Portlanders since 2010 have been subjected to an arts tax, a parks tax, a fire tax, a children-services tax, a telephone tax, a gas tax, a construction tax and — come November — city voters will be asked to approve a pot tax and a tax to pay for affordable housing.

“I’m a tax-and-spend liberal,” Commissioner Steve Novick said Thursday, “and I’m tired of voting for tax increases.”

“But,” he continued, “we have a crisis in terms of affordability. And this is a tool that’s available to address it.”

Read the source article at National Mortgage News

The tech industry found a home in San Francisco, propelling the region into a period of unprecedented wealth and innovation. But as more people prosper in Silicon Valley, it pushes more people out who can’t afford the outrageous costs of the city. So how does this impact housing in the busy city?

Read the source article at U.S. Housing Finance News

Freddie Mac’s recent report gives a glimpse of trends in the housing market, as well as what to look for in the coming months. “Despite the increase in cash-out refinances in the recent quarters, there is little risk of over leveraging in the conventional conforming prime market,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sean Becketti said. Click to read more about Becketti’s call.

Read the source article at U.S. Housing Finance News

400 square feet may not seem like a lot — but that’s reckoning without the ingenuity of Swedish design. Thanks to a simple but very smart floor plan, this diminutive Swedish apartment makes living small look positively luxurious.

Read the source article at Apartment Therapy

Industry and consumer groups are calling on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to reduce the loan fees that homebuyers have to pay on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guaranteed mortgage loans.

In a letter sent to FHFA Director Mel Watt on Wednesday, 25 groups urged him to eliminate loan level price adjustment fees that Fannie and Freddie introduced in 2008 to address growing default risks.

Read the source article at National Mortgage News

From The Kitchn → 17 Big, Impressive Main Dishes for Your Backyard BBQ

Read the source article at The Kitchn

Successful salespeople possess tenacity and a good sense of humor, and Drew Boland has a balance of both. Boland, who is a vice president of mortgage lending at Guaranteed Rate in Chicago, serves a metropolitan market with a ferocious sports fan base. Playing on the sense of collective disappointment that comes with any underperforming season, Boland turned a marketing strategy that might have been a negative reminder into a funny follow-up that ended on a high note.

Read the source article at National Mortgage News

Ana and Ximo fell in love with this home’s beautiful, historic architecture, like wood rafters, a stunning staircase, a textured brick wall and more. So while they wanted to infuse the space with their personality, they also wanted to respect the building’s past. Their solution is a simple mix of vintage finds, industrial details and modern furniture buys, arranged in a minimal and effortless way.

Read the source article at Apartment Therapy

“Tight mortgage credit, the decade-long falloff in incomes that is only now ending, and a limited supply of homes for sale are all keeping households—especially first-time buyers—on the sidelines,” said Chris Herbert, managing director of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. “And even though a rebound in home prices has helped to reduce the number of underwater owners, the large backlog of foreclosures is still a serious drag on homeownership.”

Read the source article at National Mortgage Professional Magazine

The fees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge lenders to guarantee mortgage loans actually serve as a tax on consumers and prevent more potential borrowers from becoming actual borrowers, a coalition of the nation’s largest housing groups said Wednesday.

Read the source article at U.S. Housing Finance News