Mortgage rates lower, infrastructure projects to watch, tips to keep your 2019 resolutions, and more
- Tim Tassa
- Dec 28, 2018
- 2 min read
It's challenging to keep up with local news, particularly the items that may impact your life, your commute, or your community. That's why each week we compile a few interesting developments happening in the area (some serious, some not so much).
The Washington Post: Decline in fixed mortgage rates continues unabated through the holidays
"This holiday season has brought good news for anyone looking to buy a house or refinance a mortgage. According to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average dipped to 4.55 percent with an average 0.5 point. (Points are fees paid to a lender equal to 1 percent of the loan amount.) It was 4.62 percent a week ago and 3.99 percent a year ago."
Greater Greater Washington: Here are 5 new infrastructure projects we’ll likely get with Amazon
"Amazon's HQ21/2 is coming to Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Potomac Yard, an area that local officials dubbed “National Landing” to avoid writing out three neighborhood names over and over again. Amazon’s arrival will mean at least $195 million in new transportation infrastructure from Virginia, on top of the $570 million it was already planning on investing into the area."
"The median price of a house or a condo that sold in the D.C. metro in October was up 2.9 percent from October 2017, according to a monthly S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, the smallest annual gain in median prices among the nation’s 20 largest cities."
"A massive jump in online home searches appears to have accompanied skyrocketing home sales in Northern Virginia following the Amazon HQ2 announcement."
Washington Business Journal: Here's how Northern Virginia's other Amazon locations would have laid out
"Perseus-TDC planned to seek permission from local and federal authorities to build a headquarters tower stretching up to 500 feet for Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) at the foot of a new Eisenhower Avenue Metro station entrance, if that's what it took to bring the Seattle-based company's new headquarters to Alexandria."
Fast Company: The ultimate guide to making better resolutions in 2019
"The reality is only about 8% of Americans reportedly keep their New Year’s resolutions. So if you want 2019 to be the year your resolutions stay intact, here are some of our best tips for setting goals you can actually meet and planning ahead for when you might fall off track."
Comments