Why White and Asian Home Buyers Have an Advantage Over Black, Hispanic Buyers
A white American household could reasonably afford a home almost two-thirds more expensive than a black household in 2017, giving them significantly more flexibility to find an affordable home last year in an incredibly competitive housing market marked by low inventory.
Hispanics and the Homeownership Divide
Although Hispanics say that owning a home is necessary to live the American Dream, only 45.6 percent do -- only slightly above the 40.2 percent who owned homes in 1900. Hurdles include saving down payments, establishing credit scores and finding the right mortgage.
Asians and the Homeownership Divide
Asians have been deeply affected by discriminatory housing policies from the 20th century, including redlining and restrictive racial covenants. Many Asian Americans, especially first-generation immigrants, face cultural barriers to the U.S. style of lending and home buying.
African Americans and the Homeownership Divide
The homeownership gap between blacks and whites has been the same for more than a century. Here's a look at how redlining, minority loan restrictions, government funding of white-only suburbs and other factors account for that stark reality.
Home Values and Rents by Congressional District
Housing costs, both home values and rents, rose nationwide and in a majority of Congressional districts in 2017. Median home values rose last year in 421 of 426 (99 percent) total Congressional districts analyzed by Zillow; rents were up in 295 of 434 (68 percent) total districts analyzed. Use our tool to discover housing costs in your Congressional district.
Rental Options Could Double for Seattle Voucher Holders, Thanks to Higher Ceiling
Seattle voucher recipients could see double the rentals available to them because of an upcoming increase in the value of their vouchers.
Income Doesn’t Determine Whether People Buy Homes, for Now
People will continue to break into the market when and how they can by buying cheaper homes, homes farther out, smaller homes—whatever is feasible. The rub is that as U.S. housing markets continue to burn hot, the feasible options become harder to find for more of us.
In Contest for Amazon HQ2, Experts Bet on Atlanta and D.C. Suburbs
Atlanta and Northern Virginia are the most likely landing spots for Amazon’s coveted second headquarters location, according to a recent Zillow survey of economists and real estate experts. Los Angeles was deemed least likely to win the heated competition for Amazon HQ2.
How Mortgage Payments Vary With Interest Rates, Loan Products
As discussions evolve around reforming mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (so-called GSE reform) -- the two institutions largely responsible for enabling the affordable 30-year mortgage in the first place -- it's worth taking a look at how monthly mortgage payments on the typical U.S. home would change if rates rose and/or other mortgage products became more popular.
Mortgage Comparison Tool: A Glimpse at Life Without the 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage
Hoping to reduce taxpayers’ risk, policymakers are considering changing the mortgage guarantee, which may lead to a shift toward adjustable-rate products, higher fixed interest rates and/or shorter-duration loans. Here's a comparison tool that shows how sensitive house payments are to changes in interest rates and loan duration.
