Friday the 13th is generally considered one of the unluckiest days in western culture. In fact, the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that $700 million to $800 million is lost in business revenue as so many people are wary of making large purchases or decisions that day for fear of a bad outcome.… Continue Reading Friday the 13th and Other Superstitions
Change is coming to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Association of Realtors® is making its voice heard. The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a hearing this week to consider the nomination of Dr. Ben Carson (R-Fla.) as HUD Secretary, whose nomination was announced in December.… Continue Reading NAR Issues Letter of Support for Dr. Ben Carson as HUD Secretary
Reverse mortgages, also known as home equity conversion mortgages (HECMs), can be used to help seniors finance the purchase of a home in addition to their traditional purpose of enabling people to borrow against the equity in a property where they already live. Learn about when and for whom this tool may be appropriate in… Continue Reading Live Webcast: Using a Reverse Mortgage to Buy a Home
Voice-controlled assistants and the increasing number of devices they can control was a huge story at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Want to know about the new things Amazon’s Alexa can do? Check them out. More of an Apple HomeKit and Siri kind of person? Here you go. And we wouldn’t forget you, Google Home.… Continue Reading Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home Make Serious Noise at CES; More in Five for Wednesday
By the nature of the profession, commercial real estate agents have a unique perspective on business creation as they play a key role in helping companies lease or own office space and commercial facilities. For that reason, the NAR Research team has surveyed its commercial membership each month from August to December 2016 to track… Continue Reading NAR Commercial Members Optimistic About Business Creation Throughout 2016
As we enter the final week to apply for the 30 Under 30 class of 2017, we’ve been receiving many questions about the inclusion of a video with a candidate’s application. Submitting a video is not required to apply for 30 Under 30. However, you should consider a video as the cherry on top of… Continue Reading Nailing Your 30 Under 30 Application Video
Mortgage rates have been rising sharply over the past couple of months. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.2 percent in December, the highest of 2015 and 2016, and it appears to stay above 4 percent for a long while. Mortgage rates are still historically low, but crossing over from the 3 percent range to 4… Continue Reading How Much Will Your Monthly Payment Change?
In the Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) Survey, respondents are asked a series of unique questions each quarter. In the December survey, consumers were asked whether they hosted family and friends at home during the holidays, on weekends, and for regular gathers, as well as whether moving near family was important to them. Fifty-one… Continue Reading December HOME Survey: Moving Near Family and Hosting Friends
WASHINGTON (January 9, 2017) – Lower costs are coming for homebuyers seeking a Federal Housing Administration -insured mortgage. FHA announced today that they are cutting annual premiums for mortgage insurance from 0.85 percent to 0.60 percent, a move the National Association of Realtors® said breathes new life into the program. “FHA mortgage products exist to… Continue Reading FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium Reduction a Fresh Start, Says NAR President Brown
In a move that signals greater normalization of the housing market, the FHA announced a reduction in its annual insurance premium of 25 basis points. This move would reduce the fee it charges from its 0.85 percent to 0.6 percent. NAR estimated the merit of such a 10 to 25 basis point reduction last spring.… Continue Reading FHA’s Reduces Fee to Pre-Crisis Level