News / Features
November’s reading of 83 was up three points from October, driven by low existing inventories and strong buyer demand, the National Association of Home Builders reported, citing the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.
Housing observers noted that demand for housing remains robust despite the lack of new supply.

The National Association of Realtors® announced new, pro-consumer changes to its guidance for local Multiple Listing Service broker marketplaces.

Seventy-eight percent of the 183 U.S. markets monitored by the National Association of Realtors had double-digit increases in their median home prices, a decline from the second quarter, when 94% of markets saw double-digit increases.

The supply of affordable homes on the market rose a record 13% in the third quarter as mortgage forbearance programs ended, prompting low-cost homeowners to put their properties on the market.

Atlanta’s Rodney Mason, who serves as vice president of mortgage lending with Guaranteed Rate, was named treasurer of the nonprofit, while Anita Blue, who works as an agent and credit restoration consultant at Cap Tex Realty, was named national vice president.
“Mortgage rates decreased for the first time since August, as concerns about supply-chain bottlenecks, waning consumer confidence, weaker economic growth and rising inflation pushed Treasury yields lower.” — MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting Joel Kan

The average American home buyer is 45 years old, married or partnered, college-educated and likely to purchase a home located in the South, according to Zillow’s 2021 Consumer Housing Trends Report. Individuals ages 30-39 make up the largest population

“This will be the first time a home lender will provide an end-to-end ‘mortgage-as-a-service’ solution through Salesforce Financial Services Cloud — a platform that thousands of financial institutions already heavily rely on.” — Rocket Cos. Vice Chairman and CEO Jay Farner
Zillow announced today it’s ending its iBuyer service, Zillow Offers, and cutting roughly a quarter of its workforce, citing the volatility the service created for the online brokerage as the motivation for the move.

Millennials are purchasing houses — finally. Over the past year, millennials made up the largest share of homebuyers: 37% according to Barron’s.

As more house hunters are opting to live in socially, racially and culturally diverse communities, developers are formulating strategies to list more inclusive properties on the market, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Developers’ strategies include

Entertainment is a top priority of the “Royale Reunion” in Kissimmee, FL. This luxury villa is equipped with a home theater room, arcade game rooms and… a private casino.
“Contract transactions slowed a bit in September and are showing signs of a calmer home price trend, as the market is running comfortably ahead of pre-pandemic activity.” — NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun

The iconic home from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is prime Hollywood real estate. And it’s currently for sale.

It’s been a more than a year and a half of technological innovation in real estate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency has decided to make one tool — desktop appraisals — permanent.