Apr 27
‘Underwater’ Homes Inch Up in First Quarter The share of seriously underwater home owners took a surprising turn in the first quarter of 2015, posting its first increase since 2012. However, the number of seriously underwater home owners is still down more than 4 percentage points compared to a year ago, according to RealtyTrac’s …
Apr 23
Home Buyers Push Up Loan Demand Mortgage applications were on the rise last week, as home buyers remain behind the upswing in demand. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that applications for home purchases, viewed as a leading indicator of future home sales, rose 5 percent week-over-week on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week …
Apr 22
Economy Likely to ‘Spring Forward’ Economic activity weakened in the first quarter of the year, mostly attributed to bad weather conditions across the Northeast and West Coast port disruptions. But the economy will likely gain momentum throughout the spring, which is expected to give a lift to the ongoing housing recovery, according to Fannie …
Apr 20
Housing Starts Rise, Builders Remain Cautious The new-home market continues to make gains, albeit at a gradual pace as some price sensitive buyers remain on the fence, says Tom Woods, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders on the latest new-home data. Construction of newly built single-family homes edged up 4.4 percent in March …
Apr 17
The 5 Hottest Single-Family Markets Are… The national housing market is regaining steam after a slowdown in late 2013 and early 2014 and a handful of areas are seeing a surge in home prices and sales growth. Auction.com highlights the “hottest” major single-family markets based on current and expected future housing measures. Of the …
Apr 14
Signs Now Point to a ‘Sustainable’ Recovery Last year, the spring selling season failed to meet market expectations, but many housing analysts say that 2015 will be different and the market may have finally reached a long-awaited “sustainable recovery.” In cities that have seen major job growth, home sales surged to double-digit gains in March …
Apr 13
Real Estate Likely to Ride a 3-Year Wave The real estate industry is expected to strengthen this year and continue to get stronger through 2017, according to a new report released from the Urban Land Institute Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate, which is based on a survey of the industry’s top economists and …
Apr 10
20 Most Active Housing Markets Home buyers are turning out in markets across the country for the spring selling season, and some markets are seeing more action than others. “We are now firmly in the time of the year when peak demand and peak inventory levels typically occur, through spring and early summer,” says Jonathan …
Apr 09
Most Don’t Know Their Credit Score Most Americans underestimate the importance of their credit score, with four in 10 saying they don’t know what their credit scores are, according to a new Chase Slate Credit Survey of about 1,000 Americans. What’s more, 52 percent of those surveyed say they were unaware that paying bills on …
Apr 08
4 Million Missing Mortgages, Study Says Getting a mortgage was so difficult during 2009-2013 that millions of potential home buyers were shut out of the market. In fact, the Urban Institute has attempted to put a number on just how many potential buyers may have been shut out by tight credit standards. Its estimates: 4 …
Apr 07
Top 10 Features for New Homes The outdoor kitchen and two-story foyers are starting to lose favor among new home shoppers, while energy efficiency and bigger closets are gaining in popularity, according to a new survey from the National Association of Home Builders. NAHB asked builders to rank home features from 1 to 5 on …
Apr 06
30-Year Rates Hold Steady at 3.70% Fixed-rate mortgages fluctuated little this week, amid mostly calm economic and housing data, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey. “Mortgage rates were little changed this week, entering April about where we started the year,” says Len Kiefer, deputy chief economist at Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac reports …
