Trump appointee fires Freddie Mac CEO
Bill Pulte, heir of one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, wasted little time launching a house cleaning campaign after being confirmed as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) March 13. On Thursday, Pulte fired Freddie Mac CEO Diana Reid, according to news reports. The government-backed mortgage financing provider’s website lists Freddie Mac President […]
Jan. housing inventory, prices increase in NoVa, Hampton Roads
Housing sales last month increased year-over-year in Northern Virginia but dropped in Hampton Roads, although inventory and sales prices rose in both regions. Northern Virginia Home sales, prices and inventory in Northern Virginia rose year-over-year in January, according to Northern Virginia Association of Realtors data released Tuesday. Last month, 833 homes sold in Northern Virginia, […]
2024 Va. housing market outpaced 2023 — barely
There were 102,509 home sales in Virginia in 2024. That’s 4,000 more than the previous year, according to Virginia Realtors. “While Virginia’s 2024 housing market ended stronger than 2023, it was still relatively slow compared to average levels,” Ryan Price, chief economist for the trade organization, said in a statement. “Looking ahead to 2025, we predict pent-up […[...]
What to expect from the 2025 Va. General Assembly
The General Assembly enters the fourth year in the gubernatorial cycle with even more gridlock than usual. Democrats hold narrow majorities in both the House of Delegates and Senate, but are vulnerable to vetoes by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who begins the final year of his constitutionally mandated single term. Hopes for bipartisan compromise were […]
Here’s NVAR’s prediction for 2025 NoVa housing market
The Northern Virginia housing market will continue to strengthen in 2025, with moderate price increases and increased market activity, according to the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors’ 2025 regional housing market forecast, produced with George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis. Examining the past year, Terry Clower, director of the Center for Regional Analysis [...]
Statewide home sales, inventories rose in November
The fall 2024 housing market has outpaced the fall 2023 market across the commonwealth, according to statewide November sales data released Dec. 20 by Virginia Realtors. “For two months in a row now, Virginia has seen double-digit growth in closed sales,” Ryan Price, the trade organization’s chief economist, stated in a news release. In November, […]
Following public outcry, Roanoke developer pulls rezoning application
It’s looking like the Old Poage Farm property, which today sits next to U.S. 221 in Roanoke County, will remain farmland a while longer. The land was settled in the mid-1700s when King George III deeded hundreds of acres to Col. Robert Poage, but most recently, the property was proposed as a site for a […]
NoVa, Hampton Roads housing markets improve in November
The Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads housing markets in November showed signs of improvement from the same month last year, including increased home sales and selling prices. Northern Virginia Home prices and sales activity in Northern Virginia rose year-over-year last month, indicating a healthier market than the November 2023 one. November housing sales in Northern […]
Va. home sales, inventory rises in October
Housing sales and inventory in Virginia rose in October, with closed sales up 12.5% from October 2023, according to Virginia Realtors data released Nov. 22. Last month, 8,732 homes sold in Virginia — 968 more than sold in October 2023. The influx of closed sales in October resulted from the jump in pending sales — […]
Youngkin announces plan to grow workforce housing
At the Governor’s Housing Conference in Virginia Beach Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled the Workforce Housing Investment Program, an initiative at Virginia Housing that will invest $75 million over five years to spur the creation of workforce-priced housing. The funding holds the potential, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office, to “catalyze $750 […]
Roanoke City Council approves zoning changes — again
A residential zoning do-over in the Star City is done. At least for now. On Sept. 16, Roanoke City Council voted 6-1 to adopt zoning amendments that will allow greater housing density and eliminate single-family-only housing City Council adopted similar zoning amendments in March, but several city homeowners, including Republican mayoral candidate David Bowers and […]
Va. pending home sales, prices rose in September
Pending home sales in Virginia rose in September — increasing almost 14% from September 2023 — suggesting more buyers are entering the market, according to Virginia Realtors data released Tuesday. Last month, 8,065 homes sold in Virginia, a less than 1% increase from September 2023. Although closed sales remained relatively flat year-over-year, pending sales rose, […]