1.Cutting Housing Costs When Financial Hardship Strikes
“If forced to spend less on housing, people would rather change where they live than whom they live with. Downsizing is the #1 way people would reduce their housing costs. Furthermore, renters are significantly more willing to move or get a roommate than homeowners are.”
2.Existing-Home Sales Up in June, Unsold Inventory Shows Continued Progress
“WASHINGTON (July 22, 2014) – Existing-home sales increased in June and reached an annual pace of 5 million sales for the first time since October 2013, while rising inventory continues to push overall supply towards a more balanced market, according to the National Association of Realtors®.”
3.Good time to buy? Home sales, inventory rise in June
“The nation’s housing market showed more signs of health in June, with home prices and sales on the rise.”
4.Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
“WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 23, 2014) — Mortgage applications increased 2.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 18, 2014. ”
5.US Economy, Though Sluggish, May Now Be Sturdier
“Out of a seemingly hollow recovery from the Great Recession, a more durable if still slow-growing U.S. economy has emerged.”
6.5 tips for selling your home for the best price
“The rebound in U.S. home values over the past couple of years has placed many homeowners in a better position to sell their home for a profit.”
7.Homes sales improve but stress remains
” Sales of existing homes improved for the third consecutive month in June, the National Association of Realtors reported Tuesday in one of several new data points that suggest a steadily better economy”
8.The drought of young California home buyers: Unaffordable housing reigns supreme as first time home buyers squeezed out of market. Of 7,000,000 completed foreclosures since 2005, 1 million occurred in California.
“It is safe to say that the momentum of 2013 has fizzled out in the housing market. Sales are down and prices are reaching a plateau. Part of this has come from the slowdown of investors purchasing homes in the state.”
9.Economic Growth Expected to Strengthen During Second Half of 2014, But Not Enough to Save the Year
“WASHINGTON, DC – Economic growth during the second half of 2014 likely won’t be strong enough to offset the weak activity from the first two quarters of the year, according to Fannie Mae’s (FNMA/OTC) Economic & Strategic Research (ESR) Group. The economy experienced the worst performance in five years during the first quarter of 2014, due in large part to a significant downward revision in healthcare spending, and incoming data suggest only a moderate pickup in growth for the second quarter – likely resulting in an essentially flat first half of the year. In the third and fourth quarters, economic activity is expected to accelerate, driven largely by consumer spending and, to a lesser degree, business capital investment and residential investment. ”
10.Fact or Fiction: A Tax On Real Estate Sales
“On January 1, 2013, the Net Investment tax went into effect. Despite numerous articles and columns reminding consumers that this tax does not apply to every real estate sale, rumors continue to keep flying all over the country, claiming that the Health Reform legislation Congress enacted includes a sales tax on all real estate sales. While there is a tax, it does not apply to everyone. ”
11.Ahead of the Bell: US home sales
“The National Association of Realtors reports on existing home sales in June. The report is scheduled to be released at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday.”