Consumers who buy a condo or refinance an existing condo mortgage may be eligible to bypass an in-person appraisal and have a faster automated appraisal, Freddie Mac announced this week.Freddie Mac’s automated collateral evaluation appraisal waiver gives eligible borrowers of mortgages for condos the opportunity to save on the traditional appraisal. Borrowers could save about $500 on appraisal fees and potentially close seven to 10 days faster,
How fast does your website load on a mobile device? The answer could dictate how many people will easily find your website.Web traffic from mobile and tablet devices have accounted for a higher percentage of traffic than desktops since 2016. Over the past few months, Google has been rolling out a mobile-first index, which could have a major impact starting this summer on the SEO performance of websites that are slow on mobile devices. Google me
A coalition of fair housing advocates, led by the National Fair Housing Alliance, filed a federal lawsuit against Bank of America and Safeguard Properties Management this week that alleges the firms failed to provide routine exterior maintenance on foreclosed homes in neighborhoods with predominantly African-American and Latino residents.The NFHA is accusing Bank of America in the lawsuit of neglecting 1,600 homes across 37 U.S. metro areas. The
The median listing price for homes nationwide reached an all-time record in June, realtor.com® reports. List prices soared to a median of $299,000 this month, as a shortage of homes for sale and high buyer demand continued to push asking prices higher.“Limited options, fast-selling properties, and escalating home prices have been a persistent challenge for would-be buyers,” realtor.com® notes in its June 2018 monthly housing trend report.O
For the fifth consecutive month, pending home sales dropped in May—a sign that the recently ended spring buying season didn’t live up to the hype typical for real estate’s traditionally busiest time of year, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Wednesday. Contract signings also eased last month, and a significant sales decline in the South offset gains in other regions of the country.NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-l
Real estate professionals accustomed to using Facebook’s “likely to move” ads are receiving notice that the social network will be shutting the feature down in mid-August. If you’re currently using the Facebook tool, you may be searching for another avenue for customer outreach and ad targeting online.Facebook’s “likely to move” ad platform culls data from third-party sites to identify consumers who show signs of relocating soon. Th
The hashtag “#Housiversary” has been trending on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as homeowners find new ways to mark their homeownership milestones, realtor.com® reports. From hosting celebratory events to sharing photos on social media feeds, here are a few ways your clients are celebrating their “housiversary.”Show off the keys. Some homeowners are snapping photos holding up their house keys to signify the special day, using the #Ho
Fifty-five percent of homeowners who have a child under the age of 18 say their kids’ opinions factored into their homebuying decision, according to a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults. What’s more, 74 percent of millennial parents—those up to age 36—indicate they took their kids’ opinions under consideration when buying a home. Renters pay even more attention to their children: 83 percent say their kids’ opinions matt
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has unveiled its 2018 list of America’s architectural and cultural heritage landmarks that are most at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.“For over 30 years, our list has called attention to threatened one-of-a-kind treasures throughout the nation and galvanized Americans to help local communities save them,” says Stephanie K. Meeks, president and CEO of the NTHP. “From the East L.A. Chi
This summer’s pricey and ultra-competitive housing market may be spooking some would-be home buyers. Total mortgage application volume for home purchases and refinances dropped last week by 4.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted week-to-week basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association reports. Applications are now 12 percent lower than they were a year ago.Home loan applications led the decline, with total applications dropping 6 percent last week. P
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