Last week's economic reports included readings on the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index, Commerce Department releases on Housing Starts and Building Permits issued and weekly reports on new jobless claims and mortgage rates. Builder Sentiment Holds Steady, Demand for Homes Pushes Builders November's reading for the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index held steady with a reading of 65. Any reading above 50 indicates that a majority of home builders surveyed has a positive view of current and future housing market conditions. Tight supplies … [Read More...]
Real estate may be one of the most important things that you will ever invest in, but it can also be a useful means of increasing your financial well-being. If you're getting into the real estate game and are wondering how you can make use of investing in homes to improve your net worth, here are three ways you can successfully work towards a real estate investment portfolio that will make you proud. Home Equity Line of Credit Loan Also known as HELOC, this is the type of loan where a homebuyer taps into the equity of their home while they are still paying off their mortgage. As the equity … [Read More...]
According to the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index for November, builder sentiment was unchanged at a reading of 63. Readings above 50 indicate that a majority of builders are confident about housing market conditions. Readings for three sub-indexes used to calculate the Housing Market Index Readings for builder confidence in current market conditions and market conditions within the next six months were posted at 69. The reading for buyer foot traffic in housing developments was 47. Buyer traffic has not reached the benchmark reading of 50 since the peak of the … [Read More...]
Do you believe that humans are changing the climate? As of today, the debate over carbon dioxide and climate change continues to rage. But regardless of your political standpoint, there's always a case for reducing electricity use. Because who doesn't like saving money, right? Let's explore a few ways that you can save energy while reducing your home's carbon footprint. Leverage The Power Of Automation The technology behind home automation is improving at an amazing rate. Thermostats from companies like Nest make home heating and cooling simple. They learn from your use to automatically set … [Read More...]
Even small spaces can feel spacious when the art of storage is mastered. Here are 7 inexpensive storage hacks to free up space in your home. 1. Racks On Racks On Racks It's often the first mess you see when walking into someone's home a clutter of shoes sprawled out by the entrance. Take care of this mess with a shoe rack, which will only take up a few feet of space but allow you to store numerous pairs of kicks. 2. Fold & Hang Not your clothes, your chairs! If you don't use chairs often or rarely eat at the table, consider buying folding chairs instead as they can easily be put away … [Read More...]
Last week's economic news included readings on job openings, consumer sentiment and the Federal Reserve's monthly survey of senior loan officers. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also released. Freddie Mac noted that last week's primary mortgage market survey did not include post-election readings as the survey information was gathered prior to election results. Loan Officers Survey: High Demand for Home Loans, Commercial Lenders Raise Standards As demand for mortgage financing and homes increase, the Federal Reserve reported last week that banks are tightening the … [Read More...]
