Michael Crist

CHICAGO (April 20, 2017) – The National Association of Realtors®’ strategic investment arm, Second Century Ventures, unveiled seven organizations chosen for the 2017 class of REach®, a growth technology accelerator program helping launch companies into the real estate, financial services, banking, home services and insurance industries. The program is focused on providing early-to mid-stage companies… Continue Reading Second Century Ventures Announces 2017 REach® Accelerator Class

After surging in the wake of the election, mortgage rate are back on the decline. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 3.97 percent for three-day period ending April 19th according a release from Freddie Mac this morning. Lower rates should help consumers currently in the market, but rates are still expected… Continue Reading Rates Moderate, For Now

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) plays a critical role in the housing market by guaranteeing financing to underserved portions of the population and by providing support to the broader housing market during cyclical downturns. In late 2016, a measure of delinquency hinted at budding stress for the FHA, but recent data suggests that conditions have… Continue Reading Turbulence in Lending, Not a Trend

Economic growth numbers for the first quarter will be announced next week, and it looks like it will be a huge miss. The numbers could well be just a hair above the zero growth line. The average growth rate from 1950 to 2000 was 3.7%. President Bush’s term from 2001 to 2008 generated an average… Continue Reading Not a Beautiful First Quarter GDP Growth

Each month, the Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) survey tracks changes in consumer views regarding the housing market. With HOME being launched in the first quarter of 2016, we can now compare what consumers are thinking about trends in real estate in the last year. Across the board, consumers felt that home prices increased… Continue Reading Consumer Sentiment on Housing: 2016 & 2017 Compared

Except for accountants, Tax Day probably isn’t anyone’s favorite day of the year. The whole event comes with some level of stress, even for those filers expecting a big return this year. But the National Association of Realtors® is reminding homeowners that they have a big tax advantage. According to NAR, homeowners saved an average… Continue Reading Tax Day is Here Again. Here’s the Big Homeowner Advantage:

The following is NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun’s reaction to this morning’s U.S. Commerce Department report on March residential construction: “A major housing shortage exists in this country. It is therefore disappointing to witness in March the continued lackluster performance in new home building, which was the second lowest activity over the past six months.… Continue Reading Instant Reaction: March Housing Starts

WASHINGTON (April 17, 2017) – With an offer of $100,000 from investor Barbara Corcoran, 2015 REach real estate technology accelerator participant and personal safety device company, Guard Llama, is officially a part of “Shark Tank” television history. Guard Llama offers a mobile personal security system that expedites the 9-1-1 dispatching process when dialing 9-1-1 is… Continue Reading Personal Safety Company Guard Llama Scores Deal on ABC's “Shark Tank”

At the national level, housing affordability is down from last month and down from a year ago. Mortgage rates increased to 4.43 percent this February, up compared to 4.04 a year ago. Housing affordability declined from a year ago in February moving the index down 8.7 percent from 175.9 to 160.6. The median sales price… Continue Reading February 2017 Housing Affordability Index