Katie McKellar

'Really strong' start: Utah funded $50M for a new first-time homebuyer program
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Nov. 26 - 10:01 p.m.
460 Utah homebuyers have taken advantage of the program. In today's sluggish, expensive market, will it help push builders toward more affordable homes?

Utah audit: A future of only single-family homes 'recipe for trouble'
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Nov. 18 - 10:36 p.m.
A new legislative audit released Tuesday warned "time is running short" for Utah policymakers to take action on the state's growing housing problems, calling on lawmakers to require the creation of a statewide strategic plan.

Where home prices are falling the most: 4 Utah cities rank in top 25
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Nov. 14 - 6:22 a.m.
Four markets included in the ranking for falling home prices are located in Utah, among the states in the West that saw home prices skyrocket amid the COVID-19 housing crunch.

Worst housing market in 39 years: Record share of Americans say it's a 'bad time' to buy
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Nov. 11 - 12:19 p.m.
A record number of Americans are frustrated by today's housing market and think now is a terrible time to buy.

Utah named among best states to own a dog
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Nov. 11 - 7:23 a.m.
Some states are more Fido friendly than others, but a new ranking is full of Western states all considered among the best places to live if you're a dog owner.

All-cash buyers buoy luxury housing market while mortgage rates sink everyone else
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Nov. 6 - 8:02 a.m.
While high mortgage rates are keeping everyday Americans out of the housing market, wealthy buyers with means to buy multimillion-dollar homes in cash are doing just fine.

Home sellers win $1.8B in case alleging conspiracy for excessive realtor fees
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Nov. 5 - 7:03 p.m.
The National Association of Realtors and two codefendants were ordered to pay nearly $1.8 billion in damages to about half a million home sellers.

Idaho named most 'overvalued' housing market in the US. Here's where Utah ranks
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 31 - 8:03 a.m.
Even though the housing market is in the midst of a correction, U.S. home prices are still overvalued — and some local markets are more overvalued than others.

'Ominous' prediction: Rising mortgage rates stand to tip sector back into recession, Wells Fargo says
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 27 - 8:04 a.m.
Warning that the housing market is contracting again, Wells Fargo economists wrote that rising borrowing costs "stand to tip the housing sector back into a recession."

Young homebuyers affording homes these days with help from mom and dad
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 20 - 7:04 p.m.
The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage hit 8% on Wednesday, according to Mortgage News Daily — marking a new high not seen since the year 2000.

How a Utah businessman and nonprofit built a Ukrainian village in 6 months
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 20 - 3:04 p.m.
Utah businessman and former professional soccer team owner Dell Loy Hansen walked the grounds of a new housing development for Ukrainians with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Where are rents declining the most? Here's where Utah, Idaho rank
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 18 - 8:03 a.m.
States in the West are seeing more dramatic declines in rent prices compared to the rest of the U.S., according to a new analysis by Rent.com.

Housing market predictions: Fannie Mae revises 2023 home price forecast upward
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 17 - 10:04 a.m.
Amid mortgage rates now hovering well over 7%, Fannie Mae economists have revised their housing market forecast as home prices remain even stickier than expected.

How does today's housing market look next to the 2006 housing bubble?
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 16 - 10:00 a.m.
16 years after the housing bubble popped and sent the global economy into the Great Recession, a new analysis asks of today's housing market: How long can it last?

Utah, Idaho among top 10 states with most 'severe' housing underproduction
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 13 - 8:23 a.m.
A Washington D.C. nonprofit devoted to solving the nation's housing shortage issued a new report Thursday that found the U.S. housing shortage has "accelerated" in suburbs and small towns.

Is the housing market in a bubble? Looks like it — but it likely won't pop, 2008 regulator says
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 12 - 9:55 a.m.
A former federal regulator who served when the 2006 housing bubble burst is concerned that today's housing market is on an unsustainable path.

'Super Bowl' of mountain biking is about to happen in Utah
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 11 - 7:35 p.m.
Eighteen of the world's most elite mountain biking daredevils are coming to southern Utah this Friday for the 17th edition of Red Bull Rampage.

5 reasons why it makes more sense to rent, not buy in today's housing market
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 10 - 7:58 a.m.
As an already sluggish U.S. housing market takes a nosedive into what's expected to be an even chillier fall market than usual, more would-be buyers are pulling back and renting instead.

Utah home prices tip down again amid worst housing market affordability in 4 decades
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 8 - 4:02 p.m.
After six straight months of growth, home prices in most of Utah's Wasatch Front counties have ticked down slightly, marking a turning point.

Will fall housing market spook sellers, bring 'sweet spot' for homebuyers? Zillow economist thinks so
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 7 - 8:57 p.m.
The housing market is chilling even more as summer gives way to fall, and Zillow's economist is seeing a silver lining in the forecast for homebuyers.

Housing market prices are more unaffordable than ever in 99% of US counties
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Oct. 3 - 6:16 a.m.
Housing prices in 99% of U.S. counties are more unaffordable than ever for the average American earner, according to a new report from the real estate data site Attom.

'I feel at home here': Utah tech community welcomes 18 Ukrainian companies
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Sept. 30 - 8:14 p.m.
Yaroslav Fisiuk works with a software development company where about 95% of its more than 300 developers are based in war-torn Ukraine.

US a 'declining democracy,' Utah governor says, and it's time for a 'wake-up call'
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Sept. 22 - 12:00 p.m.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's brow furrowed when he was asked about Sen. Mitt Romney spending $5,000 a day since the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol to cover private security for his family.

Housing market predictions: Mild recession 'likeliest outcome' in 2024, Fannie Mae says
Katie McKellar, Deseret News | Posted Sept. 21 - 8:05 a.m.
As mortgage rates continue to hover above 7%, the housing market is facing "renewed headwinds," and home sales have hit low levels "not seen since 2011."
