There are few surprises in Gallup’s new survey results ranking the markets with the greatest economic confidence levels.  Did you guess the home towns of Silicon Valley and the federal government would lead the list? You’re right.  Among the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, Washington, D.C., remained the most confident in the U.S. economy in 2012-2013, but it now … Read More »

A new TransUnion study has found that consumers are once again prioritizing their mortgage payments ahead of their credit card payments. This reverses a trend that began in September 2008, when the mortgage crisis drove consumer payment preferences toward paying credit cards ahead of mortgages. The study also found that consumers have placed an emphasis on paying their auto loans … Read More »

Consumer expectations on home prices rose unexpectedly in February, just in time to build seller confidence to list their houses and restore tight inventories for the fast approaching spring season. Fannie Mae’s February 2014 National Housing Survey took a right turn from January’s results as respondents’ home price expectations climbed significantly  – with 50 percent saying home prices will go … Read More »

In its latest report on the economy, Federal Reserve economists report that winter weather has contributed to a slowing of real estate markets and inventories are low in most districts. The Fed’s latest Beige Book reports that residential real estate markets continued to improve in several areas, albeit modestly. Boston and New York gave mixed reports on sales, and Philadelphia, … Read More »

Seniors are still the age group with the greatest homeownership rate, far exceeding the national rate for all age groups even into their eighties. According to a new report from Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), Americans age 50 and over are predominantly homeowners, and are less likely to rent until they hit their seventies. At age 50, almost 73 percent … Read More »

Polar vortexes are freezing home sales in much of the nation this winter but the luxury segment is finding the temperature to be just perfect as both sales and price increases warm up million dollar plus markets from coast to coast. Yesterday economists at the National Association of Realtors reported sales at the upper end –million plus-are rising quite swiftly. … Read More »

    Optimism the coming season is growing among Virginia sellers, while buyers are becoming more bearish.. Forty-eight percent of respondents believe it is a better time to sell today than a year ago. Optimism declines slightly to 46 percent of respondents when asked about selling a year from now. While some 42 percent of buyers believe that today is … Read More »

Despite double digit increases in home values last year, fewer than half of Americans now think buying a home is the best investment that a family can make, according to a new national Rasmussen Poll. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey conducted on February 11-12 found that 49% of American adults say buying a home is the best investment most … Read More »

  As 2013 ended, less than 40 percent of consumers think that it will be easier to secure a mortgage in the coming buying season despite data showing lending standards. In a series of national consumer surveys over the past year, Prudential Real Estate has tracked consumer attitudes towards changing conditions in real estate markets, including access to financing. In … Read More »

The data provided are gathered from TransUnion’s proprietary Industry Insights Report, a quarterly overview summarizing data, trends and perspectives on the U.S. consumer lending industry. The report is based on anonymized credit data from virtually every credit-active consumer in the United States. “It’s encouraging to see the mortgage delinquency rate drop for two consecutive years, but at the same time, … Read More »