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.
The Whens of Our Sales: Strategy Tips for Timing the Housing Market When Selling A Home
For the second year in a row, listing near the end of the selling season looks to be the best option for those sellers looking to both earn the highest return on their home and sell it quickly.
Q4 2016 Homeownership Rate: Western Home Buyers Help 2016 End on a High Note
After reaching its lowest point in decades mid-way through 2016, the U.S. homeownership rate registered two straight quarterly gains and finished the year at 63.7 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau.
An expected slowdown in the pace of home value growth in a number of pricey, fast-moving markets means it may take longer going forward to break even financially when buying a home in those areas compared to renting it.
December 2016 Market Report: What Could Flattening Rents Mean for 2017?
A months-long streak of accelerating home value growth was met with an equally long stretch of flattening rents to end 2016, a trend with interesting implications for the housing market as a whole as attention turns to the busy 2017 home shopping season to come.
How Much is Every Home in America Worth? A Lot.
The combined, total value of every home in the United States is expected to climb to a record high of more than $29.6 trillion in 2016, up 5.7 percent from a year ago. And the total amount collected by landlords from the nation’s renters in 2016, while dwarfed by the value of owned homes nationwide, is also growing and nothing to sneeze at.
November 2016 Market Report: Home Values Growing at Fastest Pace Since 2006
As 2016 comes to a close, annual growth in rents has stabilized, the number of homes listed for sale is at its lowest point on record and annual home value growth is accelerating. Looking ahead into 2017 and beyond, all three of these trends are likely to continue influencing each other and the market as a whole.
Will More Oil Prove a Boon or Burden to West Texas?
Last month, geologists announced the discovery of an oil field in West Texas that is likely the largest ever found in the United States – typically the kind of announcement that could be expected to reap big economic dividends for local communities, including a big boost to home values. But in today’s economic and geopolitical climate, the presence of the oil itself will likely matter less to the local economy than global markets’ reaction to it.
U.S. Conforming Loan Limits Upped for First Time Since 2006
A broader pool of U.S. mortgage borrowers will be able to access the more flexible terms of government-backed loans next year after the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) upped the national conforming loan limits for the first time in a decade, effective in 2017.
California’s Dry Spell Leads to Flood of Drought-Related Listing Terms
The past five years have been the driest in California’s history, leading to a statewide water emergency and the imposition of water-use reduction targets. Homeowners have responded both by cutting their per-capita water use, and by changing how they market their homes.
