Pending Home Sales Rise in January to Highest Level in 18 Months

WASHINGTON (February 27, 2015) — Improved buyer demand at the beginning of 2015 pushed pending home sales in January to their highest level since August 2013, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All major regions except for the Midwest saw gains in activity in January. The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, climbed 1.7 … Read More

Bet on These Home Improvements in 2015

Bet on These Home Improvements in 2015 Daily Real Estate News | Thursday, February 19, 2015 If you’re considering giving your home an upgrade this year, it can be overwhelming to choose what home features need an overhaul. Trends seem to change all the time, and the last thing you want is to spend money on costly improvements that will … Read More

Mortgage Rates Fall Again

Daily Real Estate News | Friday, February 06, 2015 Average fixed-rate mortgages once again fell back to near 20-month lows. After rising slightly last week, mortgage rates reversed course this week, sending borrowing costs lower and allowing home buyers and refinancers to lock in rates that haven’t been this low since May 23, 2013, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly … Read More

Why Homebuyers Need to Act Now

Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, February 04, 2015 Home buyers need to move fast if they want to spend less, notes Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at realtor.com® in commentary at the site. “Delayed purchases will only result in higher monthly mortgage payments as prices and rates rise,” Smoke writes. Realtor.com® is forecasting that affordability may decline as much as … Read More

2015: The Breakout Year for Sellers?

Daily Real Estate News | Thursday, January 29, 2015 Home owners are living in their homes longer. Typically, home owners stay in their homes six or seven years before making a move. But in 2014, that number grew to a 10-year average, according to research by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR researchers are predicting that “pent-up sellers” will likely … Read More

Existing-Home Sales Rebound in December, 2014

WASHINGTON (January 23, 2015) – Despite low inventory conditions, existing-home sales bounced back in December and climbed above an annual pace of 5 million sales for the sixth time in seven months, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Median home prices for 2014 rose to their highest level since 2007, but total sales fell 3.1 percent from 2013. Total … Read More

Over a Decade, How Does the Market Fare?

Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, January 21, 2015 While home sales this year are lower than they have been over a 10-year average, prices and inventory are both beating the average, according to National Association of REALTORS® researchers. NAR’s Economists’ Outlook blog recently took a closer look at housing market conditions based on a 10-year average outlook to gauge … Read More

70 acres protected in Teton Canyon

The drive up Ski Hill Road to Grand Targhee Resort is awe-inspiring with breathtaking Teton mountain views. Thanks to the generosity of Frank and Maryann Russo, 70 acres of that magnificent beauty is now protected, forever. In July of 2014, the Russos purchased half of a 140-acre ranch at the base of Teton Canyon in a local auction. The Russo … Read More

One of the top states for public schools is … Wyoming?

By Emma BrownJanuary 8 Education Week has come out with its annual state rankings for public education, and topping the list are plenty of the usual suspects, many of them in the Northeast. But also making its debut in the top 10 is a surprise: Wyoming, a state better known for its cowboys than its excellent schools. Wyoming jumped from … Read More

90% of Mortgaged Homes Have Equity Again

Daily Real Estate News | Monday, January 12, 2015 About 273,000 homes returned to positive equity in the third quarter of 2014, bringing the total to 44.6 million of all properties with a mortgage, according to a newly released equity report from CoreLogic using data from the third quarter of 2014. That number represents around 90 percent of all mortgaged … Read More