With less than a month until 2017, the mortgage and housing industries are as active as ever.  Here are some interesting new articles on industry trends and news:
Realtor.com 2017 National Housing Forecast
Realtor.com, one of the most popular online real estate websites, has released its 2017 housing forecast. The forecast provides useful predictions and analysis for homebuyers and mortgage industry professionals.
Key takeaway: In 2017, Realtor.com predicts home prices to rise at a slower rate than in 2016. It also predicts higher interest rates, and millenials and baby boomers to dominate the housing market.

Best Affordable Places to Live

Livability.com combined cost-of-living data, salary data, and livability scores to to rank the top 10 affordable cities “you’d actually want to live in!”
Key takeaway: none of the 10 cities in this list are located on the east or west coast (where home prices and costs of living tend to be higher).

Reverse Mortgages Help Seniors Hedge Property Value Risk

Home prices are heavily influenced by market changes out of individual home owners’ control. Reverse mortgages are designed to protect homeowners against consequences of slow home price growth.
Key takeaway: Americans 62-and-older should consider reverse mortgages as a strategy to hedge property value risk.

No, You Don’t Need 20 Percent Down Or Even Close To It
Down payment options from zero to 15% are transforming how consumers buy homes, especially first-time home buyers.

Key takeaway: in past decades, the conventional wisdom was that home buyers should make a downpayment of 20%. In today’s market, few homebuyers need to put 20% down, and many lenders will accept down payments of low as 3% of a home’s value.

U.S. Mortgage Rates Rise to Highest Levels in Over Two Years

Interest rates on U.S. fixed-rate mortgages reached a two-year high, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released on Wednesday, December 7.

Key takeaway: home borrowing costs have climbed since Donald Trump’s presidential victory. Applications to buy a home (seen as a predictor of future home sales) have also climbed.
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