While housing affordability has been getting a hand from lower mortgage rates, it wasn’t enough to lift new-home sales last month.Sales of newly built single-family homes underperformed in what is traditionally the busiest time of year in the housing sector. New-home sales dropped 7.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 626,000 units in May, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Tuesday. The number represents signed contracts, not closings
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the sponsored government enterprises that support the bulk of U.S. mortgages, are making it easier to buy a manufactured home, but observers say not enough of the public may be enticed.A year ago, Fannie Mae debuted a program that essentially regards high-end manufactured homes the same as on-site homes when it comes to financing. Freddie Mac followed suit in the spring. Fannie and Freddie hope that by offering more re
The era of real estate-focused reality television is encouraging too many homeowners to put aesthetics before function in their remodeling projects, industry experts note in a recent Forbes.com article. For example, the trend toward no-door kitchen cabinetry, which has been made popular by home improvement shows, isn’t a smart choice for a homeowner who isn’t a neat freak or who doesn’t have matching dishes.“Everyone wants a kitchen or ba
As homes age, more homeowners are looking to remodeling to spruce up their properties. Of the nation’s stock of 137 million units, nearly 80% are at least 20 years old, and 40% are at least 50 years old.Freddie Mac says its new mortgage product is to help home buyers finance or refinance fixer-uppers. Eligible buyers will be able to finance the purchase of their home and the cost of renovations into a single-close mortgage.“Research indicates
Builders constructed fewer single-family homes last month, but permits are on the rise, a signal that more new homes are eventually coming.Total housing starts, including for single-family and multifamily construction, dropped slightly by 0.9% in May compared to the month prior, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday.But builders were hopeful for a turnaround from last month’s uptick in permits, a gauge of future construction. Single-famil
For Sale signs in front of places of worship are becoming more common as attendance at smaller churches dwindles. Some developers and home buyers are stepping in to transform the churches into their new home. A handful of former churches are being converted into single-family homes or apartments.In the U.S., church membership has been decreasing over the past two decades. About 50% of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque in 2018,
Indoor air quality is one of the top five environmental risks to public health, researchers say. After all, most people spend 90% of their time indoors, whether in homes, office buildings, or other structures. Ventilation is the “new frontier for making houses healthy,” Carl Seville of SK Collaborative, a green building consulting and certification firm, told Forbes.com in a recent article.There’s reason for the added attention. R
PPG, a paint firm and color forecaster, released its early picks of inspiring hues for 2020. If the predictions are right, you’ll be seeing much more blue in home decor next year. PPG announced on Monday that Chinese porcelain is its 2020 color of the year.The shade is a blend of cobalt mixed with some muted navy tones intended to instill calmness and restful sleep, the paint firm says. Blues have been steadily gaining popularity over
The kitchen is often considered the centerpiece of a home, so it’s not surprising that it tops most homeowners’ renovation lists. Homeowners are spending more to outfit their kitchens, too. Kitchen remodel spending jumped 27% in the past year, reaching a median of $14,000 on upgrades, according to a newly released Houzz & Home survey of more than 140,000 homeowners.After the kitchen, the next biggest remodeling expenditures are for guest
The fastest-growing builders in the nation are those who’ve been catering to the lower range of the price spectrum. Their focus on affordability is allowing them to win greater market share and sales volumes, a new study says.Ever year, BUILDER compiles Builder 100 data to see which new-home builders are seeing the biggest sales volume and production.Century Communities was the fastest-growing public builder in unit volume, based on its rate of
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