Welcome to the Home Buying Institute’s news channel. HBI has been covering the U.S. housing market and mortgage industry for well over a decade. We provide housing market updates, mortgage industry coverage, and economic news that’s geared toward home buyers. You can learn more about our educational mission on this page.
Most Recent News Stories
Median Down Payment for Home Buyers Hits All-Time High in 2018
According to a report published in September by ATTOM Data Solutions, the median down payment among home buyers in the U.S. hit an all-time high during the second quarter of 2018. The nationwide median was $19,900 during the second quarter. San Jose, California topped the charts with a (mind-blowing) median down payment of $306,000. Three other […]
New Document Rules Could Help Self-Employed Mortgage Shoppers Get Approved
A bipartisan Senate bill introduced in August 2018 could make it easier for self-employed and “gig economy” workers to qualify for mortgage loans, by allowing lenders to use more documents during the underwriting process. Self-employed home buyers tend to encounter more hoops and hurdles when shopping for a mortgage loan, and much of it has to do with […]
Two Best Ways to Improve Your Credit Score Before a Mortgage Application
A new report from the credit score developer FICO reveals two of the best ways home buyers can improve their credit scores before applying for a mortgage loan. Pay your bills on time, and reduce your “amounts owed.” We’ve known for some time that “payment history” and “amounts owed” are the two biggest factors that […]
Home-Price Appreciation Forecasts for the 35 Largest U.S. Metro Areas
Home values in most U.S. cities have risen steadily for the last few years, and a recent home-price forecast suggests this trend could continue into 2019. A team of housing analysts and economists from Zillow recently published a home-price appreciation forecast for the 35 largest metro areas in the U.S. House values are expected to […]
Mortgage Rate Forecasts for 2019 Predict Only a Slight Increase
A new round of mortgage rate forecasts for 2019 suggest that the average rate for a 30-year fixed home loan could hover within the 4.6% to 4.7% range next year. That’s only slightly higher than where we are right now, as of late summer 2018. New Mortgage Rate Forecasts for 2019 Over the last month […]
San Jose Housing Forecast: Above-Average Price Growth into 2019
Housing development in San Jose, CA. Photo by Sean O’Flaherty. A pair of recent forecasts for the San Jose, California real estate market suggest that the city will continue to experience above-average price growth in 2019. In fact, one forecast predicted that it will be one of the five strongest housing markets in the country, […]
Charlotte Housing Forecast Suggests Slower Price Growth Through 2019
A recently published forecast for the Charlotte, North Carolina housing market indicates that home prices could rise more slowly over the coming months than they did over the past year. But competition among buyers remains high due to limited inventory. Updated Forecast for the Charlotte Real Estate Market In July 2018 the real estate research […]
Disclaimers: The Home Buying Institute often cites third-party reports that make predictions and forecasts relating to home prices, mortgage rates, etc. We curate and include such reports as an educational service to our readers. As a general rule, however, HBI makes no claims, predictions or assertions about future economic conditions.