Get the latest news that affects the real estate industry in general and your business in particular, so that you can knowledgeably discuss questions at the forefront of the industry.
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November 15, 2024
What’s next for the 2025 housing market?
National Association of REALTORS®â€‹
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"The last two years have been tough for many people who work in home sales or who were in the market to buy or sell, but the worst may be over," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS®.
November 13, 2024
Renter households growing three times faster than owner households
Redfin​
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The number of renter households rose 2.7%, in the third quarter year over year, to a record 45.6 million, three times faster than the 0.9% increase in homeowner households, which now total a record 86.9 million.
November 5, 2024
Share of first-time homebuyers shrinks to record low as buyers’ age hits high
National Association of REALTORS®
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The first-time homebuyer market share decreased to a historic low of 24% (down from 32% last year), while home buyers’ ages hit all-time highs of 56 years overall (49 last year), 38 years for first-time buyers (35 last year) and 61 years for repeat buyers (58 last year).
October 31, 2024
California REALTORS®: Homeowners Insurance availability a top challenge facing state's housing market
Newsbreak
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The Center for California Real Estate (CCRE) has released its annual list of key issues in housing, spotlighting the significant challenges faced by California's housing market in 2024.
October 21, 2024
National single-family housing starts rise
Realtor.com
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Nationally, single-family housing starts hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,027,000 last month, up 2.7% from August’s revised figure, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released on Friday. Single-family starts were up 5.5% from one year ago nationwide.
September 17, 2024
Prop 33 would almost certainly make the housing crisis worse
San Francisco Chronicle
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Proponents of Proposition 33 on the November ballot, which would enact stricter rent control, say their measure is critical to keeping Californians in their homes and ensuring new residents can afford to live here. But a San Francisco Chronicle editorial has doubts.
September 16, 2024
More than half of boomers who own their homes plan to live in them until they die
Clever Real Estate
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Roughly 61% of boomers currently own homes, and among this group, more than half (54%) never plan to sell, spending the rest of their lives there, a survey by Clever Real Estate found.
August 14, 2024
Higher home prices and elevated mortgage rates push California housing affordability to near-17-year low
California Assn. of REALTORS®
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Higher prices combined with elevated mortgage rates that pushed borrowing costs to all-time highs pulled California’s housing affordability down to the lowest levels in nearly 17 years during the second quarter of 2024.
August 2, 2024
Home insurance experts say changes coming for California
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
Important regulatory updates, coming by end of year, plan to provide homeowners insurance options to consumers, according to a panel discussion last week hosted by the Center for California Real Estate.
July 17, 2024
High mortgage rates continue to hamper California home sales in June
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
California home sales remained stagnant for the second consecutive month in June, as the 30-year fixed rate mortgage remained above 7 percent throughout most of May, when most of these sales opened escrow.
July 15, 2024
Berkeley housing prices projected to increase next year, mirroring Bay Area trends
Daily Californian
With the median price for a single-family home in the Bay Area reaching $1.46 million in May — a 12% increase from last year that nears a record $1.5 million, Berkeley’s housing market remains an outlier with its current decline in prices.
June 20, 2024
Highest mortgage rates since late 2023 dampen California home sales
California Assn. of REALTORS®
Mortgage rates that surged to their highest levels since late last year hampered California home sales in May on both a monthly and an annual basis, while the statewide median home price exceeded $900,000 for the second straight month to set another record-high.
June 12, 2024
Cities with the fastest-growing home prices in California
Stacker
Stacker compiled a list of cities with the fastest-growing home prices in California using data from Zillow, ranking cities by the dollar change in the Zillow Home Values Index for all homes from the 12 months ending April 2024.
May 22, 2024
The housing market and inflation
Bankrate
The housing market isn't immune from outside economic forces, including inflation. Inflation is substantially lower now than at its high point of 9.1 percent in the summer of 2022, but it’s still short of the Federal Reserve’s stated goal of 2 percent.
May 21, 2024
Homebuilder confidence drops amid rising mortgage rates
Yahoo Finance
A persistent rise in mortgage rates caused homebuilder confidence to plunge 6 points in May — suggesting that homebuilders currently perceive the conditions for building as unfavorable in this higher-for-longer interest rate environment.
May 10, 2024
Improvement in home prices, interest rates lifts CA housing affordability
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
A mild retreat in mortgage interest rates and home prices made it easier for more Californians to purchase a home during the first quarter of 2024, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® said this week.
May 9, 2024
Mortgage rates drop for first time since March
Yahoo Finance
After a five-week climb, mortgage rates ticked down following a weaker than expected jobs report, Freddie Mac reported. The 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.09 percent as of May 9, 2024, down from last week when it averaged 7.22 percent. It averaged 6.35 percent a year ago.
April 18, 2024
Housing affordability for all Californians deteriorates as interest rates set record highs
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
Less than one in five of all Californians earned enough income to support the purchase of an $813,980 statewide median-priced home in 2023, down from just over one in five from 2022.
April 9, 2024
9 in 10 homebuyers have historically opted to work with a real estate agent
Fortune
Even in an era where seemingly everything can be researched and purchased electronically, the clear value added by Realtors remains evident. Nine in 10 home buyers would use their agent again or recommend their agent to others.
March 14, 2024
If you’re selling your home this year, list it for sale in June
CNBC
Late spring and early summer are widely considered to be the best time to sell a home. A Zillow analysis of its 2023 listings found that spring and summer months had a 0.5% to 1% increase in sales prices compared to the yearly average.
March 1, 2024
Mortgage rates ease for 2nd consecutive day on inflation data
Inman
Mortgage rates retreated for the second day in a row Friday after a survey showed the manufacturing sector contracted in February, adding to the case that the Federal Reserve can cut short-term rates without fueling inflation.
February 29, 2024
U.S. consumer confidence soured in February for first time in 3 months
CNN
Americans’ outlook for the economy in the coming months, including expectations for income and business conditions, declined this month for the first time in three months, according to the Conference Board’s latest consumer survey.
February 22, 2024
California home sales uptick 6 percent annually in January
World Property Journal
Existing home sales in California rebounded in January 2024 to the highest level in six months, as rates pulled back sharply at the end of 2023. January's sales rose 14.4 percent from December 2023, and 5.9 percent compared to one year prior.
January 22, 2024
California single-family home sales will rise in 2024, says panel
Pasadena Now​
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A team of panelists hosted by the Center for California Real Estate (CCRE), an institute of the California Association Of Realtors (CAR), agreed recently predicted a rise in single-family home sales.
January 9, 2024
First-time Long Beach residents eligible for $25K toward home purchase
KTLA
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Long Beach’s First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program assists low- and moderate-income families traditionally underrepresented in homeownership with purchasing their first home and building multi-generational wealth.
December 11, 2023
Better news for buyers in November as prices, rates ease
Zillow​
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A Zillow market report shows monthly costs for a new mortgage are falling, inventory is trending back toward normal, and price cuts are uncharacteristically common, bringing some early holiday cheer for home shoppers and sellers.
November 22, 2023
LA County to offer rent relief program for ‘mom and pop’ landlords
ABC7 Los Angeles​
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Los Angeles County has launched a $46.3 million rent relief program to help qualified landlords mitigate the detrimental economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and tenants who have fallen behind on their rent payments.
November 15, 2023
CA housing affordability dials back to 16-year nadir
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®â€‹
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With borrowing costs reaching all-time highs and home prices continuing to climb, California housing affordability dialed back for the second straight quarter and dropped to the lowest level since 2007.
October 26, 2023
FHA will consider rent from ADUs when qualifying borrowers
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Development​
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FHA mortgage lenders can now include rental income from accessory dwelling units (ADUs) when qualifying borrowers.
October 9, 2023
CA REALTORS® provide additional funding for closing cost grants to underserved first-time homebuyers
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
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In a continuing effort to address California’s growing housing affordability crisis and racial homeownership divide, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ (C.A.R.) Housing Affordability Fund (HAF) will provide another $500,000 in closing cost assistance for eligible first-time California homebuyers from an underserved community.
October 4, 2023
Housing Wire
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Mortgage applications ground to a halt as mortgage rates surged. Mortgage application activity is now at its lowest level since 1996.
June 16, 2023
UnidosUS launches HOME to create four million new Latino homeowners by 2030
UnidosUS
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HOME will address multifaceted challenges Latinos face in trying to buy a home by expanding market opportunities and providing potential homeowners with the resources they need to navigate the home-buying process.
June 1, 2023
State Farm will no longer insure homes in California due to wildfire risk
USA Today
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State Farm will no longer provide home insurance to new California customers because of wildfire risks and an increase in construction costs.
May 9, 2023
Housing confidence jumps by largest amount in two years
Yahoo Finance​
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Fannie Mae’s housing sentiment index jumped 5.5 points in April to 66.8, its highest level since May 2022 and the largest monthly gain in two years. to face another large mortgage rate jump after the Fed indicated it intends to pause interest rate increases.
April 28, 2023
Mortgage fees are changing for homebuyers May 1
USA Today
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April 27, 2023
Should you rent or buy?
April 25, 2023
Consumer confidence falls to 9-month low
April 24, 2023
Middle-income homeowners gain wealth over past decade
NATIONAL ASSN. OF REALTORS®
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April 21, 2023
Single-family homebuilding, permits surge
April 19, 2023
Mortgage demand drops as interest rates jump
April 18, 2023
Uptick in mortgage interest rates nudges down March home sales
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
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April 17, 2023
Homebuilder sentiment rises in April
April 12, 2023
CA REALTORS® urge state to fully fund Dream for All program
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
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April 10, 2023
Housing affordability for all Californians deteriorates
CALIFORNIA ASSN. OF REALTORS®
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Affordability gap for Black and Hispanic/Latino households remains wide.
April 7, 2023
CalHFA to Pause the Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan
California Housing Finance Agency
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April 6, 2023
LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Buyers Stretched Thin
DS News
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April 5, 2023
Lack of home listings taking toll on market
April 3, 2023
Home prices rise for first time in seven months
March 30, 2023
California Dream for All program helps first-time buyers
NBC Bay Area News
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A New California program offers homebuyers equal to 20% of a home’s purchase price.
March 30, 2023
Court certifies class in NAR commission case
California Assn. of REALTORS®
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March 29, 2023
U.S. mortgage refinancings hit six-month high
March 27, 2023
Baby boomers overtake millennials as largest generation of homebuyers
National Assn. of REALTORS®
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March 24, 2023
Spring homebuying home season kicks off with steady demand
March 13, 2023
Yahoo Finance
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The failure of Silicon Valley Bank caused mortgage rates to unexpectedly drop, which could offer an opening for homebuyers and homeowners who have been waiting for an opportunity to lock in a lower rate.