way for a dramatic re-imagining of public transit planning and affordable community development.
A Picture’s Worth: Suburban vs. Urban Living
Housing and childcare are typically the two largest budget items for young families, and the choice of exactly where to live – even within a larger metro area – can result in substantially higher or lower costs.
A Picture’s Worth: Mayoral Housing Plans & Population Growth
A lack of new housing supply has been blamed for a raft of housing issues plaguing many large U.S. housing markets, including rapid appreciation, deteriorating affordability (especially at the lower end of the market and for renters) and very limited inventory. In response, mayors’ offices nationwide have formulated plans focused on building new housing and rehabilitating and preserving what housing already exists.
Q4 2016 Negative Equity Report: Improvement Continues, But at a Much Slower Rate
The annual pace at which negative equity receded slowed dramatically in 2016, further proof that even as the housing market continues to put the boom and bust behind it, some scars will take a lot longer to heal.
Suburban Savings: Differences in Housing and Childcare Costs in Cities and Suburbs
Housing and childcare are typically the two largest budget items for young families, and the choice of exactly where to live – even within a larger metro area – can result in substantially higher or lower costs. Zillow teamed up with childcare website Care.com to explore how much families can save (or expect to spend) on housing and childcare by moving from the city to the suburbs.
