Source: Sacramento Bee - Home equity loans and lines of credit are making a comeback. Not long ago, homeowners who had some equity often used cash-out refinances to pay for home remodeling, to consolidate debt or pay for a child's school tuition. But that was when mortgage rates were lower. As mortgage interest rates increase, [...]
Source: San Jose Mercury News - There was a time when a million-dollar home was something families drove by on a Sunday outing to get a glimpse of how rich folks lived. But now they're more common than Starbucks, at least around here. Fueled by the booming tech economy and seemingly insatiable demand for housing, [...]
Source: Sacramento Bee - For home buyers in the Sacramento region, it’s better at the top. Anyone shopping for a home today under $500,000 is likely to find frustratingly few choices. Although inventory has doubled from historic lows last year, the region’s most popular price range – roughly $200,000 to $450,000 – remains a strong [...]
Source: Inman News - Weaker housing and economic news is offsetting the impacts of Fed tapering, keeping a lid on mortgage rates even as the government gradually scales back its massive purchases of Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities that helped keep borrowing affordable during the downturn. A weekly survey by Freddie Mac shows rates on 30-year [...]
Source: CNN/Money - In many hot housing markets, bidding wars have been breaking out on a regular basis - and some house hunters are getting beaten out time and again. But it's not always about who has the most money. Sellers will accept lower offers if it means less hassle. "What sellers really don't want [...]
Source: San Jose Mercury News - In a milestone for the Bay Area housing market, April's home prices reached the highest levels since just before the recession began, with Santa Clara County hitting a new peak in records going back 26 years, according to a report Wednesday. Prices for single-family homes across much of the [...]
Source: Inman.com - When it comes to selling a home, one of the most difficult pieces of the puzzle is pricing. And for real estate agents, it can be one of the most difficult conversations to have with your clients. Sellers don’t want to come in too low and leave money on the table, but [...]
Source: CNN/Money - The average interest charged to borrowers for a 30-year, fixed rate loan fell to 4.21% from 4.29% last week, according to Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage rate report. Rates have not been this low since the week of November 7, when they were at 4.16%. The 15-year, fixed rate mortgage, a popular loan [...]
Source: Realtor.com - Chalk up another win for San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana. The NFL Hall of Fame quarterback has scored a home sale in the Bay Area, parting ways with a unit at the Millennium Tower in downtown San Francisco. Montana had asked as much as $1.75 million for the condo when he [...]
Source: Inman.com - California home sales fell year over year for the seventh straight month in February, though inventory rose as sellers gear up for the spring homebuying season, according to the California Association of Realtors. Existing, single-family home sales in the Golden State last month fell 0.7 percent from January and 13.7 percent from [...]