1.Mortgage Applications Decrease Slightly in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
“Mortgage applications decreased 0.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 27, 2014. ”
2.Americans on the Road Again as Recovery Gains Traction
“Traci Butler and her husband cut out vacations after the U.S. recession five years ago. This week, the couple is taking their two boys on a weeklong trip that includes a July 4th visit to the nation’s capital, just a few weeks after touring Italy on their own. ”
3.Why your rent is so damn high
“Rents advertised by landlords rose by 0.8% during the second quarter to $1,099, according to data released Wednesday by real estate research firm Reis Inc., while the national vacancy rate was 4.1%, in line with the first quarter and down slightly from 4.3% for the same period a year ago.”
4.Boston one of Nation’s ‘Riskiest’ Markets
“Don’t know where you are going to be in five years? Think twice about buying.That’s a pretty good rule of thumb no matter where you live, but especially here in Greater Boston, now pegged as one of the nation’s “riskiest” housing markets, a new report finds.”
5.Jobs Growth Adds More Sunshine to U.S. Economic Performance
“Nearly seven years after the last recession began, the U.S. economy has been ticking along at a good clip lately. Private employers added 281,000 jobs in June, according to a report on Wednesday from the ADP Research Institute (ADP), a number that exceeds the most optimistic forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.”
6.California’s dwindling middle class: California is gaining more renter households, a drop in homeownership, and housing affordability continues to be a problem.
“The housing wealth effect is in full motion. There are many people in the market that see the rise in home equity and are now out buying bigger ticket items and also, upgrading their homes.”
7.Number of Americans with fulltime jobs increases
“As Americans prepare for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, there is good news on the jobs front: More than four in ten have fulltime jobs.”
8.Five Great Reasons to Buy a Home Right Now
“The nature of market bottoms is that it’s hard to tell one’s occurred until prices and sales volume start to rise again. That’s why the best time to buy is when market conditions suggest a bottom.”
9.The US Economy Has Some Serious Momentum Right Now
“Wednesday’s ADP jobs report didn’t just beat expectation; it crushed them. According to the firm’s estimate, U.S. private companies added a whopping 281,000 jobs in June, which blew away expectations for a 205,000 gain.”