Found 6 blog entries tagged as housing market.

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Rhode Island Housing Market: The First Clear Softening

Rhode Island Housing Market: The First Clear Softening

For nearly four years, Rhode Island real estate has been tight—fast sales, multiple offers, and firm pricing. The latest data shows the first meaningful loosening: inventory is building faster than new contracts in many areas, especially along the coast.

The Key Metric: A/P (Active-to-Pending Ratio)

At Seaport Real Estate Services, we watch Active-to-Pending (A/P) as a clear read on market pressure:

  • A/P < 1.0 → more homes under contract than for sale: seller’s market
  • A/P ≈ 1.0 → supply ≈ demand: balanced market
  • A/P > 1.0 → inventory outpacing contracts: tilting toward buyers

Statewide Rhode…

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The 10-Year Treasury Hits 4.8%: What This Means for Real Estate

As the 10-year Treasury yield reaches 4.8%, the ripple effects are being felt across the real estate market, impacting buyers, sellers, and investors. Here are my thoughts on what this shift means and how we can respond to this evolving environment.

Higher Treasury Yields and Borrowing Costs

Treasury yields often set the tone for other interest rates, including mortgages. As yields rise, borrowing becomes more expensive, directly affecting affordability for homebuyers.

For homebuyers, these higher mortgage rates can significantly alter the landscape. Monthly payments increase, forcing many to either reconsider their budgets or put off purchasing altogether. This reduced…

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Volatility Appears to Be the ‘New’ New Normal  

Over the past few weeks, we have been witnessing a significant change in the financial landscape in the United States. During this time, we have seen the stock market come down from its recently achieved historic highs. As the price of stocks has decreased, the value of investors' portfolios, and 401K accounts, have been impacted.  

  • Whether this is a short-term or a long-term phenomenon remains to be seen.

  • The reality is that the rapid run-up in market valuations since the election in 2016 occurred much faster than is normal, and therefore the likelihood of a correction has been anticipated for some time.  

  • What had not been anticipated, or widely understood is the swiftness…

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What’s the Difference Between a Seller’s Market and a Buyer’s Market? As we begin 2019, if you are about to start looking for a home, you may come upon these terms. Beyond a simple definition for each of these, it is very important to know the different factors that define each, and how the different markets can impact a buyer.  This article will examine these areas.

Seller’s Market Defined

A seller’s market exists when there are many more buyers seeking to purchase than there are homes available on the market. Stated differently, there are less houses available to satisfy a larger pool of buyers in the marketplace. This lack of listing inventory leads to rapid (at times excessive) price appreciation, very quick closings, many cash buyers,…

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Written by Robert H. Ruth

What is a concession?

A concession is some benefit usually offered from the seller to the buyer that helps in the negotiation to buy a home.  The concession is typically financial in nature, and is in essence, a type of deal sweetener for the buyer. In the real estate finance industry, concessions are also known as Interested Party Contributions (IPC’s).  For this article, I wanted to explain the 2 most common types of IPC’s: financing concessions, and sales concessions.

 Financing Concessions

These IPC’s are paid on the borrower’s behalf by the seller to help facilitate the transaction. Financing Concessions typically cover closing costs for the buyer who is financing the purchase with a mortgage. They are…

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Written by Robert H. Ruth

According to two recent studies, one published by the National Association of Realtors, the other by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing, single women represent 17% of homebuyers throughout the US. That is a very significant number… it shows that single women are the second biggest demographic segment of the purchase market after married couples. By comparison, single men only account for 7% of homebuyers.

Here are a few significant findings from the studies:

  • More than one in five home buyers is a single woman
  • There are twice as many unmarried women buying homes than single men
  • Single women buyers equal more than 33% of the growth in home ownership since 1994

These statistics are even more…

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