The number of equity-rich properties in the U.S. may have reached a tipping point, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ First Quarter 2018 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report. Equity-rich properties in the U.S. in the second quarter are down from their peak in the second quarter of 2017. ATTOM Data Solutions defines “equity rich” as borrowers who have at least 50 percent equity in their property.“We’ve reached a tipping point in this
Homeownership is still considered vital to the American dream. But for many Americans, joining that dream also means living in a place of economic opportunity and diverse communities.SmartAsset, a personal finance resource, ranked the best places for living the American dream by looking at five key metrics: homeownership rates, diversity rates, upward mobility rates, median home values, and unemployment rates.According to the study’s finding
May marks a golden opportunity for homeowners to assess their home and ensure everything is in tip-top shape before the summer months begin. HouseLogic recently provided a checklist that you can use to save both time and money.For smart homeowners, these four tasks are essential for the month of May: A new refrigerator. If your current fridge is leaky, not cooling enough, or tight on storage space, consider buying a new model this month. May is
Bathrooms have overtaken kitchens as the most popular remodeling project, according to a newly released survey by the National Association of Home Builders."Small-scale renovations are slowly becoming just as popular as large-scale projects, as seen with bathroom remodeling becoming more common than kitchens," says 2018 NAHB Remodelers Chair Joanne Theunissen. "Home owners are finding cost-effective and [faster] upgrades can also add comfort and
wo U.S. agencies are combining their efforts to bring new levels of safety to public roadways.With buyers increasingly interested in walkable communities and self-driving cars edging their wayonto public streets, the National Safety Council is rolling out Road to Zero, designed with the U.S. Department of Transportation and over 600 industry groups. Road to Zero's goal is to eliminate traffic deaths by 2050.A recent report by the RAND Corp. la
DocuSign, the e-signature company that helped usher in the era of digital real estate closings, debuted as an initial public offering on April 27 and is off to a strong start. Shares of DocuSign ended up 37 percent higher by the end of its first day of trading on the Nasdaq. DocuSign is NAR’s official and exclusive eSignature provider under the REALTOR Benefits® Program and an NAR Strategic Investment Company.DocuSign priced its IPO at $29 a
Second Century Ventures, an investment arm of the National Association of REALTORS®, named eight startups to its 2018 REach Accelerator Class. REach is a technology accelerator program that helps launch early- to mid-stage companies into real estate, financial services, banking, home services, and insurance industries. Companies selected get access to NAR’s industry expertise and influence as they launch into the real estate space.The companie
Student housing has long been attractive to real estate investors. So where are developers adding the most inventory? Student housing developers aren’t branching out much, but instead are staying by larger universities they know can deliver.“Tier one markets continue to attract the most development and are still being targeted by the institutional capital that is pouring into the space,” Taylor Gunn, the student housing analytics lead for M
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has reached a settlement in three states with housing industry participants over sexual harassment charges. HUD announced a recent initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing.The settlements were reached with housing authorities in Florida, Virginia, and California. The three settlements total about $125,000 going to victims.“Landlords are required to comply with the Fair Housing Act, th
New Jersey homeowners pay the most in property taxes in the nation, and homeowners there also find taxes make up some of the highest percentages of their total housing costs in the nation. A new study by SmartAsset, a personal finance resource, found that seven cities—five of which are in New Jersey—had property taxes that were more than 30 percent of the cost of owning a home. The average effective property tax in New Jersey is 2.19 percent,
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