Are Open Floor Plans Just Too Open?

Higher Hurdle Set for Riskier FHA Applications

The FHA's new standards could affect about 4 percent of mortgage applications annually.

LGBT Say Discrimination Fears Keep Them From Buying

Housing discrimination is the main culprit behind the sagging homeownership rates among the LGBT community, a new report finds.

Realistic Laws Can Help Brokers Protect Data

A REALTOR® tells Congress NAR has always protected consumers’ sensitive data and urges consistency across states as new laws are developed.

New Leader Emerges in ‘Nation’s Largest Real Estate Firms’ Report

REAL Trends releases its annual report showing the nation’s largest residential brokerages based on transaction sides. View who topped the list this year.

New-Home Construction Slows, But Builders Call the Numbers ‘Deceiving’

Builders added fewer homes to the pipeline in February, but the homebuilding tradegroup say the numbers may be misleading to the extent of last month’s actual shortfall.

Lower rates attract buyers. Although demand for high-end homes and properties in certain parts of the country has softened, overall demand is strong as people respond to declining borrowing costs and rising inventory levels. The housing market is moving at its briskest clip since late 2015 after declining for several months in a row, according to the latest existing-home sales data from the National Association of REALTORS®. “Right now we are seeing a revival of buyer interest,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said on CNBC. “If one looks at the closing data it is [showing a] sharp increase in the latest month … buyers are clearly taking advantage of the lower interest rates.”