What can home buyers expect to face this selling season? An improving housing market has made it a different picture in many areas compared to recent years, housing experts say.
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Some of the country’s largest home builders are reporting increased sales and a rise in new orders,The Wall Street Journal reports. Builder stocks are also reflecting the increased optimism in the sector, rising 31 percent so far this year, according to the Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction index.
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Fixed-rate mortgages dropped slightly this week, nearing their average all-time lows and helping to lift home buyers’ purchasing power, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey.
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Sixty-two percent of Americans own a home, which is the lowest percentage in more than a decade, according to a new Gallup poll. Home ownership rates soared to 73 percent during the housing boom years in 2006 and 2007 but since that time have continued to drop.
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This weekend marks the REALTOR® Nationwide Open House Weekend event, in which thousands of real estate professionals across the country are hosting open houses and welcoming buyers in.
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Six teams of middle school students participating in the annual School of the Future Design Competition were in Washington, D.C., this week displaying their plans to design environmentally responsive schools that enhance learning and engage the surrounding community.
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