Q4 2015 Breakeven Horizon: Buying a Home Pays Off for Most – But Not All – After Just Two Years
A longstanding combination of healthy home value growth and low mortgage interest rates, combined with robust growth in rents, is helping to keep the buy vs. rent equation tilted heavily towards buying in most areas for those planning on staying in their homes for longer than just a few years.
Rockin’ the Suburbs: Home Values and Rents in Urban, Suburban and Rural Areas
The suburban home – long a symbol of success, stability and the American Dream – appears to be losing some of its luster as the appeal of city living gains steam and urban homes grow in value more quickly.
Middling, at Best: The Slow Recovery of Residential Construction Jobs
It is neither the best of times nor the worst of times for the residential construction industry. Instead, the industry seems stuck somewhere in the middle, growing sufficiently to put the lean recession years firmly in the rearview, but not enough to declare a full-blown comeback in construction jobs.
A Fistful of Dollars: Cash Buyers in the West, & the Rest*
Western gunslingers of yore may have risked their lives for a fistful of dollars, but today’s Western homebuyers more often than not come armed with a mortgage instead of cash.
November Market Report: How Much Would It Cost to Buy Every Home in America?
Got a spare $28.4 trillion lying around? If so, and if you’re looking for a decent investment opportunity, you could – at least theoretically – purchase every home in the United States.
Why Getting a Mortgage Is Getting Harder for Borderline Borrowers (And Why It May Get Worse)
For the first time since 2012, getting a mortgage today is harder than it was a year ago, largely because lenders are raising the bar on what they think is a minimally acceptable credit score.
What Are Your Digits? U.S. Homeowners’ Awareness of Mortgage Interest Rates
The prospect of rising mortgage interest rates in coming weeks and months, however modest, is weighing on potential homebuyers currently in the market. But most existing homeowners have only a vague idea of the exact interest rate on their mortgage – if that.
As Fed Raises Interest Rates, Homebuyers’ Plans May Bend, But Not Break
Americans are broadly aware of these looming interest rate hikes, and they are certainly giving some would-be home buyers pause. For a few key demographic groups – including current renters and younger would-be buyers – rising interest rates could lead to changes in their home buying plans. But overall, a modest increase in mortgage interest rates is unlikely to completely de-rail most buyers’ plans.
Are Local Real Estate Bubble Markets Re-Emerging? Experts Agree to Disagree
The national housing market on the whole is expected to cool off in coming years, even as conditions in a handful of hot markets have some experts worried about local real estate bubbles. And there is no clear consensus on the extent of the national cool-down, or the potential timeline for local bubble risks.
Pay to Play: The Growing Footprint of Homeowner Association Fees
A steady increase in the share of U.S. homes that require monthly condo, mobile home or homeowner association fees (HOA) has important implications for the affordability of homes nationwide
