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First-Time Homebuyers

Down payment assistance programs top 2,600 in Q4 2025

Affordability, Down Payment Assistance, First-Time Homebuyers, Housing Market, HWmember, Manufactured Housing, Mortgage /

Down Payment Resource (DPR) on Monday released its Q4 2025 Homeownership Program Index (HPI) report, identifying 2,619 down payment assistance (DPA) programs available nationwide. The count is five fewer compared to the third quarter but represents a 6% increase from Q4 2024, when 2,466 programs were available. The year-over-year growth reflects continued expansion and refinement […]

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Megatel Homes will launch crypto rewards for renters and buyers

Cryptocurrency, First-Time Homebuyers, Homebuyers, Renters, The Builder's Daily /

MegPrime, an affiliate and subsidiary of Texas-based Megatel Homes, is set to launch its digital currency, the MP Token, designed as a rewards platform that renters and homeowners can tap into as a financial path to homeownership. As an inducement to participate in the rewards MP Token program, the program will offer up to $25,000

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WFG National Title Insurance introduces financial planning tool for homebuyers, sellers

Affordability, Agent, First-Time Homebuyers, HWmember, Real Estate, Real Estate Agents, Title, WFG National Title /

WFG National Title Insurance Company has developed a new financial planning and scenario analysis tool that is available to its real estate agent clients. The tool, called — WFG Key — is designed to help agents walk homebuyers and sellers through common financial questions related to affordability, pricing, proceeds and long-term costs. Financial data is

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What will bring first-time buyers into the 2026 housing market?

Adjustable-Rate Mortgage, Buydown, First-Time Homebuyers, Housing Market, HWmember, National Association of Realtors, Real Estate, VA Loan /

Will 2026 be a turning point for prospective first-time homebuyers? The National Association of Realtors (NAR) seems to think so.  In a report published on Tuesday, the trade group says that it expects the housing affordability landscape to improve throughout the year. Driving this improvement, according to NAR, will be a steady rise in housing

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New homeowner data challenges mortgage rate lockdown theory

First-Time Homebuyers, Housing Inventory, Housing Market, HWmember, Mortgage Rates /

I have often debated whether the mortgage rate lockdown is real or just another housing myth. At first glance, the lockdown theory seems like common sense, so when mortgage rates jumped from 3% to 7% in 2022, it was logical to wonder why anyone would choose to sell their home. People with low rates seemed

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Why most buyers hire the first agent they talk to

Agent, First-Time Homebuyers, Homebuying, HWmember, Real Estate, Real Estate Agents, Technology, Zillow /

Zillow’s 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents shows that more than one-third (36%) of home sellers now find their agents online, a sharp increase from just 15% in 2018. Among buyers, 33% said online research played a significant role in selecting an agent. At the same time, repeat buyers now account for a majority

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Home price growth slows, affordability pressures persist

Affordability, Bright MLS, Cotality, Existing home sales, First-Time Homebuyers, Home Prices, Home Sales, Housing Market, HWmember, Pending Home Sales, Real Estate, S&P Dow Jones Indices /

U.S. home price growth remained muted in October as high mortgage rates and affordability constraints continued to weigh on the housing market, according to data released Tuesday by S&P Dow Jones Indices. The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index rose 1.4% from a year earlier — up slightly from a 1.3% annual increase

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A turning point for the mortgage industry: Inside the industry effort to build trust with the next generation

Contributors, First-Time Homebuyers, Homebuyers, Homebuying, Homeownership, HWmember, Opinion /

In 2020, I began tracking a steady decline in consumer trust in the mortgage industry. Five years later, that decline has reached a clear low point. Only 20 percent of Millennials and Gen Z say they trust mortgage professionals to help them make informed decisions. The knowledge gap remains significant, but in an age when

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FirstHome IQ highlights financial literacy gaps among young homebuyers

Affordability, First-Time Homebuyers, Gen Z, Housing Market, HWmember, Millennials /

FirstHome IQ says that millennials and Generation Z face significant gaps in financial knowledge and trust as they approach homebuying age, according to the group’s newly released 2025 Impact Report. The report outlines widespread uncertainty among younger homebuyers — noting that most never received formal financial literacy education. According to the findings, 93% of millennials

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