News — Headlines

Residents Are Overwhelmingly Happy With Their Homeowner Associations, Survey Finds

More than eight in 10 residents who pay homeowner association dues describe themselves as satisfied with their living situations. Ninety percent of those who live in communities governed by an HOA believe that the guidelines protect or at least do not detract from their property’s value. Residents say that living in a clean and attractive community is the top benefit of paying HOA dues. Monthly...

Homeownership Is the Main Source of Wealth for Americans

Americans’ primary residences account for about 25 percent of their overall wealth, more than any other asset. Homeownership remains a cornerstone of the American Dream and also helps build strong communities and drive the U.S. economy. Nationwide, the homeownership rate remains below its long-term average of 66.3 percent. June is National Homeownership Month, and with it comes several reminders as to why owning a home...

As Summer Nears, Homeowners Have Outdoor Parties in Mind

Two-thirds of homeowners who are improving their outdoor spaces expect to spend more time outside, and just more than half say that they will entertain guests more often. As in 2017, fire pits are projected to be the most popular outdoor design amenity this year, cited by 66 percent of landscaping professionals. Of all outdoor home-improvement projects, adding native and drought-tolerant plants is expected to...

Real Estate Roundup: Which Silicon Valley Town Is America’s Wealthiest?

Here’s a look at recent news of interest to homebuyers, home sellers, and the home-curious. LOS ALTOS HILLS: THE MOST AFFLUENT COMMUNITY IN THE U.S. While Forbes ranked Atherton as the country’s priciest housing market as of late 2017, residents of nearby Los Altos Hills are actually the nation’s wealthiest. A 24/7 Wall St. analysis puts the median household income in Los Altos Hills at...

Where Will Mortgage Rates Land?

Executive Summary: Thirty-year, fixed-rate mortgages in 2018 have been rising at the fastest pace in 50 years and reached 4.66 percent for the week ended May 24 before dropping to 4.56 percent this week. However, mortgage rates did not increase proportionally to the federal funds rate determined by the Federal Reserve because they are determined by longer-term economic factors beyond solely the influence of central...

Video: May 2018 U.S. Jobs Report

Check out this short animation on today’s solid U.S. jobs report. To read the full analysis by Pacific Union Chief Economist Selma Hepp, click here. 

The May U.S. Jobs Report Is a Slam Dunk

Today’s national employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offered further confirmation of the U.S. economy’s strength, reporting an increase of 223,000 jobs in May. Job gains have averaged 202,000 per month in 2018. The current economic cycle is the longest continuous expansion on record, with 92 straight months of job additions. The national unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent, similar to April...

Home Sellers: Think Twice Before Using a Discount Brokerage

While so-called discount brokerages — those that reduce their real estate professionals’ commissions to drive market share — claim to save home sellers money, they can actually cause their clients to leave money on the table. First, it’s important to understand how the discount-brokerage business model works. Rather than working solely on commissions, as Pacific Union and other real estate brokerages do, real estate professionals...

U.S. Home Prices to Keep Rising for Rest of 2018, Forecast Says

The National Association of Realtors projects that U.S. home prices will increase by 4 percent in 2018. Between 2011 and 2017, home prices grew by more than three times faster than wages, worsening affordability. Although housing inventory conditions are at the lowest level in a generation, NAR expects that home sales will increase slightly year over year in 2018. The year 2018 is already almost...

Real Estate Roundup: U.S. Homes Are Selling Faster Than Ever This Spring

Here’s a look at recent news of interest to homebuyers, home sellers, and the home-curious. PERSISTENT INVENTORY CONSTRAINTS SUPPRESS APRIL U.S. HOME SALES Both homebuyer demand and tight inventory conditions continued in April, holding back sales and causing properties to fly off the market. The latest monthly existing home sales report from the National Association of Realtors says that U.S. properties sold in a median...