Category: News

Tax Deductions and Credits for Homeowners

Besides providing you with a stable place to live and raise a family and a safe long-term investment, being a homeowner also allows you to take advantage of several tax deductions and credits that are not available to anyone else. Following are the top ways homeownership can help lower your income taxes. Mortgage Interest Deductions IRS Form Schedule A can

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Mortgage Rates Rise

This week, mortgage rates rose, which was comparative to their usual intraday movement potential. However, the market has been anything but average. In fact, the numbers show that the recent intraday losses are among the worst that’s occurred during the year. The exact levels confirm that it is the fourth lowest within the last year. Losses and Gains The market

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Mortgage Rates Barely Budge After Jobs Report

As the most recent jobs report was released, mortgage rates remained stable. Only a few lenders raised rates by microscopic levels. Although this is an uncommon occurrence, it is explained by the state of current world events. Oftentimes, the key part of gathered Employment Situation data is the top line job creation, or NFP. The average forecast for present NFP

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Homeownership finally rising after decade of decline

The fourth quarter of 2015 saw a continued rise in homeownership rates from the previous quarter. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 63.8 percent of Americans owned homes in the last quarter of 2015. The homeownership rate during the third quarter was 63.4 percent. The increase may be correlated with an increase in employment rates and less restrictive credit availability.

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Record Increase in Existing Home Sales

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has reported that existing home sales increased 14.7 percent from November 2015 to December 2015 as the seasonally adjusted annual rate jumped from 4.76 million to 5.46 million. This is the largest month-to-month increase in history, and it more than made up for the 10.5 percent decline experienced from October to November. The current

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Low Interest Rates Make it Easier to Buy a Home

Those who are searching for a home just received an unanticipated bonus from plummeting interest rates. The fall occurred after the U.S. stock market experienced a tumble. Because of the dip, 30-year fixed mortgage rates shifted down significantly to 3.75 percent. A week ago, rates were above 4 percent. Analysts have been predicting rate increases for the last few months,

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Fed Survey finds Consumers Expecting Low Inflation and Wages to Match

A recent survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicated that the public expectations regarding household income growth and spending have declined, and consumers are conflicted about their expectations regarding job security. Respondents are surveyed over the course of 12 months so their opinions can be monitored over time. When it came to inflation, respondents’ predictions generally

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Home Prices Rise 6.3 Percent in November

According to the latest statistics from CoreLogic, national home prices rose by 6.3 percent in November 2015 compared to prices in November 2014. The increase from the previous month was 0.5 percent. Several reasons were cited for the sustained jump in home prices over the last year, including high demand and low supply in many of the major markets, which

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Interest rates went up. So what’s next?

After promising to raise rates, then delaying doing so repeatedly, the Federal Reserve has finally done it. This is the first time rates have been raised in a decade, and there are another three hikes planned for 2016, which will result in a funds rate of about 1.25 percent by next year’s end. Although we know that rates have finally

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Appraised Values Remain Slightly Lower than Homeowners Expectations

According to Quicken Loans’ Home Price Perception Index, November’s average home appraisals were 1.87 percent less than expected. This was the tenth month homeowners expected values exceeded appraised values. Along with this disappointment, the average home prices across the country continued to rise. November is the third month the difference between homeowner and appraised estimates became tighter. In many metro

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