National News
April 15 this year marks the first Tax Day under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, one of the most significant overhauls of the federal tax code in decades. While Tax Day is the deadline for most Americans,
Facebook charged with housing discrimination by HUD The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on March 28 formally charged Facebook with discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The charge comes after the agency filed a
The coming spring season, when home sales usually take off, could be a great one for buyers as the stars align in their favor: Mortgage rates are low, inventory levels are higher and price growth has slowed. Already, home
First-time homebuyers hoping to utilize the popular Federal Housing Administration loan program may find it more difficult to be approved for a mortgage this year, as the agency moves to reduce growing risks related to the program. FHA loans
For real estate agents, spring may have arrived early this year. After a string of anemic reports through the winter, home sales numbers picked up across the U.S. in February. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home
The state of the U.S. housing market has shifted rapidly in the last few months, but are consumers keeping up? A new survey from the National Association of Realtors makes the case that low mortgage rates and increased inventory
RE/MAX to partner with Redfin through referrals RE/MAX announced in a March 18 press release that it had entered into a “strategic alliance” with Redfin to boost sales at both nationwide brokers through referral incentives. In about 5,000 ZIP
In a positive sign for homebuyers planning on taking out new mortgages, the Federal Reserve sent its clearest signals yet that it will hold off on interest rate increases for the foreseeable future and perhaps the rest of 2019.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been a subject of debate for years in Congress, gaining temporary funding multiple times without any permanent solutions. Recently, representatives across political lines have shown interest in finally reaching a long-term resolution,
For most Americans, the average commute is less than 90 minutes. However, extreme commuters exist on either end of this spectrum, with telecommuters (who work from home) experiencing no travel time and so-called “super commuters” traveling over 90 minutes
This year is one of continued change in home design as consumers get revved up about more livable spaces and a surge in new home-centered technology. Trends are constantly changing, and this year, homeowners want design that will create
Lender optimism jumps as rates drift lower The latest survey of mortgage industry sentiment from Fannie Mae found lenders markedly more optimistic about their business prospects at the start of 2019. While still negative overall, the results of Fannie
Not only are the rich getting richer around the world, more people are joining the illustrious ranks of high- and ultra-high net worth individuals. That’s according to the 2019 Wealth Report from Knight Frank, a real estate and financial
Will technology one day replace the role of the real estate agent? In an era of rapidly evolving customer relationship management software, iBuyers and the constant specter of brokerage mergers and acquisitions—always, it seems, with tech bandied about
Real estate is a field that traditionally counts more women among its ranks than men; the 2018 National Association of Realtors Member Profile found that 63 percent of all NAR members were female last year. Yet when it comes
Experts warn of misleading listing photos Has photo retouching gone too far? Some brokers and buyers think so, according to a feature in The Wall Street Journal this week discussing the growing popularity of dead-simple photo editing tools used
