With mortgage rates and prices high, first-time home buyers find these competing goals aren’t always doable, at least at the same time. Here are points to consider. Jade Akintola and Brandon Thomas Brown are balancing three competing financial priorities — preparing for the birth of their first child, saving up for a down payment on their first home and contributing to their retirement fund. Something, they decided, had to give, so in the sho
As NAR economists predict a fall below 6% by year’s end, new data reveals the rate threshold at which the market would likely be flooded with buyers.Mortgage rates fell for the fifth consecutive week, continuing to help improve affordability for budget-conscious home shoppers this spring. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased to 6.27% this week, Freddie Mac reports. Rates could be headed below 6% in the coming months as inflation
Real estate taxes have been on the rise over the last few years. Help home buyers avoid sticker shock.Property taxes can make up a sizable portion of homeowners’ budgets, particularly in certain markets. While owners in some locations pay less than $1,000 a year, that bill can top $9,000 in other areas. In general, property taxes are increasing nationwide, doubling in some markets between 2021 and 2022, according to a recent study from ATTOM D
Median on new leases rose to $4,175 in March, even as apartment hunters got more listings to choose from. Manhattan apartment landlords are testing renters’ limits even before the market’s busiest season arrives. The median monthly rate rose to a record-high $4,175 in March, according to a report Thursday by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate. That’s up $25 from the previous peak, reached i
The United States Consumer Price Index cooled to 5 percent in March compared to a year ago, but remained elevated overall despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to harness price growth on consumer goods and housing.The CPI for all urban consumers, a measure of inflation, rose 0.1 percent in March after climbing 0.4 percent in the previous month and 5 percent over the past 12 months, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data r
Home buyers can expect more savings as borrowing costs continue to decline from their peak in late 2022.Lower mortgage rates are giving buyers a boost at the start of the spring homebuying season. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 6.28% this week, the fourth straight week of declines, Freddie Mac reports. While rates are still higher than they were a year earlier, they’ve gradually scaled back from a 7% peak at the end of 2022.“Compa
Mortgage rates fell last week, but demand for home loans didn’t move higher as a result. Other aspects of today’s housing market are outweighing the benefit of lower mortgage rates right now, namely a lack of supply.The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 6.40% from 6.45%, with points falling to 0.59 from 0.62 (including the origination fee) for loans wi
Ongoing banking instability sparked by the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank may affect the availability of jumbo mortgages not eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae, Freddie MacHomebuyer demand for mortgages weakened slightly last week even as mortgage rates continued to retreat from 2023 highs, breaking a streak of four consecutive weeks of growth in purchase loan applications, according to a weekly survey of lenders by
Manhattan real estate sales fell 38% in the first quarter, as buyers and sellers battled over prices and mortgage rates remained volatile, according to new reports.Total sales volume fell to $4.4 billion in the quarter, with 2,242 apartments and townhouses sold, compared to 2,546 sales in the first quarter of 2022, according to a report from Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel. The average sales price fell 5% to $1.95 million and the median sales p
Borrowing costs are decreasing as home sales are rising, which bodes well for a potentially active spring market.Mortgage rates continued to slide this week, adding more fuel to what appears to be a recovering housing market. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.32% for the week ending March 30, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Borrowing costs are heading down as major housing indicators, such as existing-home sales, new-home construction and
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