The Department of Housing and Urban Development is taking aim at transparency in rental housing fees in a bid to make life more affordable for the average American.
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced commitments by some of the biggest rental search platforms to address unexpected and junk fees.
Zillow, Apartments.com, and AffordableHousing.com all said they will provide tools renters can use to calculate exactly how much their rental will cost. Zillow is adding a Cost of Renting Summary to its active apartment listings, while Apartments.com is launched a new calculator that includes these fees on its website. AffordableHousing.com will require listings to disclose all fees and charges upfront.
“[M]any renters today face fees that are hidden, duplicative, or unnecessary as…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Privately-owned housing starts surpassed estimates in May, beating expectations as the housing market remains tight.
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the latest residential construction statistics on Tuesday morning.
“Privately-owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,631,000. This is 21.7% (±14.8%) above the revised April estimate of 1,340,000 and is 5.7% (±10.8%) above the May 2022 rate of 1,543,000. Single‐family housing starts in May were at a rate of 997,000; this is 18.5% (±14.1%) above the revised April figure of 841,000,” a press release says.
Principal Kelly Mangold of RCLCO Real Estate Consulting in Maryland said this is the second month in a…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
A California apartment building owner who suggested a couple move into a bigger unit to accommodate their growing family is being charged with discrimination by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officials.
Melinda Teruel is accused of making repeated efforts to convince the couple to move into a larger apartment in the city of Burlingame even though they told her they could not afford it. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination against families with children under the age of 18.
“As HUD prepares to commemorate Fair Housing Month during April 2023, this charge of discrimination is a reminder that the fight for fair housing must continue,” Demetria McCain, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing…
Officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have opened a portal for local government leaders to request technical assistance so housing needs are considered as part of their larger infrastructure investment plans.
The Thriving Communities technical assistance program was designed to help local government leaders identify land for housing development near transportation projects, develop preservation and anti-displacement strategies, reduce barriers to location-efficient housing, improve intergovernmental coordination, and support a holistic approach to housing and transportation.
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said they are working with local government leaders, transit authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, the private sector, and community-based organizations.
“A thriving community is intentional about building and preserving affordable housing near public transportation and leveraging infrastructure investments to…
Housing construction slid again in December to its lowest point since July, but an increase in single-family starts may signal improvement to come. Residential starts fell 1.4% from November to an annualized rate of 1.38 million, down 21.8% from the same time last year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the fourth consecutive decline for these data. It was driven largely by a dip in multifamily construction, which is volatile month to month. The picture for all of 2022 was fairly bleak. In the entire year, only 1 million homes were started, down 10.6% from 2021 and the largest drop since 2009. Permits for new homes fell 1.6% to a rate of 1.33 million. Single-family permits…
New York-based real estate brokerage Compass Inc. announced a third round of layoffs Thursday as part of its ongoing cost-cutting strategy in the face of a housing slowdown. Compass CEO Robert Reffkin has made major investments in technology as part of its business strategy in the competitive residential brokerage industry. According to reports, the cuts will leave the tech side of the company largely untouched. The layoffs, which began last June, are part of what Reffkin has said will be a $320 million cost-cutting plan. Compass is a major player in some large urban markets like New York and Los Angeles, with more than $250 billion in sales in 2021, according to RealTrends. However, over the past six weeks, the…
The Keyes Company is partnering with presale renovation company Revive to help sellers boost the value of their home before listing, the companies announced in a press release. Revive and Keyes plan to maximize home equity by guiding sellers through pre-sale renovations. These changes may boost the equity by 15-20%. Revive will front the costs of renovations, as well as provide guidance, contractor support, and other expertise. Keyes Company agents will then be able to ensure sellers are getting the best return on investment they can. Renovated homes bring in $186,000 more in net profit than those sold “as is,” and sell faster, according to leaders at Revive. “Home sellers who want to maximize their returns can no longer list…
Rent prices are easing in most American cities thanks to a boost in available units. Sixty-eight of the country’s largest metros saw month-over-month rent declines in October, according to researchers at Florida Atlantic University and two other schools. The average rental rate was $2,040, down 0.9% from September. Springfield, MA, Austin, TX, Seattle, and New York were among the cities where rents posted declines. “It seems that an increase in supply helped relieve the pricing pressure on rental units around the country – and that’s exactly what had to happen,” said Ken H. Johnson, Ph.D., an economist in FAU’s College of Business. He noted that delivery of units under construction, as well as increasing unit density and conversions of short-term…
Pending home sales fell for the fifth consecutive month in October, with three of the four regions seeing month-over-month declines, according to the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index dropped by 4.6% between September and October. Year-over-year it tanked by 37%. All four regions saw pending sales drop year-over-year. The Midwest, however, experienced a small uptick month-over-month, up by 3.3%. The Northeast PHSI fell by 4.3% from September, while the South fell 6.4% and the West saw a major decline of 11.3%. “October was a difficult month for home buyers as they faced 20-year-high mortgage rates. The West region, in particular, suffered from the combination of high interest rates and expensive home prices. Only the Midwest squeaked out…
Austin, TX, has been ranked the best city for working from home, leading a list full of Southern and Western metros. A new SmartAsset study looked at factors such as the number of remote workers, housing costs, and income taxes to determine what U.S. cities offer the most to work-from-homers. Remote work has risen in prevalence from around 5% in 2016 to 17.9% in 2021. In 13 cities, more than a third of the workforce is remote. Some employers are even using remote work as a bargaining chip to offer lower salaries while inflation is high. This type of work is changing how Americans view moving and shifting their priorities when searching for a new home. And it’s not going…
