Some buyers and sellers may get the jitters during their last-minute actions—or inactions—that could cause a deal to fall through. As a real estate professional, how can you tell that one of your clients may be getting cold feet?“There are so many layers involved with mortgage lending and real estate,” Ayesha Kleinjan, co-owner of San Diego Real Estate Properties, told U.S. News & World Report. “The simplest things can make a deal
The average residential lawn in America is about a quarter of an acre (or 10,871 square feet), but the number can vary greatly depending on where you live.For example, Vermont homeowners tend to enjoy the largest lots at 73,979 square feet—seven times the national average. Homeowners in Montana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Maine also tend to boast some of the largest lot sizes in the country, too.Vermont’s large lot sizes average nea
Many homeowners may assume that if they retrofit their home with energy-efficient upgrades that they’ll be able to charge a premium at resale. But that’s not always the case nowadays, and the sales price boost may depend on how well the client chose their selling agent, according to recent studies analyzed in a new article by Kenneth Harney, a syndicated real estate columnist.In the past, studies have confirmed there is a price boost for
Consumers between the ages of 62 and 70 can earn up to 8 percent more in Social Security for every year they delay taking disbursements. Therefore, some homeowners in this age bracket are borrowing against their properties' equity to fund their daily living expenses, hoping to push off taking Social Security benefits—a tactic some lenders even tout for retirees. But the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns that the costs and risks of such
A new effort is underway to raise the low rate of homeownership among underserved groups of home buyers. The Neighborhood Assistance Corp. of America is hosting several events across the country, helping borrowers with low credit scores to apply for 15- or 30-year mortgages with cheaper interest rates. One such recent event in Miami drew thousands looking for a chance to get a no down payment, low-interest-rate mortgage. NACA officials say more t
In the hottest housing markets—Kentwood, Mich., being the most active ZIP code in the country—high-income millennials are a driving force behind the real estate boom, according to new research from realtor.com®. “As the millennial generation continues to age, they are looking for affordable suburbs with strong school systems while still being relatively close to a downtown center,” according to realtor.com® researchers. Millennials also
A high debt-to-income ratio has superseded poor credit history as the number one obstacle for mortgage applicants, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic. Though the number of borrowers who have been denied a mortgage has steadily declined over the last few years, nearly one in 10 were turned away in 2017, CoreLogic says. About 30 percent of those denials were attributed to debt-to-income ratio.There has been a gradual increase in the avera
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has earmarked $47 million to go toward providing housing counseling grants to aid about 1 million households in finding housing or avoiding foreclosure.“HUD-approved housing counselors are on the front lines, guiding people through their first home purchase and the ups and downs of homeownership,” says HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “Their efforts give families a real opportunity to realize th
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hasn’t averaged this high since 2011, as it inches closer to the 5 percent threshold.“Rising rates paired with high and escalating home prices is putting downward pressure on purchase demand,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “While the monthly payment remains affordable due to the still low mortgage rate environment, the primary hurdle for many borrowers today is the down payment and that
Google announced this week that it will be shutting down its Google + Network on Aug. 31, 2019. Google made the announcement after reports surfaced that the data of half million users had been exposed on the social network.The Wall Street Journal alleges that Google knew about the security issue dating back to March 2018 too but failed to disclose it to users. Google has said it remedied the vulnerability in March. The data breach was due to a so
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