Monthly Archives: October 2019

Freddie Mac’s most recent forecast is good news for anyone concerned that there’s trouble ahead for the housing market. That’s because, despite recent reports of a potential economic slowdown, the market is well positioned to remain strong. Why? Well, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, points to mortgage rates as one factor stirring interest in buying a home. “Despite fears of an economic slowdown, the housing market continues to be a bright spot in the economy,” Khater said. “While mortgage rates have ticked up in recent weeks, they remain lower than they were a year ago which will help boost sales headed into the fall.” In addition to low mortgage rates, there is evidence that more new homes are being built. And the additional supply should help keep home prices from spiking. Already, home price increases have slowed significantly. According to the forecast, prices are only expected to be up 3.4 percent in 2019, which is in line with long-term growth. In other words, affordability conditions are expected to remain stable for the foreseeable future and, with more homes available to buyers, Americans looking to buy a home will have more homes to choose from and fewer worries about rising costs. More here.

In the days before the industrial revolution, motorized vehicles, and grocery stores, people were much more likely to have to rely on one another to provide things that would otherwise be difficult to come by. That’s where the idea of borrowing a cup of sugar from your neighbor comes from. In short, there was a time neighbors really did sometimes have to borrow sugar from each other. These days, that’s obviously less common or necessary. But a new survey looks at just what being neighborly means in the modern world. The results show that about half of homeowners over the age of 25 say they’d be likely to ask their neighbor for help or to borrow something from them. So going to neighbors for help isn’t totally a thing of the past. However, a larger percentage of survey participants identified things like being friendly, quiet, keeping a clean yard and house, and being nice to pets as the characteristics of a good neighbor. Whatever your idea of a good neighbor is, though, it’s also important to remember to be as good a neighbor to yours as you’d have them be to you. More here.