National News

NAR: Existing-home sales fall for eighth month in a row in September 

Month over month in September, existing-home sales slid 1.5% to 4.71 million, which is 23.8% lower than the year before. 

Housing starts miss expectations in September 

New home construction missed analyst estimates in September, falling 8.1% month over month to an annual rate 1,439,000 homes, according to government statistics. 

Housing market hit hard as mortgage rates reach 20-year high, inflation woes grow

Mortgage rates rose to 6.9%, the highest they’ve been since April 2002.

First-time homebuyers bounce back amid rising rates

First-time homebuyers now make up 45% of current homebuyers, according to Zillow. The numbers represent a rebound from the lows of the pandemic.

Keller Williams expands to Switzerland 

The new franchise will be the brokerage’s 16th in Europe as it pursues other expansion opportunities around the world. 

Toll Brothers co-founder Robert Toll dies 

The former chairman and CEO of the homebuilder died of Parkinson’s disease at 81. 

Sammamish, Redmond, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Kirkland named among America’s best small cities

WalletHub compared more than 1,300 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across five metrics.

Kirkland named third-best place to live in the U.S.

Communities on the list were ranked based on economic opportunities, quality of life, diversity and where the best futures lie. 

Seattle housing market cooling faster than any other U.S. city

The markets cooling fastest are many of the same places that saw the biggest spikes in home prices during the last three years. 

Grady Ligon joins RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. as CIO

RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. has named Grady Ligon as its new chief information officer. Ligon brings 20-plus years of experience to the position, as well as his proven track record for integrating technology to enhance business growth.

CoreLogic: Pace of home-price increases slows for fourth month in a row in August 

Looking ahead, CoreLogic expects the year-over-year pace of home-price appreciation to slow to 3.5% by August 2023. 

Mortgage payments up 15% since mid-August

Market volatility is causing more and more homebuyers to delay or cancel plans to make a purchase.

Revive wins NAR Pitch Battle

The National Association of Realtors® has named Revive as the winner of the 2022 Innovation, Opportunity & Investment (iOi) Summit “Pitch Battle.”

NAR: 2022 Member Safety Report for residential real estate

While 23% of residential Realtors claim they have feared for their safety while on the job, 98% reported that they have never been the victim of a crime while at work.

NAR partners with National Forest Foundation to plant 1.575 million trees

NAR and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) plan to plant 1.575 million new trees by the end of 2025, thanks to a $1.575 million donation from NAR. That many trees will reduce 750,000 metric tons of carbon in the atmosphere — the equivalent of 145,931 homes’ yearly electricity use.

Guaranteed Rate unveils new Spanish-language mortgage program

The mortgage lending and digital finance company Guaranteed Rate has launched an extensive Language Access Program to expand services to Spanish-speaking clients. The program uses language and cultural information to create an inclusive and informative experience for all clients, regardless of their English proficiency.

Oops! We could not locate your form.