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REALTORS®reported stronger homebuying demand in 2016 compared to 2015, according to the December 2016 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey Report, a monthly survey of REALTORS® about their sales activity and local market conditions.[1] For the year 2016, the REALTORS® Buyer Traffic Index registered at 63 (60 in 2015), indicating that more respondents viewed buyer traffic conditions… Continue Reading REALTORS® Reported Stronger Housing Demand Amid Tight Supply in 2016

A dip in existing sales activity in December (2.8 percent) was not enough to keep 2016 from being the strongest year of sales (5.45 million) in exactly a decade. During this morning’s press conference, Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, attributed the strong 2016 to the ongoing good health of the labor market and the exceptionally… Continue Reading Existing-Home Sales Dip in December

On Friday, the new administration suspended a 25 basis point fee reduction that the past administration announced on the 9th of January. NAR research estimated that the fee reduction would have benefited 750,000 to 850,000 homebuyers in 2017 whose mortgages were backed by the FHA. In addition, it would have opened homeownership to an additional… Continue Reading FHA Fee Reduction On Hold

Lee Davenport By Lee Davenport Listing Leader — Is this title on your New Year’s resolution list? How about on your business plan for this year? I’m here to tell you, that you can make it happen. Here are four considerations to help, but only if you’re willing to subscribe to the notion of “out… Continue Reading Resolve to Stop Losing Listings

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine The Modern Farmhouse is on trend in home design this year, according to a newly released survey by Next Day Blinds. We may have Joanna and Chip Gaines from the HGTV hit show “Fixer Upper” to thank for the surge in popularity of this rustic style. Photo by Gardner… Continue Reading The Number One Design Style for 2017 Is …

Data, technology, yoga, Cubs, nature, listings, moving, travel, and amenities. What applications do you see for this beyond entertainment? Would you use the augmented reality feature now available on Realtor.com? One step forward, two steps back. We bet the German language has a word for the satisfying feeling of watching things like this in slow… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: January 16-20

Presidents always promise their version of change once they enter office. One thing that has definitely changed in the past five decades is home prices. NAR began collecting existing-home sales and price data back in 1968. In those 49 years, there have been nine U.S. presidents sworn in after today’s inauguration of Donald Trump. Below… Continue Reading Tracking Single-family Home Prices at Inaugurations since 1969

In recent years, pundits have spoken of tight lending and the need to expand access to credit to the broadest group of credit worthy borrowers. A number of issues have been cited as reasons for tight credit including law suits from the Department of Justice, investors forcing lenders to re-purchase loans, weak demand for riskier… Continue Reading Drivers of Tight Mortgage Credit