Purchase

After years of sitting on the sidelines of the housing market, a growing population of millennials has begun to embrace the financial benefits of owning a home.

While the inventory of new and existing homes is tight, competition for smaller homes is heating up as aging baby boomers are down-sizing and selling their residences.

Soaring home prices have created market volatility that's making it difficult for appraisers to accurately pinpoint home values and putting mortgage approvals and home sales in jeopardy.