Tag: Housing Affordability
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A New Century’s American Dream: Holding a Deed, or Retiring Early?
The world has changed. Work is increasingly automated, and jobs aren’t guaranteed. Property values are high. Could early retirement be taking homeownership’s place at the core of the American Dream? In previous generations, secure careers underpinned the dream of holding a deed. Financial independence was not as urgent when a career and retirement were predictable.…
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Throwing in the Towel? Redfin Looks at Who’s Leaving “Flood-Prone” Counties
Redfin recently took a look at the twists and turns in deed transfer trends since 2019, before the pandemic began. The company found some striking geography stats. Water is moving people. Flood-Prone America Is Seeing More People Move Out Than In, Redfin has announced.
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Hopeful Buyers Running Away From Their Home Purchase Deals? Why?
It’s no longer a seller’s market. Why, then, in most areas across the country, has home buyer demand wilted? Even when they do sign purchase agreements, many buyers are “ghosting” their sellers. Brokers, agents, and lenders are beginning to notice the trend. New Redfin research finds 53,000 September 2025 purchase contracts were broken — by…
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“Warped”: Since 2010, Average Home Buyer Goes From Age 39 to 59. Typical First-Time Buyer Turns 40.
The numbers don’t lie. First-timers have never dealt with harsher circumstances in U.S. homebuying history. The typical age for first-time home buyers is now 40, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Fortune magazine points to the observation of Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok: on average, all buyers have aged. Using NAR’s data, Slok…
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Look Who’s Back in the Real Estate Market: Investment Firms Sense Opportunity
Home prices? They’re high. Mortgage rates? Not exactly low. Current deed holders with lower mortgage rates still don’t want to move if they can help it. And hopeful buyers keep renting, biding their time. Investors are “seizing the opening and ramping up” their activity, according to the financial data analytics firm Cotality. Market watchers such…
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Breaking Down the Debate on 50-Year Mortgages
So, the federal government is going to bring 50-year mortgages back? Yes, the idea has been tried before. Some lenders marketed 50-year mortgages back in the lead-up to the 2008 mortgage crisis — although those loans weren’t government-backed. We can’t tell how the federal government would try to make them work this time, but there’s…
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Real Estate Is Still Key to Wealth—But It’s Taking Longer.
This year, the National Association of REALTORS® came out with an article titled The 5-Year Rule Is No More. It was all about how long a buyer needs to stay in a home to “truly break even.” That old drop of wisdom about holding onto a home five years to recoup the cost of closing…
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County Recording Fees Are Barriers. And They’re Getting Higher
Each year, the attorneys at the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service help hundreds of people straighten out title issues — mainly, people living in multigenerational homes. They start by looking up county records. Quite a few of their cases involve straightening out “tangled titles” for families who have not been able to handle the costs of…
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And “America’s Most Affordable Big City” Is…
In this beloved city, today’s typical deed holder needs a yearly income of $60K to live comfortably. Considering it’s a big city, this is a modest income. So this news is impressive. And so is the city itself. Frank Zappa even did a jazzy song about moving there, so you know there’s something to this.…
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Shakeup at Freddie and Fannie: Update
How is that shakeup going so far? When we last checked in on things, new director William Pulte was slashing jobs at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. That’s the umbrella agency for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Additionally, Pulte claims to have saved millions of dollars by eliminating programs related to climate effects and diversity.
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Buyers (of All Ages) Who Seek Houses, Not Spouses
Kristina Modares is a social media phenomenon. She goes online to inspire other young adults to get their own deeds. She would tell you to get together with a friend or two. Then, co-buy your first home. That’s how she began — before going on to buy several more. As a young adult, Kristina was…
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One Month In, How’s 2025 Looking for Housing?
So many people need answers. What states are attracting the most home seekers at this time? What states are now the best bets for people who hope to save for a mortgage? Is it even worthwhile, now, to try to get positioned to buy a home? Let’s see where buyers are looking, where saving for…
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Will There Still Be FHA Loans? How Trump’s Return Could Impact Housing
And here it is: a new administration. What’s changing for home seekers and deed holders? Yes, there will still be FHA mortgages. There will still be conventional loans with government backing. But we can expect… All of these possibilities impact the value and availability of deeds for ordinary people. So, let’s do some Q&A to…
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“I Never Thought I Would Own a House…” A Community Trust in Vermont Takes on the Housing Shortage
Too many homes sit empty in towns where working people need them. In a housing affordability crisis, this has to change. In Vermont, a local nonprofit is stepping up. Local Deeds is an initiative that helps people make down payments on homes. Specifically, working people. A deed restriction ensures that someone in the home has…
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These states are struggling with housing payments more than others, new study finds
Rent is due: Study reveals where Americans are falling behind on housing payments Housing affordability is reaching crisis levels in many parts of the United States, and a growing number of Americans are finding it hard to keep up with their housing costs. Whether it’s soaring rents or overdue mortgages, the struggle to stay current…
