Home Values Are Back, Except Where They’re Not
The median U.S. home value is back to its pre-recession peak, but not all markets behave the same. Denver recovered years ago, while Las Vegas still has a long way to go.
Market Trends
How the Bay Area Bounced Back From the Dot-Com Bust
The lesson for Bay Area homeowners: Homes priced toward the bottom end of the market offer less risk and are likely to recovery more quickly if the area’s housing market temporarily declines. For the rest of us: All market declines are not created equal. Even 35 months doesn’t seem like a long recovery when the alternative is a decade.
Transfer Taxes: A Rude Surprise for Some Home Sellers
These taxes are a commonly overlooked hidden cost to selling, and they vary considerably across markets. For example, transfer taxes on a median-valued home in Chicago total $2,501. If you live just outside the city limits, they're only $313.
An Inventory Quandary: Three Theories for Why People Are Moving Less
The shift from single-family homes being owned to being rented has likely been an important contributing factor to low turnover. As rental homes, these properties are put up for sale less frequently – creating more options for renters and fewer for buyers.
Southern Comfort: First-Time Home Buyers Will Find More Favorable Conditions in the South
First-time home buyers looking for friendly market conditions would do well to avoid the busy, headline-making markets in the West and the Northeast, and focus their search instead on homes in slower-moving, more sedate Southern and Midwestern metros.
What’s the Best Time of Year for Home Buyers?
The start of the busy home shopping season in early spring is a time of optimism for would-be home buyers – more new listings come on the market in spring than any other time of year. Come late spring, however, that optimism may turn into desperation as fear of missing out on the season’s newly listed homes leads many to pay more for a home than they otherwise may have.
A Picture’s Worth: Are Home Buyers From China Competing With Americans?
Almost a third of Chinese home shoppers focus on six expensive coastal markets -- and they're overwhelmingly interested in higher-priced homes than U.S. home shoppers.
Are Home Buyers From China Competing With Americans?
Almost a third of Chinese home shoppers focus on six expensive coastal markets -- and they're overwhelmingly interested in higher-priced homes than U.S. home shoppers.
How Rising Rates Affect Mortgage Affordability
If rates rise to 5 percent and homes continue to grow in value as expected, the share of income spent on a typical U.S. mortgage will jump to 17.9 percent. At 6 percent interest, the share becomes 20 percent. And at 7 percent interest, it becomes 22.2 percent.
Without Spending More, Some Renters Could Likely Afford to Buy Above-Average Homes
With rents continuing to climb and mortgage rates staying low, many renters find themselves gazing over the homeownership fence and wondering if the grass really is greener.
