Mortgage Roundup (6/29/20) – Affordable Houses, Master & Crystal

Good morning! Today is Monday, June 29. The media rights to the United States Golf Association, which include the U.S. Open tournament, are jumping from Fox Sports to NBC Sports. There are just 51 days left in NASA’s “lunar loo challenge” to help design a toilet fit for moon-traveling astronauts.

And in mortgage and housing news …

LESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING: A report released by Redfin found that the most affordable third of homes in the United States were 5.5 percent more expensive at the end of May than they were a year ago.

NOT MASTER: Texas realtor group says it will no longer use the word “master” to describe bedrooms and bathrooms in its listings.

HOMEOWNERS STRUGGLE: Coronavirus mortgage bailouts increased every day for the past five business days.  

CRYSTAL BALL: Six predictions from housing industry experts on where mortgage rates are headed

UTILITY SAVINGS: The benefits of buying an energy efficient home and how to find one.  

TAX BENEFITS: Don’t wait until you file taxes to start benefiting from home ownership. You can reduce your federal income tax withholding, increasing your take-home pay.

BIAS OVERRIDE: The National Association of Realtors and  the Perception Institute have teamed up to create a curriculum that will help REALTORS® recognize unconscious biases.

HOME TOURS REBOUND: According to ShowingTime’s latest report, virtual showing technology and loosened shelter-in-place restrictions boosted May homebuyer traffic by 21 percent. 

FDIC RISK MONITORING: The FDIC is moving to boost the way it monitors for risks at thousands of U.S. banks, potentially scrapping quarterly reports.

CREDIT CARD TRAVEL REWARDS: Ultra-premium rewards credit cards are falling out of favor, especially those that charge fees in exchange for travel miles and points.