Testifying before a House panel today, Jim Helsel, treasurer of the National Association of Realtors® and commercial real estate specialist, told members that a strong commercial real estate sector is vital to millions of U.S. jobs and helps keep the national economy afloat. "As the leading … [Read more...]

Homeowner's insurance is a necessity for almost any home buying these days. Lenders want to protect their investment as much as a homebuyer does. Just as lenders determine your loan interest rate and terms largely on ones credit scores, insurance companies also use credit scores to determine how … [Read more...]

To help create more affordable housing opportunities for public and private sector workers in the Southeast, the National Association of Realtors® has partnered with the National Housing Conference to host a regional forum in Atlanta today to address the issue of workforce housing. During the … [Read more...]

With the scheduled closing deadline for the home buyer tax credits, existing-home sales slowed in June but remained at relatively elevated levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, … [Read more...]

Sellers are facing price decreases as the economic recovery slows down and the home inventories levels climb.  In a recent report, it was found that 24 percent of US listings have experienced at least one price reduction. That is about a 9 percent increase from the previous month. As more and more … [Read more...]

Ways that Financing affects an offer Many buyers usually do not have enough cash available to buy a home, so they must obtain a mortgage to finance the purchase. Since most agreements will be contingent upon obtaining a mortgage, the seller has the right to be informed of your financing plans in … [Read more...]

The House today approved a flood insurance reform bill that would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program to September 30, 2015, a provision strongly supported by the National Association of Realtors®. Passage of H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act, would strengthen the … [Read more...]

Following a surge driven by the home buyer tax credit, pending home sales fell with the expiration of the deadline for qualified buyers to sign a purchase contract, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator, dropped 30.0 … [Read more...]

The National Association of Realtors® today commended Congress for timely passage of two bills to extend the home buyer tax credit closing deadline and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program. Both bills, strongly supported by NAR, had cleared the House earlier and were passed by the … [Read more...]

Most families with young children live within a mile of a public elementary school. The most common home heating fuel in the U.S. is gas. Only a third of American homes have a working carbon monoxide detector. These are just some of the findings of a comprehensive national sample of the more than … [Read more...]