Mortgage applications for new home purchases increased by 12 percent relative to the previous month, according to the recently released Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for February 2015. “An increase in mortgage applications to builders in February over strong January numbers bodes well for new home purchases this year,” says Lynn Fisher, MBA’s Vice President of …
A recently released TransUnion survey shed light on consumer confusion when it comes to credit scores. In fact, nearly half of all consumers falsely identified rental (45 percent) and cell phone (47 percent) payments as those that directly affect their score; however, these are not regularly reported to credit bureaus.
Owning a home for the first time is exciting, but that excitement can fade quickly if faced with extensive (and expensive) damage. New homeowners often inadvertently cause damage that can cost thousands of dollars or more in repairs. The Home Book authors David MacLellan, George Wolfson and Douglas Hansen recommend steering clear of these common first-time homeowner mistakes.
Contrary to popular belief, Millennials think buying a home is a good investment. Checkout these numbers from Millennial home buyers in 2014.
Recently, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced new disclosure rules, which will go into effect this summer. While their activation is still months away, lenders are already weary that it will make the closing process much more complicated, and could possibly mislead consumers. “New disclosure forms for real estate transactions will completely change the homebuying process as it’s known …
In the midst of the winter we love to think of the summer as this idyllic time when we live barefoot under the sky and everything is perfect and beautiful. Then when the summertime comes, we find ourselves complaining about too much sun, being too hot or bugs – and stay inside in the cool AC to avoid them. The …
The carriage house garage door is to your house what the little black dress and strand of pearls are to your wardrobe; classic style elements that never go out of fashion. At the dawn of the automobile age, those who were affluent enough to own a car kept it in the carriage house, where the horses and buggy would have …
Tax time is almost here and many people, when they see their tax bills, will be wondering what they can do to pay less next year. Buying a home continues to provide great tax benefits as well as other advantages for Americans looking to build wealth. Below, top-ranked national real estate expert and consumer advocate Rhonda Duffy shares 5 benefits …
CMD recently announced that January’s $22.5 billion of construction starts, excluding residential activity, was 10.1 percent lower than in December. The decline all but disappears, however, when allowance is made for seasonality. CMD’s long-term average December-to-January moderation, due to obstructionist winter weather, has been 8.5 percent. (Despite making the foregoing allowance, the figures referred to throughout this report are not …
