Insights & Notes

• Research Note | September 20, 2021

  Racial and Ethnic Valuation Gaps In Home Purchase Appraisals

  To follow up on several stories of potential appraisal bias in various news outlets, Freddie Mac kicked off a study of whether minorities are more likely to receive an appraisal value that is lower than the contract price during purchase transactions. More

  
• Research Note | August 26, 2021

  The Growth of Sole-person Households: Creating Even More Demand for Smaller, More Affordable Homes

  One of the key changes in household composition is the increase in sole-person households. In the past 40 years, sole-person households have almost doubled in the United States. More

  
• Research Note | July 12, 2021

  Has An Urban Exodus Occurred? Residential Environment Trends Shaping the Future of Where We Live

  As we noted in a previous report, there was an observed shift of home purchases in the last decade, even before the onset of COVID-19, from urban areas to suburbs and rural towns. We went on to link several possible socioeconomic factors driving the ongoing trend of household migration away from urban areas. More

  
• Research Note | June 2, 2021

  Rural Home Purchases Outpaced Urban Purchases Through the 2010s

  The COVID-19 pandemic has increased interest in homeowner mobility. There has been a growing trend of moving away from urban areas as housing preferences have shifted towards larger homes that are more conducive to remote work and virtual learning. More

  
• Research Note | May 12, 2021

  Almost 50% of Black and Hispanic Borrowers Could Save $1,200 Annually by Refinancing

  The recent record low mortgage interest rates provide many borrowers with an opportunity to save thousands of dollars by lowering their mortgage rate through refinancing. But a closer look at who is refinancing demonstrates that many borrowers who could benefit from refinancing still aren’t pursuing the option. More

  
• Research Note | May 7, 2021

  Housing Supply: A Growing Deficit

  In a recent "Perspectives" piece about the housing supply shortage, Freddie Mac's Chief Economist, Sam Khater highlighted the growing deficit that the industry has been facing, not only during the pandemic but even before the pandemic hit. More

  

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