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Real Estate

“December home sales slump to close out worst year since 1995”

“Sales of previously owned homes fell 1% in December compared with November to 3.78 million units on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were 6.2% lower than in December 2022, marking the lowest level… Continue Reading…

Real Estate

“Mortgage demand jumps nearly 10% to start the year, even as interest rates tick up again”

“…The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) increased to 6.81% from 6.76%, with points remaining unchanged at 0.61 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. That rate… Continue Reading…

Economy, Real Estate

“Home affordability in 2023 tanked to lowest level in 40 years”

“…Only 15.5% of homes for sale last year were affordable for the typical US household, the lowest level since Redfin began tracking the data in 2013. That’s down from the typical level of 40% seen before the pandemic homebuying frenzy began and… Continue Reading…

Economy, Real Estate

“US office buildings face $117BN debt time bomb: Mortgages due this year threaten to sink US economy as thousands of workplaces remain empty”

“Billions of dollars in loans on office buildings that are about to come due could play havoc with the US economy after interest rates soared. About $117 billion worth is expected to be due this year and needs to be repaid or… Continue Reading…

Real Estate

“The US housing market is headed for the largest sales slowdown since 2011, Fannie Mae says”

“…The government-sponsored mortgage finance company forecasted total home sales to slump to just 4.8 million this year, marking the slowest sales environment since 2011. That figure will only improve slightly in 2024, with total home sales expected to hit 4.9… Continue Reading…

Real Estate

“Mortgage refinance demand jumps 19% after rates hit lowest level since July”

“The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 7.07% from 7.17%, with points falling to 0.59 from 0.60 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment, according… Continue Reading…

Real Estate

“Mortgage rates have dropped below 7%”

“Mortgage rates continued to drop last week after hitting a 23-year high in October.  Between Dec. 1 and 7, rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell from an average of 7.05% to 6.95%, according to mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac. This marks the seventh straight… Continue Reading…

Real Estate

“Mortgage refinance demand jumps 14% as rates fall to… [7%]”

“After surging over 8% in October, mortgage rates are falling back toward 7% again, and that is jump-starting the refinance market… As a result, applications to refinance a home loan increased 14% from the previous week and were 10% higher… Continue Reading…

Real Estate

“U.S. home prices climb for seventh month in a row to a record high, Case-Shiller says”

“…Home prices in the 20 major U.S. metro markets were up 3.9% in the past 12 months ending in September. The August report saw a 2.5% rise in home prices year-over-year. A broader measure of home prices, the national index,… Continue Reading…

Business, Real Estate

“Blackstone head Steve Schwarzman plans to spend billions buying up dorms, warehouses, and data centers across Europe…”

“…The private-equity firm with roughly $1 trillion in assets under management plans to invest in real estate across Europe, Schwarzman told Bloomberg on Monday after the Global Investment Summit in London. Blackstone has raised about $200 billion in recent months, according to Schwarzman, who… Continue Reading…