17% of buyers who couldn’t qualify for a mortgage should have better luck now that Fannie Mae includes rent history in its lending decisions. Lenders consider a history of on-time rent payments a strong predictor for whether borrowers will make regular mortgage payments.
People quit jobs if they grow discontented, and rising rental costs may be causing some discontent: 51.2% of workers say they plan to look for a new job this year.
Texas single-family landlords refused an applicant who wanted to create a group home for people with mental disabilities. HUD says that’s a fair housing violation.
Nationwide credit scores fall about 20 points in the months following a home purchase, but they bounce back fully in less than one year. In four Fla. cities included in a LendingTree study, the full credit-score rebound ranged from 332 days in Miami to 387 in Jacksonville.
Help generally comes in the form of support and listening, but the right balance can be challenging. Also: What should you do if a co-worker is being sexual harassed?
“Sharing data helps all of us,” said a speaker at NAR’s recent C5 Summit. But many commercial brokers avoid technology and keep info “close to the vest.”
MIT Study: Older Americans living in areas with shorter life expectancy (bottom 10%) live 1.1 years longer if they move to a peak area (top 10%) for life expectancy.
After weeks of little movement in the 2.88% range, the average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.01% this week. Economist cites “many factors” pushing the increase.
When creating a list of must-haves and would-likes, three out of four homebuyers include some consideration of disaster risk, according to a realtor.com study.
NAR Economist Yun credited “rising inventory and moderating price conditions” for bringing more buyers back to the market. A separate realtor.com survey found three Fla. metro areas to be “hottest markets,” including the areas around Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.