Realty Biz News Daily: Wed, March 12, 2025<\/b><\/p>\n
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The U.S. real estate rundown: pandemic prices reshape the game, Midwest rentals tighten, a brokerage suit stirs, and half of non-owners doubt their shot. Four takes for all readers.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/b><\/h2>\n Five years post-COVID, home prices have soared 45%, hitting a median of $418,000 by January (<\/span>Axios<\/span><\/i> [1]). Inventory\u2019s thin; low rates locked sellers in, and builders hit a wall with rising costs and loans. Cash buyers, like investors, still snag 20% of sales, though their grip\u2019s easing. For pros, it\u2019s a supply jam; for regular folks, it\u2019s clear\u2014homes are pricier, and borrowing bites. The pandemic\u2019s mark sticks around.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/b><\/h2>\n Skip NYC\u2014Midwest cities are rental war zones (<\/span>NY Post<\/span><\/i> [2]). Suburban Chicago\u2019s second only to Miami, with Grand Rapids and Lansing-Ann Arbor in the top 10. RentCafe\u2019s index, based on vacancy rates, lease renewals, and applicant numbers\u201479.5 vs. the U.S. 75.7. Grand Rapids draws young renters with jobs and nature; Detroit\u2019s demand tops supply. Rents are ticking up again after a breather. Tenants, brace yourselves\u2014Midwest\u2019s waking up fast.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/b><\/h2>\n Howard Hanna Real Estate wants Judge Stephen Bough off an antitrust case (<\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/i> [3]). Why? Plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers tied donations to Bough\u2019s wife, raising bias flags. The suit claims brokerages like Hanna fixed high seller fees\u2014extra cash per deal. Bough disclosed the funds before but stayed on. Big settlements hang in the balance, and this twist stings. Pros see a trust hiccup; homeowners glimpse why sales cost more.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/b><\/h2>\n Over half\u201453%\u2014of U.S. non-owners think they\u2019ll never buy, but experts push back (<\/span>Yahoo News<\/span><\/i> [4]). Mortgage rates hit 6.63%, the lowest since December, per Freddie Mac, and Realtor.com sees a buyer-friendly 2025 with price dips. Tariffs could add $7,500-$10,000 to new homes, and inventory\u2019s tight, but hope\u2019s not dead. Millennials doubt most; Gen Z sees light ahead. Pros say try smaller homes or side hustles\u2014ownership\u2019s still in reach.<\/span><\/p>\n Four views, one market: prices stretch, rents race, rules bend, and dreams teeter. Next week might nudge the odds\u2014keep an eye out.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sources:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Realty Biz News Daily: Wed, March 12, 2025 The U.S. real estate rundown: pandemic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":328,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":329,"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions\/329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtybiznews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Pandemic Push: U.S. Price Surge<\/b><\/p>\n
Rent Race: Midwest Hotspots<\/b><\/p>\n
Broker Brawl: U.S. Commission Clash<\/b><\/p>\n
Dream Drift: U.S. Ownership Fears<\/b><\/p>\n
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