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Affordability

The five housing markets where homeownership is still affordable

Affordability, Homebuyers, Housing Market, HWmember, Zillow /

Soaring home prices, limited inventory and elevated mortgage rates have exacerbated the housing affordability crisis in many housing markets when viewed in the context of household incomes, which have remained generally stagnant. In a new study, Zillow compiled related metrics to measure the affordability gap in terms of how much more income a household would […]

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Multi-Generational Homebuying Hit a Record High – Here’s Why

Multi-Generational Homebuying Hit a Record High – Here’s Why

Affordability, Buying Tips, First-Time Buyers, For Buyers /

Multi-generational living is on the rise. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 17% of homebuyers purchase a home to share with parents, adult children, or extended family. That’s the highest share ever recorded by NAR (see graph below): And what’s behind the increase? Affordability. NAR explains: “In 2024, a notable 36% of homebuyers

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Virginia appeals court backs ‘missing middle’ housing policy

Affordability, HWmember, Lawsuit, Legal, Multifamily, Real Estate, Single-Family Housing, Virginia /

An Arlington County, Virginia, “Missing Middle” housing initiative has been given new life following a Virginia Court of Appeals decision Tuesday — dismissing a lawsuit aiming to overturn the zoning overhaul. A report from WTOP News showed the court finding that a group of homeowners who filed suit failed to include real estate developers as

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Here are the three metros where homeownership is still affordable

Affordability, Data & Visuals, Detroit, Housing Market, HWmember, Pittsburgh, Realtor.com, St. Louis /

The rapid rise in home prices and housing costs over the past five years has strained affordability in every part of the country, but a new study seeks to put a finer point on which metropolitan areas are getting hit the hardest. Realtor.com calculated the share of income a typical household spends on housing by

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‘Feelings-based recession’: More Americans fearful of finances

Affordability, Consumer confidence, Federal Reserve, Housing Market, HWmember, Inflation, Interest rates, Mortgage Rates, Tariffs, TransUnion /

A rising tide of financial pessimism is washing over U.S. consumers, driven by concerns about inflation, global instability and a lack of economic clarity. At the same time, a solid majority of Americans remain optimistic about their financial future, according to TransUnion’s Consumer Pulse Study for the second quarter of 2025. The result is a

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The pandemic made housing less affordable, but not in the obvious places

Affordability, Affordable housing, Data & Visuals, Home Price Appreciation, Housing Market, HWmember, JPMorgan Chase, Millennials, Mortgage Rates /

The housing affordability crisis often conjures images of coastal urban cities with acute housing supply shortages and heavy land-use regulations. While these places do tend to have the highest home prices, it’s not where costs are rising the most. That’s according to a sprawling new study from JPMorgan Chase that examines affordability from a number

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Massachusetts set to bar home sellers from requiring inspection waivers

Affordability, Home inspections, Home Sales, Homebuyers, HWmember, Massachusetts, Real Estate, Real Estate Agents, Regulatory, Regulatory Compliance /

Massachusetts homebuyers will soon be protected from being pressured into waiving home inspections under new regulation. The policy, put forth by the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), prohibits sellers and their agents from requiring or encouraging buyers to waive a home inspection as a condition of purchasing real estate. It also

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Down payments shrink as homebuyers scoop up FHA, VA loans

Affordability, FHA loan, Home Prices, HWmember, Mortgage, Origination, Redfin, VA Loan /

As of April 2025, the typical U.S. homebuyer’s down payment was $62,468, down roughly 1% on a yearly basis and the first annual decline in nearly two years. That’s according to a new report from Redfin that’s based on an analysis of records across 40 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas. In percentage terms,

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Seattle housing market wrestles with crippling affordability concerns

Affordability, Altos, Data & Visuals, Housing Market, HWmember, Property Tax, Seattle, Tax, Washington /

On the surface, Seattle’s housing market looks like any other in the country. The inventory of single-family homes for sale is up substantially year over year. New listings are up slightly, sales remain subdued and home prices aren’t moving much. That’s the story in the majority of housing markets. But Seattle is wrestling with a

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Comfortable city living usually requires a six-figure salary

Affordability, California, GOBankingRates, Homeownership, Housing Market, HWmember, Renters /

Homeownership in many of America’s largest cities now demands a six-figure salary to sustain a comfortable lifestyle — with some regions requiring more than $300,000 annually. A new analysis by GOBankingRates ranked the top 50 U.S. cities by the income necessary to afford a comfortable standard of living, using factors such as average home prices,

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