Joy Dumandan

3 days ago | yahoo.com | Joy Dumandan

Open houses are a great way to tour a property to see if it checks off all, or most, of the wish list items for one’s next home. But the moment a home goes on the market, and the doors are open, the race starts to see who will scoop up the property. Serious homebuyers attending open houses are prepared to make an offer—that means they’re usually pre-approved and, in some cases, already have all their documents lined up to present to the seller.

3 days ago | sfgate.com | Joy Dumandan

Home inventory is heating up across the country, but some regions are truly hot spots where buyers have a wider selection of homes to choose from. Manchester-Nashua, NH, and Springfield, MA, tie as the country’s hottest housing markets. Both of these metros are near Boston—along with several other New England markets that make the top 20 list. High demand and low inventory are the reasons the metros made the list, according to Realtor.com economists.

4 days ago | sfgate.com | Joy Dumandan

The refinance index also increased 11% from the prior week and was 51% higher than the same week one year ago, according the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey. "An increase in mortgage applications is somewhat surprising but altogether positive news," says Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst for Realtor.com®. "Mortgage rates have drifted lower over the last few weeks, and eager buyers are taking advantage.

5 days ago | sfgate.com | Joy Dumandan

The U.S. is a melting pot of desirable states to live in, and each locale has its own characteristics that capture why it tops the rankings. The 2025 Best States ranking is out, and U.S. News & World Report evaluated all 50 states to highlight how they excel in several areas, including education, health care, crime, environment, and economy. For the third year, Utah is No. 1, scoring high in seven of the eight categories.

5 days ago | sfgate.com | Joy Dumandan

Elon Musk may have predicted his own future in 2021 when he tweeted, "Creating the city of Starbase, Texas." Four years later, Starbase is a reality. It's all thanks to the support from Starbase residents—most of whom work for SpaceX—who voted on the new Texas city's name. Now, Musk is making his mark in a city where he built his SpaceX company. The name change comes after Cameron County residents voted in favor 212-6 to rename the community.