Job Growth And Equity Gains In May 2024, the U.S. economy added 272,000 jobs, exceeding expectations. However, the unemployment rate increased to 4%, marking the first rise since January 2022.  The Federal Reserve is keeping interest rates at around 7%, despite concerns about inflation. Meanwhile, homeowners are enjoying record-high equity gains. Home equity jumped by […]

    The labor market impact on housing: Consumers now feel more confident about the housing market. But here’s the twist: as home prices soar, how does this make sense? The Case-Shiller Index, which tracks U.S. home values, just hit a record high—an impressive 6.5% annual gain. In addition, this is the sixth record in […]

Builder Confidence & Housing Supply: According to the National Association of Home Builders, builder confidence dropped this month, which is the first decline since November of 2023, and that is really due to expanding regulatory burdens but also the fact that mortgage rates have been averaging above 7% for the past several weeks now. If […]

  Interest Rates and Home Sales 2024: Last week, REALTORS from all over the country met in Washington, D.C., for the National Association of REALTORS legislative meetings. Chief Economist Lawrence Yun shared important predictions. By the end of the year, average interest rates will settle at 6.5%. Home sales are expected to go up by […]