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New Study Finds Price Premium for Solar Homes

A study conducted by a team of researchers,  led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Berkeley Laboratory, found that homebuyers are willing to pay more for homes that have installed solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. The research (Selling into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes) estimates a price premium of approximately […]
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87 Percent of U.S. Homes Qualify for Down Payment Help

RealtyTrac recently released a Down Payment Resource (DPR) on the availability of down payment programs across the country. Out of more than 78 million U.S. single family homes and condos, more than 68 million (87 percent) would qualify for a down payment program available in the county where they are located based on the maximum […]
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Effective Rate on New Home Loans Continues Downward Drift

On average, the contract rate on conventional mortgages used to purchase newly-built homes, remained a constant 4.03 percent in December, according to data released yesterday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). However, initial fees and charges on the loans dropped form 1.23 percent in November down to 1.16 percent. As a result, the average […]
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A More Robust Year for Housing in 2015

NAHB hosted an economic and housing outlook seminar at its International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas inviting Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac, and David Berson, chief economist at Nationwide Insurance, to join David Crowe to discuss the outlook for 2015. Here’s the highlights. A strengthening labor market, low interest rates, improving mortgage availability […]
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Millennials Seek Smaller Houses, but Won’t Sacrifice Details

As Millennials begin to enter the home buying market in larger numbers, homes will get a little smaller, laundry rooms will be essential, and home technology will become increasingly prevalent, says panelists during an International Builders’ Show press conference on home trends and Millennials’ home preferences held last week. NAHB Assistant Vice President of Research […]
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Best Ski Towns for Real Estate Investing 2015 Edition

Thanks to the popularity of the inaugural Best Ski Towns for Real Estate Investing list for 2014, the RealtyTrac editorial team sacrificed their precious holidays to endure the toils of travel to idyllic ski resort towns and the trials of rigorously testing champagne-powered ski slopes all for the sake of bringing our readers a new […]
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The Top 7 Things to Do when You Inherit a Home

FOX Business Network host Jamie Colby weighs in on the top 7 things you should do when you inherit a home. Colby is the host of Strange Inheritance, the new story-driven reality series debuting on Monday, January 26 at 9PM. 1. Check the title. Make sure that the ownership is in the name it is intended so […]
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Zillow, Trulia Shares Soar Friday as Merger Rumored to Get Approval by FTC

Several outlets were reporting Friday that stocks of Zillow (Z) and Trulia (TRLA) had soared by midday on talk of expectations that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is going to green-light the merger between the two online listing giants. Shareholders of the two firms approved the acquisition, but the deal was still awaiting regulatory approval […]
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Study Shows Consumers Aren’t Shopping around for Mortgages

A recently released study done by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found nearly half of Americans looking to purchase a home do not do their due diligence by shopping around for mortgage lenders. Rather, the survey found potential borrowers seriously consider only one lender, and that lender is often someone they’re already working with […]
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Selling Solar: Homebuyers Willing to Pay More for Outfitted Homes

Once exclusive to wealthy, eco-conscious homeowners, rooftop solar panels are becoming an increasingly common fixture in residential housing – and homebuyers are taking notice. According to a new report funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, homebuyers have consistently been willing to pay more for a property with owned solar photovoltaic systems (PV), regardless of […]