Healthy jobs report drives up mortgage rates for first time in weeks

During the pandemic, the Federal Reserve has been keeping a lid on interest rates by increasing its holdings of long-term Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) by $120 billion a month. Before announcing a timetable for tapering those purchases… Continue reading

Underwater homeowners gain breathing room as prices climb

Fewer properties are considered seriously underwater now that rising home prices have put homeowners with mortgages in a better position. Continue reading

August opens with lower mortgage rates as Treasury yields dip

Interest rates on 30-year mortgages fell further as bond markets reacted to the delta variant’s potential impact on the global economy. Continue reading

The top 5 states where institutional investors are gobbling up homes

Corporate buyers were particularly active in Mississippi, where 1 in 9 homes that sold ended up in the hands of an institutional investor. Continue reading

Banks offer exposure to mortgage risk — and investors want in

The new bond products offer higher yields in a low-interest-rate environment. But if the loans go bad, investors are on the hook. Continue reading

With home prices slow to fall, would-be buyers are getting squeezed out

People who lost income during the pandemic are finding it hard to buy their first homes as real estate prices grew faster than incomes, according to a new Harvard University report. Continue reading

Home office eclipses short commute as a buyer must-have, agents say

Nearly 60 percent of agents surveyed by Homelight said they expect a home office to be a top priority for buyers in a post-vaccine landscape. Continue reading

First-time buyers still eager, despite snags on path to homeownership

A Chase survey revealed nearly 4 in 10 potential first-time buyers lost income during the pandemic, setting back their homeownership goals. Continue reading