Today’s News Synopsis:

Realtor.com released their list for this month on the top housing markets people prefer to live in.  Zillow’s latest report showed the neighborhoods that struggle the most with rental affordability are minority neighborhoods.  However, at the same time affordability, in general, was lower in the first quarter of 2017 according to the latest ATTOM Data Solutions research.

In The News:

Realty Trac – “The Densification of La La Land” (3-30-2017)

“For John Gomez, the best predictor of an emerging Los Angeles housing bubble isn’t buried in esoteric economic numbers or arcane housing statistics; it’s what other real estate investors are willing to pay for bottom-of-the-barrel homes in his local market of Norwalk.”

Bloomberg – “America Needs Small Apartment Buildings.  Nobody Builds Them” (3-30-2017)

“Urbanists often lament that developers no longer erect the small apartment buildings that were once a staple of city neighborhoods. Instead, they construct single family homes or large apartment buildings.”

ABC News – “Average US 30-year mortgage rate slips to 4.14 percent” (3-30-2017)

“Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week for a second straight week, slipping further from their highest levels of the year reached two weeks ago.”

Realtor.com – “America’s 20 Hottest Real Estate Markets in March 2017” (3-30-2017)

“College students may be flocking to Cancun, Mexico, or Panama City Beach, FL, but a look at preliminary realtor.com® data for March makes it clear that there’s no spring break anywhere on the horizon for the real estate market.”

Mortgage Bankers Association – “Mortgage Applications Slightly Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey” (3-29-2017)

“Mortgage applications decreased 0.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 24, 2017.”

Inman – “Zillow Group teases latest venture: RealEstate.com for millennials” (3-30-2017)

“When Zillow acquired Trulia two years ago, it also scooped up the domain RealEstate.com as part of the deal.  Anyone who types RealEstate.com into a web browser will find themselves redirected to Trulia.com. That’s about to change.”

DS News – “Homebuyers Hindered by Affordability” (3-30-2017)

“On Thursday, ATTOM Data Solutions released its Q1 2017 U.S. Home Affordability Index. The Index showed drops in affordability, as in every 4 county housing markets were less affordable than their historic averages.”

Zillow – “Rental Affordability is Worst in Minority Neighborhoods” (3-30-2017)

“Monthly rent is a bigger financial burden for people living in predominantly black or Hispanic neighborhoods than it is in white neighborhoods, according to a new Zillow analysis of race and housing affordability.”