31 Dec 2018
By Aadil Nathoo

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – December 31st, 2018

Financial Reports, ,
Last week's economic reports included readings from Case-Shiller Housing Market Indices, National Association of Realtors® on pending home sales and weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims.   The Commerce Department's reading on sales of new homes was delayed due to the federal government's shutdown. Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Lowest in Two Years Home price growth was nearly nil with October's month-to-month reading of 0.40 percent; The Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index showed a year-over-year home price growth rate of 5.50 percent, which matched September's year-over-year reading. Las Vegas, Nevada led home price growth in the 20-city index…
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28 Dec 2018
By Aadil Nathoo

How Tech Can Change the Real Estate Process

Real Estate, ,
Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and drone video are just a few of the ways that technology is changing the real estate industry. If you are in the market for a property, understanding these new processes can help you in many ways. Using Artificial Intelligence Doing business with an AI-infused process helps you more quickly identify properties that meet your standards. AI also reduces human error in the closing process. Agents using AI can get you more information about properties more quickly, and they can also cut the fat out of the close, possibly saving you money. Using Virtual Reality Taking…
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27 Dec 2018
By Aadil Nathoo

4 Reasons Why Home Ownership Is Better Than Renting

Real Estate, ,
Are you trying to decide if you should rent or buy? There are many reasons why home ownership is better than renting. Here are just a few to consider when you're making your decision. 1. Stability For Your Family When you own your home, the life of your family will be more stable. If you have children, this is a an even more valuable benefit. Your kids will be able to settle down into the routine of school and extracurricular activities. They'll be able to make lifelong friends in the neighborhood. You and your spouse will be able to feel…
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26 Dec 2018
By Aadil Nathoo

FOMC Raises Key Rate, Forecasts 2 Rate Hikes in 2019

Real Estate, ,
During its post-meeting statement, the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve announced that its target range for the Fed's key interest rate would increase one quarter percent to 2.25 to 2.50 percent. While this rate hike was not expected by the Executive branch, it met analyst expectations. FOMC said in its customary post-meeting statement that members expect to make two interest rate hikes in 2019 as compared to three rate hikes in 2018 and the Committee's original forecast of three rate hikes in 2019. Given current economic conditions, the Fed forecasted only one rate hike for 2020. Hawks…
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24 Dec 2018
By Aadil Nathoo

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – December 24th, 2018

Financial Reports, ,
Last week's economic news included readings from the National Association of Home Builders, Commerce Department readings on housing starts and National Association of Realtors® report on sales of previously-owned homes. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and first-time jobless claims were also released. NAHB: Home Builders Lose Confidence as Housing Crunch Continues Homebuilder confidence fell to a 36 month low in December as homebuilder concerns over rising home prices, high mortgage rates and decreasing inventories of available homes sidelined home buyers. The NAHB Housing Market Index fell four points to 56. Components of the Housing Market Index reading also fell as…
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