Housing

FHFA: Public Input Period Extended for Proposed Duty to Serve Evaluation Guidance

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced today that it is extending the public input period on its proposed Evaluation Guidance for the Duty to Serve program.  The input period is now extended from May 15 to June 7, 2017. The proposed Evaluation Guidance, released January 18, communicates FHFA’s expectations regarding the process for developing…

FHFA: Public Input Requested on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Proposed Underserved Markets Plans for Duty to Serve Program

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that it is requesting public input on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) proposed Underserved Markets Plans under the Duty to Serve program.  Those plans were released today. FHFA issued a final rule on Dec. 13, 2016 to implement the Duty to Serve provisions…

CFPB: Making the Decision to Rent or Buy

Buying a home is exciting. It’s also one of the most important financial decisions you’ll make. Choosing a mortgage to pay for your new home is just as important as choosing the right home. You have the right to control the process. Check out our other blogs on homebuying topics, and join the conversation on Facebook…

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Decreased in March

Washington, D.C. – Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages decreased from February to March, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.12 percent for loans closed in late March, down 15 basis points from 4.27…

HUD: New Residential Sales in March 2017 Report

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for March 2017: NEW HOME SALES Sales of new single-family houses in March 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 621,000, according to estimates released jointly today by…

FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.8 Percent in February

Washington, D.C. – U.S. house prices rose in February, up 0.8 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI).  The previously reported lack of change in January was revised upward to a 0.2 percent increase. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales…

HUD: Rutgers University Wins HUD 2017 Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design & Planning Competition

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a graduate student team from Rutgers University as the winners of HUD’s fourth annual Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition. The Rutgers team was one of four finalists to introduce a comprehensive plan for redeveloping a property owned by the Cuyahoga…

HUD: New Residential Construction Activity for March Announced

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for March 2017: BUILDING PERMITS Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,260,000. This is 3.6 percent (±2.8 percent) above the revised…

HUD: National Fair Housing Month

WASHINGTON – This year marks the 49th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, landmark legislation that became law on April 11, 1968.  Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) kicked off Fair Housing Month 2017 at its national headquarters. This year’s theme is Fair Housing Equals Opportunity, highlighting equality in housing as…

HUD: New Residential Sales in February 2017 Reported

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for February 2017: NEW HOME SALES Sales of new single-family houses in February 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 592,000, according to estimates released jointly today by…