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"Walkable" Communities Said to Have Higher Property Values
Communities with walkable neighborhoods command higher home prices than similar properties where a car is required for getting around, according to a recent study of 15 major urban areas. Read More» |
Consumer Spending Up Slightly
Consumer spending rose 0.2 percent in July, increasing for the third month in a row, although at a lower rate than the month before, the Commerce Department reported today. Read More» |
Mortgage Rates Largely Unchanged This Week
Mortgage rates remained essentially unchanged this past week, rising only by the smallest of margins, according to two of the nation's leading rate surveys. Read More» |
New Home Sales Increase for Fourth Straight Month
Sales of newly constructed single-family homes rose for the fourth month in a row in July, increasing almost 10 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 433,000 units. Read More» |
Home Prices Up Nearly 3 Percent in Second Quarter
U.S. home prices rose nearly 3 percent in the second quarter of the year, the first quarterly gain in housing prices in nearly three years, according to the latest Standard & Poor's/Case-Shilling Home Price Index. Read More» |
Indianapolis Continues to Lead Nation in Housing Affordability
Indianapolis continues to lead the nation in home affordability among major cities, with nearly 95 percent of all homes affordable by a family earning the area's median income. Read More» |
Home Sales Post Biggest Increase in 10 Years
Sales of existing homes rose sharply in July, rising 7.2 percent in the biggest monthly increase in at least 10 years, according to figures released today by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Read More» |
Mortgage Rates Drop to Lowest Level in Three Months
Average 30-year mortgage rates dropped to their lowest level in nearly three months this past week, falling to 5.12 percent in the weekly Freddie Mac mortgage rate survey released this morning. Read More» |
Homeowners Optimism Over Housing Prices Increases
U.S. homeowners are increasingly optimistic about their future home values, even though they continue to overestimate just how well those values have been holding up in the current downturn, according to a new report. Read More» |
Single Family Construction Permits Rise
Construction permits for single-family homes rose again in July, increasing 5.8 percent to an annualized rate of 458,000, according to figures released today by the Commerce Department. Read More» |
Pace of Mortgage Delinquencies Slows
Mortgage loan delinquencies increased for the 10th straight quarter from April to June, hitting an all-time high of 5.81 percent of all home loans. However, the rate of increase slowed for the first time since the recession began, suggesting that the mortgage market may be stabilizing, according to... Read More» |
More Home Sellers Reducing Asking Price
One-quarter of all U.S. homes for sale have seen at least one price reduction since being listed, as more home sellers are forced to readjust their expectations in a declining home market. Read More» |
Foreclosure Rate Sets New Monthly Record - Again
The U.S. foreclosure rate rose 7 percent in July, and set a new record for the third time in five months, according to the foreclosure marketing firm RealtyTrac, in a report released today. Read More» |
Existing Home Sales Rise
Sales of existing homes posted a modest gain in the second quarter of 2009, rising 3.8 percent to an annual rate of 4.76 million units, according to figures released today by the National Association of Realtors. Read More» |
Productivity Posts Strongest Gain in Six Years
U.S. productivity rose at an annual rate of 6.4 percent in the second quarter of the year, the biggest increase in nearly six years, according to figures released this morning by the Labor Department. Read More» |
Most Economists Say Recession is Ending
Most economists believe the recession is either ending or has already ended, according to a leading survey of private economists released this morning. Read More» |
Report Predicts Half of Mortgages Underwater by 2011
Nearly half of U.S. homeowners with mortgages could soon end up owing more on their loans than their property is worth, according to a new report from Deutsche Bank. Read More» |
No Consistent Trend in Week's Mortgage Rates
Mortgage rates once again posted a mixed performance this past week, with two of the major surveys reporting declines against one that reported an increase. Read More» |
Pending Homes Sales Up for Five Straight Months
Pending home sales posted their fifth straight monthly increase in June, according to new figures from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the longest streak of consecutive monthly increases since July 2003. Read More» |
First Lender Loan Modification Rankings Issued
The first "report card" on how well lenders are doing in modifying mortgage loans under the Making Home Affordable Program (MHA) has been released, and there's a big difference between the top and bottom of the class. Read More» |
Foreclosures, Delinquencies Exceed Loan Modifications
Foreclosures and mortgage loan delinquencies are outpacing loan modifications, despite the Obama administration's efforts to help financially pressed Americans avoid losing their homes. Read More» |