With a growing gap between supply and affordability, a new report from Cotality reveals the U.S. housing market is seeing a significant shift in what defines a “starter home.” Once characterized by modest new builds on the outskirts of town, the starter home is now more likely to be an older, smaller property — and it’s commanding […]

The City of Mount Vernon and the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce continue their free community Summer Concert Series this Thursday at 6pm at the Mount Vernon Riverwalk on Main Street with The Chris Eger Band. Very few musicians are said to be extraordinary examples of excellence in any one genre of music. Even fewer […]

Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group has lowered its forecast for US existing single-family home sales in 2025 to 4.14 million units, down from the 4.24 million units projected in the previous month’s outlook. The revision was published in the group’s June 2025 Economic and Housing Outlook. The updated forecast reflects revised expectations […]

The City of Mount Vernon and the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce continue their free community Summer Concert Series this Thursday at 6pm at the Mount Vernon Riverwalk on Main Street. This week’s featured band: Mama Dirty Skirt! Mama Dirty Skirt has been performing the hits of Classic Rock, Motown, Rhythm and Blues with rich […]

Most homeowners say they won’t buy or sell a home this year, no matter what rates do… That’s according to a survey from Bankrate which shows 54% of U.S. homeowners wouldn’t feel comfortable selling at any mortgage rate in 2025, up 12 percentage points from last year. A similar share of homeowners, 51%, say they wouldn’t feel […]

The City of Mount Vernon and the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce continue their free community Summer Concert Series this year beginning this Thursday at 6pm at the Mount Vernon Riverwalk on Main Street. This week’s featured band: The Enthusiasts! Feet stomping, homemade and heart-full rock and roll. Based and placed in Anacortes, WA, celebrating […]

A new policy change at mortgage giants Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac could help first-time homebuyers qualify for a mortgage if they have a track record of paying their rent on time. Effective immediately, Fannie and Freddie will allow mortgage lenders to use VantageScore credit ratings to assess borrower creditworthiness, in addition to or instead of traditional […]

It used to be called a “second job.” Now? It’s called a “side hustle.” And Americans nervous about paying the bills are increasingly turning to side hustles in the face of economic uncertainty. Americans are “side hustling like we’re in a recession,” said The Wall Street Journal. Research shows that nearly four in 10 Gen Z and millennial […]

Homebuyers continue to be saddled with high mortgage rates, which have been hovering close to 7%. However, mortgage applications have ticked up 12.5% for the week ending June 6 after three straight weeks of declines.  And when the time comes to close the deal, homebuyers need to be prepared to bring money to the table—and they’ll pay […]

For the past several years, home sellers have been in the driver’s seat, able to command high prices for homes, often selling quickly and with multiple offers.  Times appear to be changing. According to data recently released by Redfin, nationally there are currently 500,000 more home sellers than homebuyers.  While somewhat surprisingly, this has yet […]