Stevie-Lynn Pickel and her fiancé, Adonis Smith, put money into a joint savings account whenever they can. The couple has a two-year plan: save up $35,000 for a down payment on a three-bedroom house, move out of the condominium they’re renting in Waterbury, Connecticut and then get married. “We want […]
Tag: National Association of Realtors
Housing Recovery Masks Dangers for Young
Galen Eckenroth has what he knows is an uncommon pastime for someone his age: He’s looking to invest in real estate. Yet no matter how much he looked last year, the 26-year-old from San Diego just wasn’t able to buy. He says that in a city where buyers were willing […]
Student debt endangers the American Dream
Paul Buehler’s $60,000 in debt weighs heavy on him. As a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Arizona the 31-year-old has spent the last eight years relying on student loans. His debt will become due when he finishes in December. Then his salary will just pay his student […]
Tight credit keeps buyers from cheap homes
In the aftermath of a housing crisis built on easy credit, today’s tighter credit standards are widely accepted. But just how fine a comb lenders put to loan applications can be surprising. California Realtor Scott G. Harrison tells the story of a recent buyer with a pending contract on a […]
Housing picture bleak in spite of modest gains
Better weather and an improving jobs outlook likely pushed existing home sales upward in March, but foreclosures, tight credit and lingering unemployment continue to dog the housing market as it enters the spring selling season. Home sales will rise 2.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5 million when […]
Declining home prices offset rise in sales
Existing home sales increased last month, but declining prices and a high percentage of distressed sales indicate that the housing market faces a long road to recovery. The National Association of Realtors reported Feb. 23 that existing home sales increased 2.7 percent from December 2010 to a seasonally adjusted annual […]