Category: Housing
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2016 Real Estate Trends
The recently released Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2016 report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) suggests that established hubs like New York and Washington, D.C. are losing steam, and developing cities in quieter markets may well be on their way to becoming the next great American metropolises.
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House Passes TRID Grace Period Bill
There is no question about it; the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule transforms the way business is done in the mortgage industry. After multiple postponements, TRID was officially implemented on October 3 with the assurance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that there would be an informal grace period carried out at least through…
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A Day Away from TRID
The TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule consolidates four mortgage forms into two; the RESPA Good Faith Estimate and Initial Truth-In Lending disclosure have been combined to create the Loan Estimate form, and the RESPA HUD-1 and the Final Truth-In Lending Disclosure now comprise the Closing Disclosure.
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The Need for Inclusionary Housing
As the improving economy allows American cities to renovate and rebuild, existing home prices consequently rise, and in many cities flagrantly price out low-income families. This phenomenon has led to segregated communities, and has behooved inclusionary measures to ensure integration in American neighborhoods.
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Military Lending Final Rule
Last week, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a final rule modifying regulations set forth in the Military Lending Act (MLA). Passed by Congress in 2006, the MLA was created to protect active duty service members and their families from elevated interest rates in credit transactions, limiting the Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) to 36…
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HUD and FHA Encourage Home Inspections
It is a good time to be an American consumer. Last decade’s housing bubble left behind a collapsed market and millions of disheartened and mistreated homebuyers. If the current effort to protect consumers suggests anything, it’s that if a phenomenon like the housing crisis occurs again, it will not be as a result of inattention…
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Single-Family Home Rental Sector
In its aftermath, the American housing bubble left millions of discarded single-family homes. Slowly but surely, these homes have come off the market in the past few years. Some were bought, and countless others were purchased by investors and put out to rent. Currently, the number of homes for sale in the United States is…
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Home Sharing: Cut Costs and Gain Companionship
With the booming sharing economy, most people are familiar with popular home sharing sites such as Airbnb which offers temporary housing in widespread locations. But let’s take it to another level: permanent home sharing.
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Mother Nature: Droughts and Floods
If you look back on the last decade, a lot has been written about global warming and how Earth is shifting. With flooding occurring in some parts of the country and droughts in others, it is a crucial time to remain attune to earth’s changes. Regardless of your beliefs on global warming, an increasing amount…
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Real Estate Agents and the Senior Citizen Homeowner
The population of seniors in the United States is increasing rapidly due to the aging baby boomer generation, and some cities are experiencing more rapid growth than others. It is therefore important for real estate agents to be aware of these locales, and understand the best ways to sell to senior citizens.