Tech problems have taken on greater significance in 2020 as more people work from home. One of the biggest complaints is a bad internet connection.Sometimes even the best internet connection can stall. What can you do?As a first step, restart. Power down your router and modem. On your device, close any apps you don’t need to make sure other background systems aren’t draining your device.Then run an internet speed test to check on your co
Young Americans are rushing to become homeowners in the pandemic. While the overall homeownership rate dipped slightly in the third quarter from the previous quarter’s high, it continues to grow among those under the age of 35. Americans in that category had a homeownership rate of 40.2% last quarter, up from 37.5% a year earlier, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data.Competition in the housing market has accelerated during t
Home sales are rapidly increasing during the pandemic, but the most dramatic spike is occurring at the top of the market. Sales of homes costing $1 million or more have more than doubled since last year. “I don’t ever recall home sales doubling in a 12-month time span,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS®, told NPR. This is “very unusual.”Home sales in luxury vacation hotspots have accelerated since
Renters are increasingly showing desire for a single-family home with a yard or other outdoor area, a potential golden opportunity for builders to grow the single-family built-for-rent market. “The COVID-19 pandemic has many persons decamping from the big city to outlying areas in search of housing types that are more suburban in nature, which closely mirrors what built-for-rent communities are delivering,” says Scott Adams, senior princ
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit its 11th record of the year this week, averaging 2.80%—the lowest rate ever recorded by Freddie Mac.“Mortgage rates remain very low, providing homeowners who have not already taken advantage of this environment ample opportunity to do so,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Mortgage rates today are on average more than a full percentage point lower than rates over the last five years. Th
Single-family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages who are struggling financially amid the pandemic now have through Dec. 31 to submit an initial forbearance request. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced this week that it's extending the deadline, originally set for Oct. 30, for those needing to make an initial COVID-19–related forbearance request to their lender.The change puts FHA’s forbearance
Home sales and home prices are increasing by double digits, with homes flying off the market in record time. Existing-home sales increased for the fourth consecutive month in September, up nearly 21% compared to a year ago, the National Association of REALTORS® reported on Thursday. All major regions of the U.S. saw month-over-month and annual gains in September. The Northeast experienced the largest increase in home sales.“Home sale
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As October began, homebuilding starts were up more than 8% compared to a year ago. But that increase in new homes on the market is still not enough to meet demand, says Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS®. Housing starts in September were at a 1.42-million-unit production level on an annualized basis, but Yun says the annualized number of permits, 1.55 million homes, will better meet housing demand. Permit
The need for curb appeal continues to increase, especially as many local buyers hesitate to enter unfamiliar homes and distant buyers narrow their home-shopping lists from afar in the pandemic. A dismaying front yard may prompt them to move on, whether in person or on the internet.“You only get one chance to make a first impression, and it happens when a potential buyer sees the exterior of your home,” Kate Rumson, interior designer and Trane
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