Mortgage rate buydowns are on the rise as homebuyers cope with high interest rates

By Bailey Schulz |   Jan 23, 2023

Anna Raymond was ready to make the switch from renting to owning a home last spring. But after five failed offers, she and her husband decided to take a step back from house hunting.  

Then, in December, their real estate agent presented an offer too good to pass. A home in Longmont was up for sale, and the seller was willing to offer a 2-1 interest rate buydown.

Foreign investment floods into Miami real estate after pandemic dip

By Deirdra Funcheon |   Jan 20, 2023

International investment in Miami's real estate market has spiked over the last year after dipping during the pandemic.

Driving the news: Foreign buyers picked up $6.8 billion of South Florida residential real estate between August 2021 and July 2022, according to a new report from the Miami Association of Realtors.

Relief for homebuyers in 2023? Mortgage rates at lowest levels since September

By Bailey Schulz |   Jan 19, 2023

A dip in mortgage interest rates is spurring demand from homebuyers, according to a new report from the Mortgage Bankers Association, or MBA.

Mortgage applications last week jumped 28% from the week prior, according to seasonally adjusted data. The MBA’s refinance index also spiked 34% from the previous week.

Real estate gurus: It may be time to buy a home—now

By Dylan Croll |   Jan 18, 2023

The housing market is cooling as consumers grow weary of higher mortgage rates. In December, the number of newly-listed homes sold had fallen about 37% from a year ago, according to Redfin data.

What are real estate professionals seeing on the ground?

Fix-and-flip buyers see more opportunities in 2023

By Spencer Lee |   Jan 16, 2023

Although a challenging real estate market looks set to persist for much of 2023, a majority of noninstitutional investors view the current market offering opportunity and plan to grow their businesses in the coming year, a new study found.

What will U.S. house prices look like in 2023?

By Becca Stanek |   Jan 13, 2023

Amid peaking prices due to inflation and murmurs of an upcoming recession, you might be wondering: What's up with the housing market for 2023? Mortgage rates started to decline in the final weeks of 2022, and demand for housing is similarly expected to fall in the new year. Price growth is also expected to cool — though by how much remains unclear. Whether you're a hopeful buyer or seller in 2023, or just someone who likes to keep tabs on the housing market, here's a closer look at what to expect this year.

Zillow names Charlotte as 2023's hottest housing market

By Zillow® |   Jan 12, 2023

Zillow's 10 hottest markets are based on factors such as expected home value growth and buyer demand:

• Relatively affordable metro areas dominated Zillow's hottest housing markets list, led by Charlotte, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

• Buyers who can overcome acute affordability challenges will find a friendlier market than in recent, record-setting years.

• San Jose, Sacramento and Minneapolis are projected to be the coolest markets.

Consumer confidence in housing finally rises, thanks to falling home prices

By Diana Olick, CNBC |   Jan 12, 2023

"Mortgage rates are still twice what they were a year ago, but home prices have been falling since June, and that’s finally making consumers feel better about what had been an overheated, highly competitive housing market."

'Low' Interest Rates May Cost Borrowers Big Money

By Jason Neuffer |   Sep 02, 2022

A higher percentage of homeowners than ever before have interest rates below 3.25%. Is it a good financial decision to keep that rate or is it a false sense of financial security?

The average homeowner lives in their home for eight years. Unless they have purchased their forever home, they will be financing another mortgage at the time of the next purchase and will be subject to current interest rates. The idea that they are locked in for 30 years (unless they are one of the few who actually stay in their home for 30 years) is already a false sense of security. The best way to ensure financial stability is to eliminate high-interest debts, even at the expense of a low-interest first mortgage.

What Is The Real Cost Of Mortgage Steering?

By Angela Medlar |   May 19, 2022

The real cost of mortgage steering could be tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the mortgage loan and could even make the difference between winning and losing an offer on a home.

It may seem super innocent. A mortgage lender offers to pay for a real estate agent’s marketing or offers the agent a desk in the lender’s office. In return, the real estate agent exclusively sends buyers to that mortgage lender, which may have terms less favorable than those of other lenders.