Housing Headlines
ECONOMIC NEWS
MarketWatch
Home prices are still on fire, Case-Shiller data show
The S&P/Case-Shiller national index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5% in the three-month period ending in January, and was up 6.2% compared to a year before. The 20-city index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% for the month, and 6.4% for the year. MarketWatch
Pending home sales rebound in February even as Realtors slash 2018 sales forecast
Pending-home sales rose 3.1% to 107.5 in February, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. Economists had forecast a 3.0% increase. Mortgage News Daily
How homeownership affects household wealth
It is conventional wisdom that homeownership is key to household wealth, and the National Association of Home Builders makes a convincing argument for that theory in its Eye on Housing blog.
HousingWire Millennials will spend 45% of income on rent before age 30
As rent prices continue to rise, a new study shows Millennials are paying about 45% of their total income toward rent, and pay out close to $100,000 toward rent before they turn 30. Forbes
Selling your home may be pricier than you expect
It's a seller's market, for sure, with tight housing markets across the country and home values that have risen 7.6% in the last year alone, according to Zillow. But if you're thinking of cashing in your chips and recouping some of the value you've gained in your homestead by selling it, you should know that selling a house can cost more than $18,000 The New York Times
What to expect from the housing market this spring
This spring's home sales season is shaping up to be the most interesting one in years. Realtor Magazine
What is a seller's market? A tough road for home buyers
What is a seller's market? Simply put, it's a market where there are more home buyers than sellers. Based on basic laws of supply and demand, this means sellers have the upper hand: They will likely sell their place quickly, perhaps for over asking price, with a minimum of fuss or pushback from buyers. The Wall Street Journal
Apartment rents stay steady despite new supply
The apartment rental market softened in the first quarter, but not as much as expected given a surge in new supply. (Subscription may be required.) National Mortgage News
Housing bubble or not, the real estate market is in trouble
HOUSING POLICY
The New York Times
Under Ben Carson, HUD scales back fair housing enforcement
The Trump administration is attempting to scale back federal efforts to enforce fair housing laws, freezing enforcement actions against local governments and businesses, including Facebook, while sidelining officials who have aggressively pursued civil rights cases. Bloomberg
Silicon Valley execs champion controversial housing bill
California is bracing for a high-profile fight over the state's housing crisis. It's a clash that pits Silicon Valley technology executives, who want to cut regulations that make it hard to build multi-story apartment buildings, against existing home owners and affordable housing advocates. The New York Times
Facebook vowed to end discriminatory housing ads. Suit says it didn't.
Fair housing groups filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday saying that Facebook continues to discriminate against certain groups, including women, disabled veterans and single mothers, in the way that it allows advertisers to target the audience for their ads. The suit comes as the social network is scrambling to deal with an international crisis over the misuse of data belonging to 50 million of its users.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Los Angeles Times
Boost to affordable housing is part of new $1.3-trillion federal budget
In passing a $1.3-trillion spending package, Congress didn't just avert a government shutdown. It also provided a boost to affordable housing developers who say their projects have been delayed — even killed — by recent tax law changes. HOUSING FINANCE NEWS American Banker
FHFA still eyeing 2019 for implementation of new credit score model
