Landlords Are Raising Rents Again
“In the 2015 rental season, we’re really seeing the ability to move rents,” 
David Singelyn, chief executive —the largest publicly-traded single-family landlord. CEOs of the largest companies renting out single-family homes say they plan to raise rents this year. Investors are switching their focus from buying properties to optimizing the revenue from the thousands of properties they bought, taking advantage of the increased demand for rental homes. “There’s a supply imbalance in some markets. See How Much.
Yes, This Housing Market Is Tight
Sales and Prices Suggest Housing is Gaining Momentum in Spring: April's 
target annual sales rate for existing homes is an increase of 2.3 percent from March and 11.8 percent from April 2014.
"Among
the factors contributing to the jump in March's existing home sales,
pent-up demand from weak sales in January and February probably played a
significant role," EVP Rick Sharga said. " Consumer psychology is likely also at play here: with talk of the Fed hiking interest rates as early as June, buyers who've been sitting on the sidelines may have decided to buy now and lock in today's historically low interest rates." Read more.
Flipping House Edges Out Renting
Price Jumps Leading to More Flips: More investors are flipping properties 
again,
a trend that started last year and is building momentum across the
country, according to First Quarter 2015 Real Estate Investor Activity
Report. Investors lately are showing more interest in purchasing a home to flip than renting it out. In fact there was a 6.5 percent quarter-over-quarter increase in favor of flipping in the first quarter of 2015. "It seems clear that the unusually low inventory of homes for sale has led to higher home prices, which makes it challenging for investors to rent homes out at a rate that’s profitable, and still affordable for tenants, Read more.
Credit Unions Offer Tempting Mortgage Deals,
Credit unions are aggressively expanding their mortgage business by more 
than quadrupling their share of total mortgage market volume in the last nine years, according to the National Association of Federal Credit Unions. More than half – 59 percent – of the loans it issued
went to first-time buyers too. Navy Federal is available to all
branches of the armed services, active and retired, civilian employees,
contractors, and relatives. Other credit unions are offering similar programs too in expanding their mortgage business, Read more.
Is Mortgage Credit Easing Up
Credit-worthy borrowers are being denied a chance at home ownership due to "unnecessary regulatory burdens" that are preventing 
them
from qualifying for a mortgage, leaders testified Thursday before the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and
Urban Affairs Committee. "REALTORS®
support strong underwriting standards to protect consumers from the
risky lending practices of the past, but we are concerned that the
pendulum has swung too far." In some cases, well-intentioned,
but over-corrective policies are severely hampering the ability of
millions of qualified buyers to purchase a home. Our members believe, that we have yet to strike the right balance between regulation and opportunity." Mortgage rates continue to hover near historical lows,Read more.
Remodel or Relocate?
Should Retirees: The decision on whether to renovate or relocate in retirement 
can be complex and emotional. A recent report revealed that as people edge towards retirement age, the more they value the emotional connection to their home rather than the financial value.
The Merrill Lynch and Age Wave report asked 3,600 people if they planned to stay in their homes after retirement. 36 percent of those surveyed said that they would. Most
respondents planned to stay put because they felt a strong connection
to their home and their neighborhood, and had relatives and friends
living in the area.
Reports have shown a lack of affordable housing options for baby boomers, and a lack of overall housing inventory remains a problem in many areas of the country.
First-Time Buyers May Request Up to 3%* Closing Cost
HomePath Ready Buyer Education Program, a comprehensive online 
homebuyer education course. First-Time Homebuyers who complete this education course by their initial offer may request up to 3%* closing cost assistance toward the purchase of a HomePath property and reimbursement of the HomePath Ready Buyer training cost. Must
be a First-Time Homebuyer (did not own a property in the past three
years) and plan to reside in the property as their primary residence, eligible.
