By Kerry Smith The fiscal year 2022 “Discretionary Funding Request” is a wish list, but it indicates priorities. The latest requests $68.7B for HUD, an increase of $9B over last year. WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration submitted its “Discretionary Funding Request (https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/FY-2022-Discretionary-Request/)” to Congress, which is essentially a wish list of funding preferences it hopes

By ~ Jessica Menton JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon calls robust consumer savings and a $2T infrastructure plan the economic “Goldilocks scenario” for fast and sustained growth into 2023. NEW YORK -JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said the U.S. economy is headed for a boom that could run well into 2023. In his annual letter

Pandemic-era demand has risen for pools and hot tubs. Zillow says “pool” was last year’s most common search term, and pool homes tend to get about 1% more than expected. NEW YORK -Last year, Zillow’s most frequently searched keyword was “pool,” which tends to be particularly common in the second home market. In addition to

For owners in forbearance, a possible foreclosure is closely tied to whether or not they’re working again. This spring, about 800K owners in forbearance – out of a total of 2.6 million homeowners hit the 12 – month mark, though a six-month extension may still be possible. LONGVIEW, Texas – Millions of U.S. homeowners facing

By ~ Kerry Smith 82% of Realtor buyer’s agents say staging helps buyers visualize a property; and 7 out of 10 agents say the pandemic added value to photos, videos and virtual tours. WASHINGTON – A new survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) finds that home staging continues to be a significant part

April 1st, 2021 While higher housing costs and mortgage rates will chip away at buyer demand, the sheer volume of current buyers makes the next buyers’ market appear far away. MECKLENBURG, Tenn. – Low rates of household formation since the Great Recession have caused 5.7 million “missing” households, a new Zillow analysis finds. These missing

By ~ Christopher Rugaber S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller: Prices rose 11.1% year-to-year in Jan., the biggest gain since March 2014. Prices rose in all 20 cities included in the report. WASHINGTON (AP) -U.S. home prices increased at the fastest pace in seven years in January as the pandemic has fueled demand for single-family houses even as

By ~ Kerry Smith Fla.’s House speaker and Senate president proposed a permanent two-thirds decrease in the state’s affordable housing trust funds. Florida Realtors immediately objected.   TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a surprise move, Florida House of Representatives Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson announced a funding change with a major impact on

In a strong statement, NAR Pres. says the current commission structure “ensures greater equity and equality for first-time, low-income, and many other homebuyers.” WASHIGTON – “Class action attorneys looking for a payout and those illegitimately trying to position themselves in the real estate market are trying to mislead people with misinformation and glaring omissions about

While lumber costs deserve a lot of the blame for the rising price of new homes, other things – crude oil (paint), drywall, ceramic tile -are also more expensive. NEW YORK – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic’s producer-price index reveals record prices for granite, insulation, concrete blocks and common brick for 2021. And as