Home Prices

For Homebuyers With Limited Savings, PMI Offers Possible Path to Ownership An analysis of data from U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI) shows that private mortgage insurance (MI) helped more than 800,000 low downpayment borrowers qualify for home financing in 2024.  Last year, homebuyers were forced to contend with constrained housing supply, high home prices, and elevated mortgage rates, but the report from U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI), 50 States of Low Down Payment Homebuying, highlights how hundreds of thousands of households across the country were able to become homeowners through low downpayment mortgages backed by private MI.  According to Bankrate, the median home […]

Which U.S. Housing Market Is Standing the Strongest? With home sales up twelve percent year-over-year, prices up an estimated eight point two percent, and the average seller selling for more than their list price, Milwaukee’s housing market is holding up better than any other major U.S. market. This is according to a recent report from Redfin, the Rocket-powered real estate agency. Chicago is the next Midwest center after Milwaukee. Along with rising prices and sales, Chicago is also experiencing a decrease in inventory and an increase in market speed, all of which are indicators of a robust market. Philadelphia, Minneapolis, […]

Homeownership Catching Up: Renter‑Buyer Gap Narrows. New data from Realtor.com shows that the median asking rent for zero to two bedrooms in June 2025 was down two point one percent year-over-year at $1,711. And after twenty three consecutive months of annual declines, the U.S. median rent in June was only $48 (negative two point seven percent) below its August 2022 peak. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, rents are still up by $268 (eighteen point six percent) over June 2019. Based upon Realtor.com’s findings, the financial gap between renting and buying seems to be closing across much of the U.S. “Even with […]

New Bill Empowers Homeowners to Appeal Bias in Home Appraisals U.S. Sen. Reverend Raphael Warnock and five of his Senate colleagues have introduced new legislation to address appraisal bias in the home buying and selling processes. Under the Appraisal Modernization Act, the nation’s homebuyers would be equipped with more data and tools to fight bias that would lower their homes’ values. The Appraisal Modernization Act would: Increase transparency to support oversight and enforcement against bias by requiring the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to publish an online database of property-level appraisal and other home valuation data that lenders collect in […]

Fannie/Freddie Approved to Use VantageScore 4.0 In a historic move described by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte as: “Today changes mortgages FOREVER,” the FHFA has announced that it will immediately implement the acceptance of VantageScore 4.0 for mortgages sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These mortgages account for a majority of the mortgages in the U.S. The decision modernizes the mortgage government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), ending a decades-long lack of credit score competition in the U.S. mortgage market.  “VantageScore thanks Director Pulte for his resolute focus on enacting credit score competition as required by the law, and promoting efficiency […]

The Homes Americans Are Buying Are Older Than Ever Highlighting how a lack of new construction over the past fifteen years has fast-tracked the aging of America’s housing stock, the typical home bought in the U.S. hit a record age of thirty six years in 2024, according to a new report from Redfin. That’s nine years older than the median age of homes purchased in 2012. Redfin analyzed MLS data, looking at the age of homes bought between 2012 and 2024. “Newer homes” were defined as being less than five years old, and “older homes” as being more than thirty […]

NAR claims real estate wins as House passes One Big Beautiful Bill Act The National Association of REALTORS® has claimed that the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in the House delivers significant victories for homeowners and real estate professionals. President Trump will now sign the legislation into law. NAR said that the bill features five key priorities, which include:  A permanent extension of lower individual tax rates. An enhanced and permanent qualified business-income deduction. A temporary, five-year quadrupling of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap beginning in 2025. Protection for business SALT deductions and 1031 like-kind exchanges. […]

Multifamily Mattapan development under review Kirk Phillips of Bigyard Realty, LLC has proposed a 40-unit residential development for a collection of vacant lots in Mattapan’s Franklin Field North section. Located at the corner of Wales Street and Browning Avenue, the five vacant parcels offer 25,694 square feet of underutilized space.Plans would create four studios, 15 one-bedroom, 13 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom units over five stories. The development would also feature shared outdoor spaces like fourth-floor roof decks, a ground-floor terrace and play areas, as well as underground parking. “The building is designed to provide appropriate access to daylight and fresh […]

New Worcester Development, The Cove, Embodies City’s Revival with Urban Appeal and Historic Flair Worcester, MA — Overlooking the lively Polar Park stadium and nestled in the heart of Worcester’s Canal District, The Cove, a newly opened 173-unit mixed-use apartment community, is redefining urban living in one of Massachusetts’ fastest-growing Gateway Cities. Developed by V10 Development and designed by The Architectural Team (TAT), the seven-story, 210,000-square-foot building blends modern amenities with historic sensibility, paying homage to Worcester’s industrial roots while meeting the demands of today’s renters.  Just months after opening, The Cove is already being recognized as a major draw […]

Median Condo Prices Decline Amid Rising Housing Fees In May, the median condo sale price in the U.S. dropped two point two percent year-over-year (YoY) to $354,100, the second-largest decline since 2012 according to a recent Redfin report. Condo prices only had a greater year-over-year fall in April 2023 (negative two point nine percent), and that was mostly due to the fact that prices peaked around a year earlier (this was true for all property categories). Because there are currently over 80% more condo sellers than buyers in the market, condo prices are declining. Due to rising insurance and HOA […]