Finance - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Warehouses, Storefronts Gain Value in States with Legal Cannabis

In states that have recently legalized cannabis, investors are moving quickly to buy warehouses and retail properties to open related businesses.Voters in Arizona, New Jersey, Montana, and South Dakota approved recreational cannabis in November 2020. Other states that have legalized it have also seen increased interest in similar properties shortly after bills were enacted into law.However, some commercial property owners may be hesitant to work

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The Top-Performing Housing Markets Right Now

Double-digit annual price increases are occurring in housing markets across the country as buyer demand soars. But which housing markets are showing the strongest performance?U.S. News & World Report examined 96 metro areas to identify the top housing markets for 2021. They factored in year-over-year gains in median home sales prices, the markets with some of the lowest drops in inventory (meaning more supply is available), median days o

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Mortgage Rates Rise to 3-Month High

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reversed course this week, moving up to a 2.81% average. That marks its highest point since mid-November, Freddie Mac reports.“Economic spending has improved, due to the most recent stimulus, but supply chain shortages are causing downstream inflation, leading to higher mortgage rates,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “While there are multiple temporary factors driving up rates, the underlyi

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Renters are Favoring Smaller Markets

Renters are being drawn to smaller markets due to their lower costs and the opportunity for more space amid the pandemic—but they may now be facing rising rental rates.“Although rents across the U.S. have been growing at a slower pace since the onset of COVID-19 and the major tech hubs continue to see declines, some markets are seeing rents grow by double digits,” says Danielle Hale, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “Many of the same fa

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Many Opportunity Zones Post Double-Digit Price Increases

Opportunity zones are proving to be a profitable investment to those who’ve turned to the tax break to redevelop low-income areas across the country.Median home prices increased from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the fourth quarter of 2020 in 77% of opportunity zones with sufficient data. What’s more, median prices rose by more than 10% in nearly two-thirds of the areas—in line with growth seen in areas outside opportunity zones, according

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Biden Extends Lifeline for Struggling Homeowners

Home foreclosures for federally backed mortgages will once again receive another three-month extension, moved back to June 30. The foreclosure moratorium originally was set to expire March 31.The moratorium is part of aid to help homeowners financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the second time that President Joe Biden’s administration has extended the moratorium since he took office on Jan. 21.The administration also announced it

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Average Mortgage Amounts Reach Record Highs

The average purchase loan amount has reached a new record high: $402,200, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. The higher-priced segment of the housing market continues to perform strongly, the MBA says.Mortgage amounts have been climbing to new record highs since April 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Mortgage applications for home purchases were up 17% last week over last year, the MBA reports.Home buyers are borrow

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88% of Metros See Double-Digit Price Gains

Higher home prices nationwide are hitting buyers’ pocketbooks. Eighty-eight percent of 161 metros tracked by the National Association of REALTORS® posted double-digit price increases annually in the fourth quarter of 2020. That marks a jump from 115 metros that posted such growth in the third quarter.The national median existing-home price jumped nearly 15% on a year-over-year basis in the fourth quarter to $315,900, NAR reports. All majo

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10 ZIP Codes with the Largest Growth in Home Equity

About 17.8 million residential properties in the U.S. with a mortgage were considered equity-rich in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm. That means the combined estimated amount of loans secured by those properties was 50% or less of their estimated market value.But some areas are seeing home equity grow faster than others. Overall, six of the 10 states with the bigge

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Investors Foresee Best ROI in Medical Facilities, Opportunity Zones

What will the real estate investment market look like this year? A new survey by Millionacres, a Motley Fool news service, surveyed 250 of its readers and real estate investing experts to learn their 2021 predictions.Investors are particularly bullish on medical buildings, with 39% of survey respondents saying such facilities will become the hottest type of commercial real estate property this year. Industrial follows at 32% as well as self-stora

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