Tag Archives: HOUSING

According to the Redfin Housing Demand Index, the amount of customers requesting home tours and writing offers is on an incline. This large demand has lead to housing price increases and shortages in inventory, which has caused experts to wonder if the result will be a cooling of the market. Of the 15 markets Redfin covers, Seattle is currently on track to be the metro with the least inventory.

After the 59th straight month of appreciation, home prices have hit a new peak of $272K. They also reached a new peak in eight states, including Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington. Fifteen metro markets also peaked, with San Jose, California, seeing the biggest jump year-over-year.

Though many of today’s homebuyers are looking for a more automated, high-tech mortgage process, that doesn’t mean they want to be left to their own devices. Most buyers—even the tech-savvy millennials—still want a good amount of handholding throughout the process. Striking a balance between those high-tech and high-touch demands can make lenders stand out in today’s marketplace.

Houston, Chicago, and San Antonio are ranked as the top domestic markets for incoming movers. Its job opportunities and diverse industries keeps Houston at the top of the list for the eighth year in a row. Data trends also list the other top 10 cities movers are headed to.

New data shows San Jose, California, homebuyers enjoy the fastest closing times in the nation, with an average of just 41 days to close. Six other cities came in at 50 days or less, including Dallas, San Francisco, and Denver. These markets are seeing multiple bidders, many of whom are pre-qualified and offer large down payments, on the first day of listing.

New data shows that real home prices have risen almost 12 percent over the year. Though wages have risen, increasing mortgage rates and tight supply continue to hurt overall affordability. Jacksonville, Florida, came in as the least affordable metro in the nation.

Despite talk of the rural-urban divide, new data shows that Americans seem to share the same sentiments about homeownership regardless of their location. In a recent survey, residents in rural, suburban, and urban areas all shared largely similar thoughts on homeownership and its role in the American Dream. The only place the three groups diverged was in the intended length of stay; only 35 percent of urban buyers plan to stay seven years or more.

There are few more concrete examples of supply-and-demand economics in action than the housing market. A new report looking at April numbers shows a spike in demand and a corresponding spike in median prices. The B-side, of course, is that while demand rises, inventory shrinks, fueling the current sellers’ market.

According to a new report, the average FICO score of an American mortgage borrower has hit its lowest point since 2008. Currently, the average borrower has a FICO score of just 729. Broken down by lender type, borrowers of bank-originated loans have an average FICO score of 743, while borrowers of independent, non-bank loans have an average score of 719.

New analysis shows that buyers in Pittsburgh need just $31K to purchase a median-priced home in the area. Cleveland and Cincinnati also require low salaries, while San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles buyers need the highest salaries in the nation. San Fran buyers need salaries of $161K in order to buy.