National News

NAR’s REALTORS® Relief Foundation offers grants to tornado victims

The REALTORS® Relief Foundation has offered more than $1.6 million in disaster relief aid to help victims of recent tornadoes in Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Seattle firms among top 100 in RealTrends 500 rankings

eXp Realty’s rank as the top brokerage by sides is up two spots from last year’s ranking. The brokerage also ranked fourth in the country for sales volume.

Optimism for spring selling season grows with third monthly rise in pending sales 

The National Association of REALTORS® Pending Home Sales Index rose for the third month in a row, suggesting the housing market’s contraction could be “coming to an end.” 

Pace of annual home-price gains slows again in latest Case-Shiller; Seattle sees 5.1% decrease

In Seattle, home prices fell 5.1% on a yearly basis and 1.4% on a monthly one. 

NAR Generational Trends Report: Millennials fall back while Gen Z doubles its market share

NAR’s annual Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report reveals that millennials are losing their market share — fast — while baby boomers and Gen Z make new gains.

New-home sales rise 1.1% in February as median-sales price surges 

The supply of new homes for sale ticked lower from February, according to government figures.

NAR: Existing-home sales jump in February, ending a year of declines 

The annual rate of 4.58 million sales was up 14.5% from January but down 22.6% from the February 2022 rate of 5.92 million. 

Realtor.com: Week of April 2 is best time to list in Seattle

Nationally, the week of April 16-22 is likely to provide sellers with the most favorable conditions for a successful sale of any week of the year, although the exact timing varies widely by market. 

How sellers can — and should — improve curb appeal

The vast majority of Realtors — 92% — suggest that sellers improve the “curb appeal” of a home before listing. But how exactly should they go about that?

Housing starts post major gains in February 

A shortage of existing-home inventory is driving more people to the market for newly built homes. 

Builder confidence rises again in March 

Homebuilders expressed “cautious optimism” that the lack of existing inventory would drive demand for new homes despite high construction costs and interest rates, the National Association of Home Builders reported.    

MBA: Mortgage applications rise 7.4% despite increased rates 

The Mortgage Bankers Association noted the increase in borrowing activity came despite the 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbing to its highest level since November 2022. 

CoreLogic: Home-price growth slides to June 2020 pace 

In January, home prices were up 5.5% annually and down 0.2% monthly, CoreLogic reported, citing its monthly Home Price Insights report. 

What history tells us about today’s interest rates

Keeping things in historical perspective can be tough when mortgage rates have roughly doubled in the last year. Mike Del Preto, a senior mortgage advisor at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, helps provide a closer look at the numbers.

The racial gap in homeownership rates endures 55 years after the Fair Housing Act

Nearly 55 years after the Fair Housing Act was signed into law, Black homeownership still lags behind white homeownership.

Zillow: Regrets from first-time sellers

Many feel they could have made a higher profit if they’d made better decisions. But are those regrets valid?

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