The pandemic cut the number of foreign buyers traveling to the U.S., but the first wave is reappearing. A Miami condo has seen a 30% increase in Brazilian buyers.
Fla. is still a home-value exception: The share of U.S. homes worth $1M-plus fell from 8.6% to 7% as of Jan., but it’s gone up in most Fla. metros.
The Chinese gov’t cracked down and lots of developer defaults in mid-2021 threatened world financial markets. But the crisis appears to have passed.
Residents of communities that require hurricane-resistant homes get a break on the cost of flood ins., but does it lower FEMA’s overall costs? A study says yes.
Buyers are more focused on a home’s asking price in the face of higher interest rates. In a sellers’ market, pricing too high may work. Now it might be a deal breaker.
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index showed a 5.8% annual gain in home prices for Dec., down from 7.6% through the 12-month period ending in Nov.
A mortgage lender program, “Equity Unlocker,” allows Amazon workers to pledge stock as collateral for their down payment rather than selling it to raise cash.
NAR study: The U.S. homeownership rate rose to 65.5% in 2021 – but Black ownership (44%) lags white ownership (72.7%) by 29 percentage points.
A seller seeing little interest after several months wonders what’s wrong with her house since the price is identical to similar homes that sold a year or so ago.
Investors expect the Fed to raise interest rates soon, and this week’s increase in the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage reflects that. Last week it was 6.5%.
