Landlords are Projected to Increase Rents!

Landlords are Projected to Increase Rents!

Landlords are Pushing Up Rents Again: As apartment demand continues to rise, landlords are projected to increase their rents for the fifth consecutive year. A rise in apartment construction isn’t likely to offer relief to tenants anytime soon either, USA Today reports. Between 2000 and 2012, apartment rents have risen 6 percent. 'That's what we call the affordability gap,' says John Kobs, Apartment List's chief executive. 'I don't see that improving in the near future. The vacancy rate for apartments has dropped from 8 percent to 4.1 percent from 2009 to 2013. Read more.

Freddie: No More Record-Low Mortgage Rates

Freddie: No More Record-Low Mortgage Rates

While mortgage rates have been rising the last few months, they are still historically low compared to the trend over the last four decades, Freddie Mac says in a blog post. But rates as low as they were in November 2012 -when the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached an all-time low of 3.31 percent - aren't likely to return any time soon, the mortgage giant says. Still, Freddie assures borrowers that the all-time record high of 18.63 percent reached in October 1981 isn't on the horizon either. (At 18.63 percent, monthly mortgage payments on a $200,000 loan would be $3,117, compared to $992 a month at today’s 4.32 percent average.) Mortgage Rates on the Rise:

Shrinking Investment Buyers

Shrinking Investment Buyers

As home prices rise, the number of investors in the housing market appears to be starting to cool.

The number of investment properties purchased last year dropped 2.1 percent compared to 2011, recent report. Investors are making up a smaller number of home buyers.  A move by investors out of the housing market could undermine prices as excess inventory begins piling up. But as the economy recovers, any slack in the market could be picked by traditional home buyers.  Where will the Housing Market go Next?

Foreclosure and Shadow Inventory Decline

Foreclosure and Shadow Inventory Decline 

In the month of February 43,000 foreclosures were completed, according to monthly National Foreclosure Report. Completed foreclosures decreased from January by 13.1 percent, as well as falling year over year by 15 percent. Foreclosure inventory also declined, posting a monthly decrease of 3.3 percent for a total of 752,000 homes in some stage of the foreclosure process. February's drop makes 28 consecutive months inventory has declined year-over-year basis. 30 year fixed-rate mortgage came up.

Provo-Orem, Utah One of the Happiest Communities

Provo-Orem, Utah One of the Happiest Communities

Happy Living Survey Reveals 15 Happiest Cities: 

Your home is the one place in the world where you should feel content, satisfied and happy. However, if you're feeling less than elated in your current situation, it might be time for a change of scenery. Which prompts the question: Where would you go? Are you in a happy place? In the "State of American Well-Being" report, the following cities came out on top for happiness.

Financial Benefits of Home Ownership

Financial Benefits of Home Ownership

The financial benefits of homeownership are evident year round, but particularly around tax time -they seem to jump off the page. 

Let's examine how homeownership makes "cents" -  from the tax benefits, to good old fashioned financial stability. Homeownership Builds Wealth Over Time: We were always taught growing up that owning a home is a financially savvy move. Our parents knew it, and their parents knew it. But this past decade of real estate turbulence has shaken everyone’s confidence in homeownership. That is why it's so important that we discuss this again now that we're in a ‘new market. You Build Equity Every Month

96% of Markets Better Off Than in 2010

96% of Markets Better Off Than in 2010

A new report by RealtyTrac shows that 96 percent of the counties that they track are better off than they were four years ago. 

But still, there’s a ways to go in the housing market, with only 8 percent of the 410 U.S. counties analyzed faring better than they did during the housing boom eight years ago. The housing recovery has taken root in hundreds of counties across the country, and almost all local housing markets are better off than they were four years ago when foreclosure activity peaked in 2010. The following heat map, produced by RealtyTrac, charts the drops and rises of the housing market across U.S. counties over the last eight years.