Is There Hope for American Home Buyers? There has never been a time when the US housing market has been this stagnant, convoluted, uncertain for buyers, financially strained, and utterly unaffordable. It’s frustrating for buyers and sellers, but more so because most Americans can’t grasp its current state or when buying conditions will brighten. For…
The High Cost of High Mortgage Rates As the brewing battle between President Trump and the FED intensifies, US homeowners face some anguish regarding mortgages and homeownership. With FED continuously creating excuses for keeping rates high with little evidence to support their decision, the housing market has suffered. Homeowners with mortgages can’t sell due to…
Why Homeowners Are Frozen in Place (And How to Warm them Up!) There is a big increase in home listings almost everywhere, as the economy goes through its changes. Still, sellers may be reluctant to let go of their properties and aren’t getting the support they need to let go at market price and move…
Home Buyer Traffic Falls along with Builder Sentiment NAHB reports a decline in homebuilder sentiment and they cite high mortgage rates, economic uncertainty and import tariff wars as the cause. The builder sentiment survey showed a decline of 2 points to 32, the 3rd lowest point in 10 years, and only the second decline since…
First-Time Buyers Average Age a Troubling Statistic Stats from NAR shows the age of first-time homebuyers keeps rising. Yes, it’s a problem. The stat actually reflects the greater problems of the economy and the population, that life is becoming unaffordable for most, and that few politicians and corporations are willing to do anything about it….
US Inflation Forecast 2025 & Next 5 Years As President Trump readies for his Presidential inauguration in one week, is there a problem lurking that could undermine his agenda for reviving America? Americans are enjoying a strong economy, great jobs market, and many are looking forward to the next 5 years as a golden era…
Compare Lowest Home Mortgage Rates Housing markets from Boston to Tampa to Los Angeles and Denver all crippled by the mortgage rate locked-in effect. Sellers can’t afford to sell their homes and adopt a new mortgage at a higher rate. For mortgage agents, it’s a frustrating situation as they wait for mortgage holders forced to…
Where is the Housing Market Headed Now? Last month, Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist held a conference to discuss the direction of the housing market. It’s good timing because this extreme conversion in US government philosophy is giving housing market forecasters big headaches. Which way will the US economy and housing market go? Zillow’s senior economist…
Rate Forecast: Are Lower Mortgage Rates Ahead? Will the FED lower rates in Mid September? And by how much? The next FOMC meeting will take place on September 17-18, 2024. If you’re a mortgage agent, these promise to be some lucrative times ahead as the refinancing wave begins. Actually, it’s already started and the banks…
Mortgage Refinancing Boom? It looks like we’re already into a mortgage refinancing boom period. As the FED lowers the central rate, banks and secondary market lenders will offer lower rate mortgages. You might consider a financial Tsunami, given how many mortgage holders need to refinance from now through 2026. When homeowners race in to refinance…
5 Year Forecast for the Housing Market What does the market crystal ball indicate about the 5 year outlook for US residential real estate markets? As the information below points out, the market is at its worst in 2024, mirroring 1992 numbers. Now it’s in waiting for a release from the shackles of high interest…
Mississauga Housing Market A quick look at home prices in Mississauga should raise some homeowner’s eyebrows. It would appear a trend away from Mississauga is underway. This might be a reflection of the slowdown in the Ontario economy, particularly manufacturing where Mississauga is so strong. In July, however the slowdown appeared to be significant. It’s…
When Will the Housing Market Unfreeze? Buyers can’t buy, sellers can’t sell. And this agony for buyers might not be eased within the next 12 months. Buyers/sellers, mortgage agents and Realtors all wonder when rates and home prices will fall. When will it all end? There’s a glimmer of hope that spring or H2 of…
2025’s Inflation Will Stay Low Politicians and the media tell us “it’s all about inflation” and that they’ve got the ultimate remedy. It may be their call for us to give up on an economic recovery, rely on debt spending, and accept a persistent, unpleasant fate. That’s not the fix or result Americans are wanting….
The US Needs Lower Interest Rates Now The current situation for the economy and the stock market is one of worry or fear over the US FED damaging the economy and ruining current investments and future business investment. The FED was late reacting to inflation which the US government created. Now it’s overshooting with smiles…
Dreaming of a Housing Market Crash? Both buyers and sellers in the real estate market are sensitive to market crash indicators and hype in the media. And when we hear commercial real estate is at risk of a market crash, buyer’s are on the alert. The exodus from urban areas, remote work, rising taxes in…
Homebuyers Income Jumped Last Year For Realtors, the 2024 housing market outlook is a little brighter. More listings, more sales, and homebuyers’ incomes have risen. Really, isn’t that all the good news Realtors need? Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors® himself predicts home sales likely will climb 14% this year. There’s…
Are Homeowners Getting Ready to Sell? While a few more buyers are able to buy a home, given savings and improving incomes are sellers willing and able to sell their homes? Buyers aren’t sure whether home prices will rise or fall this year, even if experts predict price rises. For sure, listings are up and…
Much Better Home Sales Season Ahead for Realtors The US Fed is likely to reduce the central lending rate slightly in July. What goes up must come down, the way it’s done after every recession the FED has launched. The rate decline will be minimal, however it still represents a signal of a trend and…
Are Home Prices About to Rocket? Everyone is waiting for interest rates to fall. That’s because those rates are what’s stopping the housing market specifically. High rates harm a lot of industries, but real estate is worst hit. It will recover quickly when rates go down. It’s those unwelcome interest rates that are preventing most…
The Rolling Question of a Housing Market Downturn Another year has passed, with buyers and sellers asking whether the housing market could crash? Would that be a good event for buyers, the homeless, and as a launch pad for a 2024 housing market resurgence? There are economists and housing market experts who extoll the…
Could the Housing Market Crash or at least Turn Down Hard? There are plenty of homebuyers still wondering when home prices might fall back to affordable levels. And too, they ask if a housing market crash is possible. Most economists and housing experts of recent believe there won’t be a crash. If terrible things were…
Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC) We don’t often think of the housing market as a store of usable wealth. Yet, a good portion of the wealth created by people is sunk into this one investment. That means the value is leveraged by the banks when they lend out. They enjoy the profit from having…
Is the Housing Market Recovering? The housing market in 2020 took at sharp hit when the Covid 19 disease came ashore in the US. But this steep drop had to be followed by a sharp uptick at some point and it looks like it’s in full swing now. So what does a post Corona Virus…
Is Canadian Real Estate in for a Big Price Drop? Even in the wake of the deadliest health epidemic of the last century, the Toronto housing market and Vancouver housing market did not crash. And if China had not released its deadly disease, the housing markets would have been roaring right now. It’s like science…
Why Are There So Few Toronto Homes for Sale? The shortage of houses for sale is a topic has been discussed well on this housing blog for many years now. Not enough pressure has been put on government to promote housing market health. Instead, political ideologies have suppressed the market and now these shortages were…
Housing Prices Dropping Nationwide Everyone knows home prices and condo prices are falling right now, but no one is reporting data on the rapid decline. One recent unofficial report was a 10% decline recently, but that’s before the state of emergency. The Corona Virus Pandemic was sudden and it’s beginning to take its toll on…
Cheaper Mortgage Rates What’s the immediate forecast for mortgage rates? Lower and perhaps even lower. If you’re buying a home or condo in 2018/2019, you’ll want to buy your mortgage in the next 6 months. The economy is improving and mortgage rates will rise. Shopping online means time saved, no sore feet, no parking hassles or…