The pandemic and work-from-home orders have changed where, when and why people buy homes. As a result, housing prices hit the highest median of all time in 2021, as the number of homes for sale fell to an all-time low and the demand for second homes surged, according to a new Redfin report. 

The National Association of REALTORS®  applauded President Joe Biden’s nomination of acting Federal Housing Finance Agency director Sandra Thompson to serve in a permanent capacity.. “Her talents and experience will benefit the enterprises, homeowners and home buyers and the mortgage-financing ecosystem,” NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith said in a press release.

LoanSnap said it used  its innovative AI technology, affectionately called Nell, to close the loan in the record-breaking amount of time.

“November’s housing starts report signals strength for the housing market.”  — First American deputy chief economist Odeta Kushi

In unveiling its predictions, the National Association of Realtors also released its top 10 housing-market “hidden gems” for 2022.

As the Seattle real estate market eases into its usual winter hiatus, high home prices and mortgage rates, low inventory and stiff competition continue to stand in the way of seasoned homeowners and first-time home buyers.

The listing also shows Santa’s North Pole estate’s value has skyrocketed this year.

“While 2021 single-family starts are expected to end the year 24% higher than the pre-Covid 2019 level, we expect higher interest rates in 2022 will put a damper on housing affordability.” — NAHB chief economist Robert Dietz

Louie the Sheep is a local legend in Australia — and his rainbow-hued, modern farmhouse is up for sale.

As part of an ongoing relationship with the Food Recovery Network (FRN), the National Association of Realtors provided roughly 3,475 meals to Americans in the past six months, according to a press release. 

Millennials are at the greatest risk of becoming house-rich and cash-poor as the generation is spending the highest percentage of their monthly income on homeownership costs compared to other generations, according to a new Hometap report.

While the real estate market is finally showing signs of cooling after a year of skyrocketing home prices and bidding wars, desirable metros across the U.S., including in Florida, Washington and Massachusetts, can expect a big year in 2022.

For the past 100 years, the suburbs of King County have grown at a faster rate than the city of Seattle. However, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, the suburbs’ long run is officially over — at least for now. 

While buyer preferences for more space — both inside and outside the home — remain and supply chain issues continue to stifle home construction efforts, other factors, such as the potential increase in interest rates, are expected to change the game in 2022.

The decline in mortgage rates prompted an uptick in refinancing, with government refinances increasing more than 20% over the week, MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting Joel Kan said in a press release.

The REACH program aims to identify and accelerate the most promising new technology companies in real estate and adjacent industries, including banking, insurance and home services.