Aramco Report

The Blog
Homebuyers turning to relatives for down payment help

With rising home prices showing no signs of slowing down, more homebuyers are asking family members for help to come up with a down payment. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 30 percent of first-time buyers used down payment help from family...

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San Diego home sales fall as prices rise

Sales of previously owned single-family homes and attached properties in San Diego fell from September to October while prices increased, according to new information from the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors. Sales for single-family homes dropped by 4.9 percent to 1,862 units, down from 1,...

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Rise in natural disasters leading to increased insurance premiums

With natural disasters appearing to become more common in the last decade, insurance providers are raising rates. According to a new analysis by the Insurance Information Institute, there were 850 occurrences that were considered “natural catastrophes” worldwide – an increase from 740 in 2017 and up...

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Cost burden of mortgages getting lighter

Despite regular reports of rising home prices, new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the housing cost burden for many homeowners has been getting lighter of the last several years. The Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) found that the number of households with housing related...

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Home from 1980’s comedy flick ‘Money Pit’ lives up to reputation

A lavish estate used for the exterior shots of the 1986 comedy Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, has finally sold after sitting on the market for five years. The movie, about a nightmare home where everything that can go wrong will, seemed to have been prophetic as the Long Island mansi...

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Homeowner equity growth shows no signs of slowing

Homeowners in the U.S. are continuing to reap the benefits of a competitive housing market. Home equity levels, as reported by CoreLogic, climbed $428 billion since the second quarter of 2018. Negative home equity decreased over the same period with the total number of mortgaged residential properti...

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Apple pledges $2.5 billion to ease housing shortage

Apple Inc. announced this week that it was committing $2.5 billion to combating the ongoing housing crisis plaguing California. The plan includes $1 billion to establish a mortgage assistance fund for first-time homebuyers and another $1 billion as an open line of credit to support the construction...

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Report: Slowdown in housing starts may be short-lived

Construction of new homes in the U.S. fell more than 9 percent in September to an annual rate of 1.26 million units, down from 1.39 million in August, which was a 12-year high. However, experts anticipate the September drop to be only temporary as the number of permits filed to build new homes, an i...

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Calif. wildfires put housing market at risk

In addition to the destruction and potential life-threatening dangers of wildfires that are becoming more common in California, a new analysis shows that these types of natural disasters could have a lasting effect on the housing market in the state. Four counties in California top the list of regi...

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In advance of rent cap, tenants receiving move-out notices

AB 1482, a law capping rent increases at 5 percent plus inflation, goes into effect on January 1, 2020. Anticipating this, the opportunity to issue 60-day “notices to vacate” began going out to many California renters on October 31. That day was the last day landlords could issue such notice and tak...

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