Residential Real Estate

Hartford ‘Holding Up Best’ Among Nation’s Housing Markets: Redfin
By James Sanna | March 27, 2023 | ReprintsEconomists at combined listings portal and brokerage Redfin say Hartford’s housing market appears to be “holding up best” among the nation’s top 100 metro areas last month.
Remodeling ROI Not Always Great
By Lew Sichelman | March 24, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Hopefully, owners who chose to remodel their bathrooms are enjoying their new spa-like retreats. If they were hoping to sell their homes for more, they likely won’t come out ahead.

Mortgage Rates Grew Hartford Housing Payments 49 Percent
March 22, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Mortgage rates – both their high levels and their wild swings – are making life difficult for both buyers and sellers, economists from Zillow say, as high rates keep sellers from listing and push lower-income buyers out of the market.

Buyers React Quickly to Mortgage Rate Drop
March 17, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Some homebuyers are returning to the market as mortgage rates decline from the four-month high they reached last week, according to a new report from Redfin, the combined brokerage and listings portal.

Home Sales Off to Slow Start Statewide
By James Sanna | March 16, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The Connecticut housing market kicked off the new year with a huge decline in single-family home sales and only tepid home-price growth according to new data from The Warren Group, publisher of The Commercial Record.

Australia to Buy American Submarines, Giving CT a Boost
By James Sanna | March 14, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Could the already-hot New London-area housing market get even more demand from an expanding Electric Boat Co. shipyard?

Most of CT at Low Risk of Home Price Drops, Report Says
By James Sanna | March 13, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Most of Connecticut appears fairly well-insulated from home price declines should a market downturn take hold, a new analysis says, save for one region.

Will SVB Crisis Lead to Interest Rate Cut?
By Stan Choe | The Associated Press | March 13, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
With bank stocks cratering Monday as investors in regional banks like First Republic Bank and now-defunct Silicon Valley Bank worry about what lender may be next to topple, some investors are calling for the Fed to make cuts to interest rates soon to stanch the bleeding.

Share of Affordable Hartford Listings Fell in Half Last Year
By James Sanna | March 6, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
A new analysis by Redfin economists has found that the share of listings that the median-earner could afford in Connecticut’s three major metros has fallen nearly in half or more over the last year.

Survey: Economists Expect Small Home Price Drop
By James Sanna | March 6, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Over 100 housing market experts surveyed by listings portal Zillow expect the nation’s median home price to bottom out over the course of this year as buyers’ inability to afford current prices and mortgage rates severely curtails demand.

Black-Owned Hartford-Area Homes See Faster Appreciation
By James Sanna | March 3, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The pandemic run-up in real estate prices is disproportionately benefiting Black homeowners, a new analysis by Zillow finds, helping correct years of systemic discrimination and bias in the real estate industry.

Mortgage Rates Hit Three-Month High
By Matt Ott | The Associated Press | March 2, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate hit a three-month high this week, reflecting higher Treasury yields and expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise its benchmark rate and keep it there until inflation recedes.
Loan Comparison Sites Not All Fair
By Lew Sichelman | March 2, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Uncle Sam’s chief financial watchdog agency has fired a warning shot across the bow of consumer-facing comparison sites and mobile apps that steer consumers to the lenders that pay the sites the most.

CT to See Hurricane Damage Boost, Report Says
By James Sanna | March 1, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
As climate change warms the Atlantic Ocean, making hurricanes more powerful as they travel north, the Northeast will likely see an 87 percent increase in damage from hurricane winds, new research says.
How to Prep a Home for the All-Electric Future
By Lew Sichelman | February 23, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
The shift toward all-electric living is underway. But if you are a buyer in today’s new home market, how do you navigate the transition to make sure your house is not outdated before you’ve hardly settled in?

How Credit Scores Are Evolving to Improve Access to Credit
By Cora Lewis | The Associated Press | February 22, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
A lowcredit score can hurt your ability to take out a loan, secure a good interest rate, or increase the spending limit on your credit card.
New Home Search Portal Set to Launch
By Lew Sichelman | February 16, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Homebuyers and agents alike could soon benefit from a new listing portal with all the online bells and whistles they’ve come to expect – but with better service on the ground and no-fee leads.

Analysis: Lower Rates Boost Size of What Homebuyers Can Afford
By James Sanna | February 14, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Recent declines in mortgage rates have helped improve affordability somewhat according to a new analysis by economists at real estate listings portal Zillow.

More Homeowners Tap Equity Juiced by Soaring Prices
By Alex Veiga | The Associated Press | February 10, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Homeowners are increasingly tapping their equity, taking advantage of big gains following years of soaring housing prices.

Lamont’s Budget to Include Permanent Income Tax Cuts
By The Associated Press | February 7, 2023 | Reprints | Unlock Link
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday his new two-year budget plan will include the state’s first personal income tax rate reduction since 1996, one of several tax relief proposals he will officially unveil to the General Assembly on Wednesday.