Posts with tag homebuyers

Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series on the impact of shrinking inventories on buyers and sellers. In Part 1, Inman News reporter Andrea V. Brambila looks at how the scarcity of of listings in many markets is affecting buyers. Part 2 will look at impacts on sellers. Homebuyers nationwide are discovering... Continue Reading »

Many consumers across the country have been struggling with the housing market, either because they want to buy and can't get a mortgage, or because they want to sell but home values aren't high enough to cover their underwater mortgages. However, new trends in the market may be helpful to both buyers and sellers. During... Continue Reading »

By Brendon DeSimone A real estate agent's job entails more than assisting clients with the nitty-gritty details of buying or selling a home. Good agents also tour as many homes as possible. Knowing the local inventory gives them an edge over the competition and provides great value for future buyers and sellers because... Continue Reading »

By Christopher Maag Steve Campbell took a big financial hit when his company went bust. Campbell and his wife went broke and filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, in which they would have kept some of their debts and continued making payments on them. But Campbell and his wife decided they didn't like the payment plan. The... Continue Reading »

By Les Christie NEW YORK -- Federal regulations are helping to significantly reduce the amount new homebuyers are paying come closing time. The average cost of closing on a mortgage has fallen by 7.4% over the past year, according to a recent survey by Bankrate.com. At the end of June, a homebuyer looking to close on a... Continue Reading »

WASHINGTON -- Wells Fargo & Co has agreed to pay $125 million to resolve allegations it discriminated against certain borrowers on the basis of race and national origin in its mortgage lending, the U.S. government said on Thursday. Wells Fargo also agreed to contribute $50 million to help those buyers making down... Continue Reading »

By Andrea V. Brambila As a group, first-time homebuyers are a bellwether of the real estate industry and the economy as a whole. "What helps a first-time homebuyer is having a job and a good income to buy a home -- having hope for the future," said Mark Fleming, chief economist for data aggregator CoreLogic. In order to... Continue Reading »

It's becoming a war out there when it comes to buying a home. An increasing number of would-be homebuyers are finding themselves in fierce competition, as more and more sellers are fielding multiple bidders on their properties. According to recent data from Redfin, some markets saw 73 percent of homes on the market draw... Continue Reading »

Almost a third (31.4 percent) of homeowners with mortgages are underwater, according to the 2012 first-quarter Zillow Negative Equity Report, yet 90 percent of them are current on their mortgages and continue to make payments. Deciding whether to "stay and pay" on a home that's worth less than you owe is a tough financial... Continue Reading »

WASHINGTON -- Home sales rose in December to the highest pace in nearly a year. The gain coincides with other signs that show the troubled housing market improved at the end of last year Still, sales remain depressed and ended 2011 well below healthy levels. The National Association of Realtors said Friday that sales... Continue Reading »

There's something about that "Open House" sign that acts like a magnet. Whether you're looking for a new place to live, keeping tabs on real estate in your neighborhood, or just angling for a sneak peek at someone else's private domain, the lure of an open door is strong indeed. In honor of Halloween, we'll explore some... Continue Reading »

The number of homes listed for sale in the largest cities in the country has fallen 20 percent in the past year, according to a report released last week by Realtor.com. While the number of homes on the market has dropped around the country, the average number of days that listed homes have been on the market has... Continue Reading »

Americans have been skittish about buying new houses since the collapse of the real estate bubble. But they remain committed to the idea of homeownership, even if it's unclear how or when demand will pick up and drive a market recovery. A recent survey published by the real-estate site Trulia shows that 70 percent of... Continue Reading »

The past month wasn't exactly a confidence-booster for would-be home buyers and sellers. They've witnessed a turbulent stock market, a downgrade of U.S. credit, a spreading European debt crisis and a U.S. economy that seems to be running in place. And now many say that they're even more hesitant -- a retreat that could... Continue Reading »

A new survey reveals that more than half of homebuyers today don't know what the Good Faith Estimate is actually good for - namely, to shop around for the cheapest mortgage loans on the market. In a survey released by ING Direct on Wednesday, 56 percent of respondents did not use the GFE to compare lenders' associated... Continue Reading »