Sales

A recent study finds that same-sex couples were 73.12 percent more likely to be denied a mortgage than straight couples with similar profiles, based on mortgage data from 1990 to 2015. 

Study of Lending Discrimination Against Gay Couples

Homeowners spend an average $21,000 preparing to list their home for sale, according to Zillow. About 25 percent of home sellers willing and able to afford to fix up their home before listing were able to sell above the list price. About 15 percent of home sellers who did not improve their home before listing sold above the list price, CBS News reports. Lucas Puente, Thumbtack economist, said in a statement, "Sellers should remember that by taking care of these projects, they can get a really strong return

To Market, To Market

The Silent Generation, aged 73 to 93 years, was the smallest homebuying age cohort in 2018, with a seven percent market share. These buyers are most likely to buy a home to be closer to friends and family.

Study of Silent Generation

The nation's housing markets, even in the priciest ZIP codes, are shifting in advantage toward home buyers after years of favoring sellers. Year-over-year, 10 times as many of the 100 biggest U.S. metros now favor buyers.

Tide Turning Toward Buyers

Home prices in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties in California fell in March 2019, the first annual decline for LA and San Diego counties since 2012, and the third for Orange County since December 2018.

3 SoCal Markets Posted YoY Price Drops in March

JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo recently released their latest earnings reports, showing that mortgage originations and lending had double-digit drops over the previous year, and JPM CEO Jamie Dimon told analysts, “Non-banks are becoming competitors."

Big Banks Losing Mortgage Market Share

First-timers and downsizers are increasingly heading to the exurbs in search of affordable, and often newer single-family homes in communities with lower density. 

Exurbs Rising

Builder confidence hit a new high in April, increasing one point to 63, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ monthly confidence index data.

Builder Sentiment in April

A recent ranking tracked how many years of work it could take to achieve homeownership in the 50 biggest U.S. cities, based on median incomes and median home values. 

Down Payment Down Low

A new study of home sales between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the third quarter of 2018 assesses the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) on real estate activity.

TCJA's Impact on Home Sales

Older Baby Boomers were the most satisfied homebuyers in a new demographic study of generational buyer trends. Older Boomers accounted for the second-largest share of home sellers in 2018 (22 percent).  According to the National Association of Realtors' study, these buyers aged 64 to 72 years old had a 14 percent market share, and the third largest share of single female buyers (20 percent). Their primary drivers for buying were to retire, (19 percent of respondents), and to live closer to friends and fami

Most Satisfied Buyers

Homes with solar panels sell for an average 4.1 percent more than comparable homes without solar panels in their local markets. That's according to a new Zillow study. For the median-valued home, that premium means an extra $9,274. Sarah Mikhitarian, senior economist for the real estate platform, writes that one reason that homes with solar energy systems fetch a premium on the market is that they offer "substantial" future energy savings, making it worth the while of the buyer to pay the premium up front.

Solar Sales Premium

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