Home Prices

Rodney E. Hood, Acting Comptroller of the Currency for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Homeownership as a Cornerstone to Generational Wealth  Rodney E. Hood, Acting Comptroller of the Currency for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), recently closed out the month of June, National Homeownership Month, with an address before the Detroit REACh Homebuyers Fair. Hood, named Acting Comptroller of the Currency on February 10, 2025, is the administrator of the federal banking system and CEO of the OCC. The OCC ensures that the federal banking system operates in a safe manner, provides fair […]

The Tax Man Cometh: Property Taxes on the Rise in Large Metros MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent Becoming a homeowner is a wonderful thing, but there is a piper to pay: property taxes. Median property taxes in the U.S. rose by an average of ten point four percent between 2021 and 2023, the latest year of available data, according to a new analysis by LendingTree. Property taxes vary widely across the fifty largest metros, from a low of one thousand and ninety one dollars to almost ten times that (nine thousand nine hundred and thirty seven dollars). Lending Tree’s analysis revealed […]

Gen Z Veterans Fuel Surge in VA Home Loans #MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent A new analysis of trends in VA loans has found that Generation Z veterans are increasingly using VA loans to buy and refinance homes.  The analysis, conducted by Veterans United Home Loans and based on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) lending data from the first half of fiscal year 2025, found that total VA loan volume is up forty five percent compared to the same period in 2024. VA purchase loans are up nearly ten percent, while refinance activity of VA loans has surged nearly one hundred and […]

Homebuyer Hurdles: Housing Costs Outpacing Income Growth MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent  A new study from JPMorgan Chase revealed how and why the road to homeownership is more difficult for first-time buyers now than it has been in decades. Housing affordability rapidly deteriorated as a result of post-pandemic increases in interest rates and home prices. According to a 2019 New York Fed survey of consumers, only one in five believed that home prices would increase by twenty percent or more over the next five years.  Indicating how far the housing market went in comparison to predictions, national home price indices increased by […]

One Big Beautiful Bill Off to White House for President’s Signature MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent President Trump’s $3.3 trillion One Big Beautiful Bill officially passed the House of Representatives Thursday July 3rd, after several sleepless sessions for both the House and Senate. The bill, focused on measures impacting taxes, the border, national defense, energy, and national debt, passed the House by a vote of 218-214. All but two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania, voted for the bill.  The measure now moves to President Trump’s desk for his signature, falling within Trump’s suggested July 4th […]

Shelter Inflation Relief on the Horizon? MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent According to the Realtor.com May Rent Report, although rents in the U.S. are still higher than they were before the pandemic, their growth over the last six years has not kept pace with both overall inflation and home prices. The median rent was $1,705 as of May 2025, up nineteen point six percent from the same period in 2019—less than the twenty five point six percent increase in consumer prices. In the coming months, Americans may anticipate additional relief from shelter inflation as market-based rents continue to decline. An important […]

Average U.S. Home Down Payment Drops  MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent Redfin reports that the typical U.S. homebuyer’s down payment is approximately $62,468, down by roughly one percent year-over-year, the first annual decline in nearly two years. For the report, Redfin analyzed county records across forty of the most populous U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). In percentage terms, the typical U.S. homebuyer puts down fifteen percent of the purchase price, essentially unchanged from fifteen point one percent a year earlier. The median U.S. down payment has been around fifteen percent for the last four years, dipping into the ten percent range […]

FHFA’s Pulte Considers Crypto for Mortgage Application Process MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent In the American mortgage market, cryptocurrency may someday be just as important as cash. Today, Bill Pulte, Director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), announced a ground-breaking initiative: the agency will investigate how cryptocurrency holdings affect mortgage eligibility. Pulte’s remark corresponds with the U.S.’ growing embrace of cryptocurrency under President Trump. Pulte was sworn in on March 14 following Trump’s nomination. According to public records, he holds up to one million dollars in bitcoin and Solana’s SOL ^145.29. He also has investments in MARA Holdings, a […]

Fair‑Housing Advocates Head to Court Over HUD’s Withheld Grant Awards MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent  On behalf of the Tennessee Fair Housing Council (TFHC) and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), Relman Colfax PLLC, a civil rights law firm committed to promoting justice and equity, filed a federal lawsuit contesting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) unprecedented and illegal denial to administer vital grant funding under the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, focuses on the Administration’s defunding of crucial federal housing enforcement programs. […]

CCIAOR: “More for sale signs” across Cape Cod MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent  May brought “welcome news” to the Cape Cod real estate market, according to a preliminary report released by the Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS. In May, seven hundred and ninety single family homes were listed on the Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service in Barnstable County, a sixteen point seven percent percent yearly increase. Condo listings saw an even bigger boost at two hundred and eighty three new listings, a sixty two point six perrcent increase.  Sales decreased slightly, with two hundred and forty nine […]