Several housing providers have recently faced lawsuits that allege the misuse of criminal histories in housing decisions. A recent “Window to the Law” video, posted at the National Association of REALTORS®’ website, highlights best practices in order to avoid a fair housing violation when factoring in criminal background checks.In Florida, up to 48 housing providers have been sued for alleged improper criminal background screening of
Maybe you need to set up a meeting with a client, review a report, or ask a favor. There’s a better way to ask than sending a text or email message.If you want to ask a favor or make a request of someone else, you’re better off asking in person. People are significantly more likely to say “yes” to requests made in-person than they are to requests made via email or text messages.A phone call or video are second best, according to a new stu
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage posted a big drop this week, falling to a 3.05% average, Freddie Mac reports.“The market volatility resulting from the COVID-19 omicron variant is causing mortgage rates to decrease,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “As the year comes to a close, the housing market is proceeding steadily. However, rates are expected to increase in 2022 which will impact home buyer demand as well as refinance
Take steps to protect the house during the colder months. A lot of times that starts with the gutters. Unkept gutters can wreak havoc on a home during winter. Leaf Home, a company that offers home solutions, offers the following winter checklist to help homeowners prevent seasonal damage to their home.Check your gutters for seasonal debris.Make sure to remove leaves that have fallen into your gutters and check that pests or small animals did not
In a new report, the real estate firm Walker & Dunlop calls it “the golden age for multifamily.”High rents in the apartment sector are expected to continue in the new year as demand remains strong. Potential home buyers who have been shut out from the competitive housing market are turning to rentals in swarms. Property owners are expected to see record profits in 2022, predicts Green Street, a commercial real estate analytics firm.Strong
Home buyers may have felt more determined in November to purchase before 2021 comes to an end and mortgage rates and borrowing costs increase, as largely is forecasted to happen.Existing-home sales, which include completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and co-ops, rose 1.9% in November compared to October, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Wednesday. Sales, however, are down 2% compared to a year ago.
The nation’s hottest rental market in 2021: Eugene, Ore., according to a new end-of-the-year report from RentCafe. The city has been attracting new residents and boasts a rapidly growing tech sector. San Diego, Calif., and Knoxville, Tenn., were number two and number three on RentCafe’s list.In 2021, the most competitive rental markets tended to be smaller metros that are within close proximity to nature and allow for a more affordable lifest
Mortgage rates rose this week after the Federal Reserve announced it would accelerate its bond tapering and that three rate hikes would come in 2022. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.12% this week, Freddie Mac reports.Rates are largely expected to continue to rise due to the Fed’s recent announcement. But National Association of REALTORS® Senior Economist Nadia Evangelou says home buyers shouldn’t panic. By historical standards
Buyers have been drawn to new-home construction as existing housing inventories remain lean. Builders have struggled to ramp up construction even more due to the high demand as building materials, labor, and lot shortages loom.However, builders say they’re building as much as they can and as quickly as they can given such challenges.Housing starts for both single-family and multifamily homes rose 11.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.
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