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Military Homebuyers Purchase Younger, Buy Larger and More Expensive Homes, Says NAR

Differences in household demographics and affordable financing options spur homebuying demand for young active-service military members, causing them to significantly outpace the share of non-military homebuyers under the age of 35, according to the first-ever 2016 Veterans & Active Military Home Buyers and Sellers Profile, which evaluates the differences of recent active-service and veteran home buyers […]
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Tech Trends: Smart Buyer’s Reps Know about Smart Homes

Smart-home technology is shifting into high gear. By all accounts, 2016 will be the tipping point for consumer interest and adoption, nearly five years ahead of experts’ original projections. For example, a recent Coldwell Banker Real Estate survey found almost half (45 percent) of all Americans either own smart-home technology or plan to invest in […]
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Consumers Have Confidence in 2016

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had decreased moderately in November, improved in December. The Index now stands at 96.5 (1985=100), up from 92.6 in November. The Present Situation Index increased from 110.9 last month to 115.3 in December, while the Expectations Index improved to 83.9 from 80.4 in November. “Consumer confidence improved in […]
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Consumer Credit Default Rates Decrease in September 2015

Consumer credit default rates decreased in September 2015, with the composite rate ranking at 0.89 percent, down seven basis points from the previous month, according to data released by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian. The bank card default rate was 2.77 percent for September, up six basis points from August. The auto loan default […]
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For 69 Percent of Renters, Location Is a Decision-Maker

It may surprise some housing professionals to know that when it comes to renting, location—not price or size—seems to be the major decision-maker. This news comes from For Rent Media Solutions’ recently released white paper, Engaging Today’s Consumer: The Modern Apartment Search. After surveying more than 13,500 consumers, FRMS has gained key insights into the search […]
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Millennials and the New American Dream

A survey conducted exclusively among millennials as part of the Responsive Home project—a venture between BUILDER magazine and Pardee Homes to design, build and sell the ideal home for 21st century buyers – identifies the driving factors behind new age home buying habits and de-bunks millennial home buying myths. The results found that a modified, but familiar dream […]
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U.S. Housing Starts Fall 3 Percent in August

Housing starts in August fell 3 percent to an annual rate of 1.13 million units (SAAR), according to a recent Census Bureau report. “The small dip in August housing starts is minor considering the sustained momentum we’ve seen in housing overall in 2015,” says Quicken Loans Vice President Bill Banfield. “When you couple the slow […]
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Report: Homeowners Wary of Housing Market’s Future

Homeowners feel great about the current state of the housing market, but for the first time are less optimistic about the future, according to a Zillow® Housing Confidence Index (ZHCI) released Wednesday. The survey asked 10,000 renters and homeowners about the condition of their local real estate market, their expectations for home value growth and […]
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New Home Construction Trailing Job Growth in Majority of Metro Areas

Despite positive improvements in the labor market in recent years, new home construction is currently insufficient in a majority of metro areas and is contributing to persistent housing shortages and unhealthy price growth in many markets, according to new research from the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR measured the volume of new-home construction relative to the […]
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Homeowners Overvalued Their Properties again in August

Homeowner estimates of their home’s value exceeded appraiser opinions by a wider margin than in July, making August the seventh consecutive month of an increasingly wider gap between opinions. This news is according to Quicken Loans’ recent report that appraiser opinions of home values were 2.65 percent lower than homeowner estimates in August, according to […]