The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced it would allow borrowers with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed loans to request an additional three months of forbearance.Originally, borrowers with federally backed mortgages could request up to 12 months of forbearance if experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But FHFA is now allowing those still struggling to make their mortgage payments to prolong their current forbearance.E
The home office has become an important space to stage, but certain memorabilia displayed could turn off some buyers who view the property in-person or online.“For more buyers to see themselves in that office space, you’ll do well to take a lot of ‘you’ out of it first,” Chris Haro, a real estate professional in Hilton Head, S.C., told Apartment Therapy.For example, real estate pros and stagers say college degrees and other homeowner ac
The number of “green” buildings is growing across the country—and Massachusetts is leading the way with the most LEED-certified square feet per capita, according to new rankings released by the U.S. Green Building Council.More than 60% of LEED certifications were from office, healthcare, higher education, and K-12 projects. Warehouses, distribution centers, multifamily, and retail projects represented nearly 20% of LEED certifications.“If
About 17.8 million residential properties in the U.S. with a mortgage were considered equity-rich in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm. That means the combined estimated amount of loans secured by those properties was 50% or less of their estimated market value.But some areas are seeing home equity grow faster than others. Overall, six of the 10 states with the bigge
Housing appreciation has grown over the last few months with the surging real estate market. Thirty percent—nearly one in three—of homes with a mortgage in the U.S. are now considered “equity-rich,” according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate research firm.A home being equity-rich means that the combined estimated amount of loans secured by the property is 50% or less of the estimated market value. In short, it mean
The COVID-19 pandemic has nudged homeowners to lighten the mood set by the color in their spaces. While gray has been dominant inside homes in recent years, it may now feel too gloomy, a new study says.Earthy and warmer neutral tones are replacing grays as the most popular shades, according to 54% of 68 design trendsetters recently surveyed by Fixr, a home renovation resource. Sixty-three percent of designers said that whites and creams are the s
What will the real estate investment market look like this year? A new survey by Millionacres, a Motley Fool news service, surveyed 250 of its readers and real estate investing experts to learn their 2021 predictions.Investors are particularly bullish on medical buildings, with 39% of survey respondents saying such facilities will become the hottest type of commercial real estate property this year. Industrial follows at 32% as well as self-stora
Credit union membership and lending is growing as borrowers increasingly turn to them for mortgages. Between the end of 2019 and September 2020, credit union membership increased by 3.37 million, or 2.8%. Credit union membership now totals 125.11 million, CNBC reports. Further, loan portfolios at credit unions grew 6.6% over the last year, and these banks saw a nearly 5% boost in loans.Affinity, a New Jersey-based credit union with 20 branches, r
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continued to hover near its all-time low, offering low borrowing costs to home shoppers and refinancers. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.73% again this week; it’s all-time low was 2.65%, which was set in early January, Freddie Mac reports.“Mortgage rates remained flat this week and near record lows, signifying an economy that continues to struggle,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.
This spring will likely be another fiercely competitive one for home buyers. Real estate professionals should prepare their house hunters for record low inventories and rapidly rising home prices.“Demand for housing was already strong coming into the year and we don’t see that slowing down with millennials reaching prime home-buying age, and many remote workers still in the market for more space,” says Danielle Hale, realtor.com®’s chief
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