It is not “first comes love, then comes marriage,” but for many women, “first comes homeownership,” according to First American Chief Economist Odeta Kushi.

Lenders issued $1.06 trillion worth of mortgages in the fourth quarter of 2020 with refis contributing to the boost.

“More jobs are very likely, due to the near certain passage of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package and from two million vaccinations per day,” National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun said in a release.

The stimulus bill includes aid for state and local governments, new homeowners, small businesses and renters.

The House of Representatives has approved the Equality Act, which establishes legal safeguards to prevent discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation.

The increase follows a decline earlier in February that cut the number of homeowners in forbearance plans to less than 2.7 million, the first dip below that threshold since April 2020.

The National Association of Real Estate Brokers has joined the RE/MAX Strategic Alliances program to help grow homeownership among minority groups.

The median sales price in the first month of 2021 was up 11.8% from January 2020 to $285,000, nearly matching the record high of $290,000 set last August.

This German Catholic church and adjoining schoolhouse, built in the late 19th century, has been converted to a B&B, event hall and duplex — it even comes with its own fully functioning restaurant.

Redfin homes on the market in Seattle faced bidding wars in January at a rate of 73.8%, up from 66.5% in December 2020.

After declining for years, the size of new single-family homes has begun to level off as consumers spend more time at home, a National Association of Home Builders analysis found.

NAR put together its “Snapshot of Race and Home Buying in America” report to study the hurdles that persistently block minorities from owning homes.

The study dispels a long-held belief that nearby homes lose value once low-income housing is built in an area.

“In the final months of 2020, single-family rents posted the highest increases in over four years,” said Molly Boesel, principal economist at CoreLogic. “However, single-family rent price reaction to the pandemic and resulting recession differed greatly across metros.”

The top reason why long-time searchers have not purchased a home is because 40% say they were outbid.

The report added that vacation homes and affordable homes in small towns near major urban centers were in strong demand as a result of the pandemic.