Forget the Open Floor Plan--It's Time to Bring Back Walls

Mortgage applications fell 4.3% on a seasonally-adjusted basis from one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers’ Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 26th, 2019. On an unadjusted basis, the Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, fell 4% from the previous week. The Refinance Index fell by 5% over the same period. The seasonally-adjusted Purchase Index fell 4%, while the unadjusted Index fell 3%. The refinance share of mortgage activity fell to 38.8% of total applications, down from 39.4% the previous week. The FHA share of total applications fell to 9.5% from 9.9%, the VA share fell to 10.9% from 11.3%, and the USDA share remained unchanged at 0.6%. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($484,350 or less) fell to 4.42% from 4.46%. Points for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans rose to 0.46 from 0.44 the previous week. (All 8...

The average sale price for luxury homes nationwide fell 1.6% to $1.55 million in the first quarter of 2019, according to a  new report  from  Redfin . It was the first annual decline in nearly three years. Redfin tracked home sales in more than 1,000 cities across the U.S. (not including  New York City ) and defined a home as luxury if it was among the 5% most expensive homes sold in the quarter. In the other 95% of the market, home prices rose 2.7% year over year to an average of $300,000 in the first quarter, following six straight years of increases. Adobe Stock / marls Sales of homes priced at or above $2 million fell 16% year over year last quarter, marking the second consecutive quarter of declining sales and the biggest luxury sales decline since 2010. The supply of homes priced at $2 million or above increased 14% annually in the first quarter, the fourth quarter in a row of increases. The combination of rising inventory and declining prices and sale...

According to the Net Zero Energy Coalition, growth of ZE (Zero Energy) home construction was 75% higher in 2017 than in 2016. While California represents approximately half of all net zero energy homes built in the US, growth is occurring across the country, including  Massachusetts , which has a similar top-down approach to the construction process, putting this state in second place in the inventory of zero ready (ZR), near zero (NZ), and ZE inventory. A ZE home (also referred to as a Zero Energy Building, ZEB) is a home that consumes no more energy than it produces in a year. To achieve this, ZE homes are extremely efficient, leveraging cutting-edge building materials and construction methods, smart thermostats, and energy-efficient appliances to keep the home’s energy consumption as low as possible without seriously inconveniencing the homeowner. ZE homes produce on-site energy from renewable sources. In the residential segment, the most common renewable installed is solar p...

Pending home sales rose in March, reversing course from a month prior but remaining below year-earlier levels, the National Association of Realtors reported Tuesday. Three of the four major regions saw growth last month, as the Northeast reported a minor slip in contract activity. The Pending Home Sales Index increased 3.8% to 105.8 in March, up from 101.9 in February. Year-over-year contract signings declined 1.2%, making this the 15th straight month of annual decreases. The index in the West ascended 8.7% in March to 95.1 and fell only 1.6% below a year ago. Sales activity in the West had increased at a relatively stable rate for five consecutive months before the region saw a significant spike in activity in March.

Decorating with a primarily black color palette in residential bathrooms is having a design moment, according to experts at  Realtor.com . The trend, either an outgrowth of designs from commercial venues such as restaurants and nightclubs or a reaction to the popularity of all-white interior design, can give homeowners a chic, modern feel in their homes.

According to a new report by UK-based consulting firm Turner & Townsend, the Bay Area region is the most expensive place in the world to build an apartment building, office tower, hospital, warehouse or school – and a full 13% more costly to build in than New York City, which comes in second on its list.

Parquet flooring, or hardwood pieces laid in geometric, herringbone, or mosaic patterns, is making a comeback in today’s homes.  Realtor.com ’s Jennifer Kelly Geddes says the reason its back at the forefront is a combination of desire for natural materials and old-world craftsmanship. Check out ideas on how to incorporate the timeless detail below. Use parquet flooring to warm up a bath Parquet is typically seen in public spaces in the home, such as foyers, hallways, and formal dining rooms. But this special flooring is also appropriate in smaller spots like a bathroom or a large walk-in closet. (Skip parquet in the basement, where humidity and flooding pose a risk.) Make your parquet flooring a focal point Looking to make a statement in one of your rooms? A parquet pattern is just the ticket. "More complex designs like Greek keys, stars, or sunbursts add an unexpected flourish in large entryways or bedrooms where the floor can be the focal point," Brockway says. Tra...