Home Builder Confidence Falls Again; Home Buyers Gain Leverage?
After reaching a 3-year high just 90 days ago, the National Association of Homebuilders' Housing Market Index is now at a multi-year low after falling by almost half.
Buyers Take The May 2010 New Home Sales Data All The Way To The Bank
The press is referring to the May New Home Sales report as "poor". A closer look, however, shows that may not be the case.
Good News For Sellers : Housing Starts Fall To 1-Year Low In May 2010
Single-family housing starts plummeted to a one-year low in May, just 30 days after soaring to a 20-month high. It's no wonder home builders are confused.
The Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Has Not Been Passed Into Law (Yet)
Contrary to what you may have read (or heard), the federal home buyer tax credit has not been extended past June 30, 2010. At least not yet.
Loan Application Alert : Conforming, Interest Only Mortgages Guidelines Change Next Week
If you plan to finance your home with a conforming interest only mortgage, get your loan application submitted no later than this Friday, June 18. Starting next week, Fannie Mae is clamping down on the popular loan product.
Relocate America’s Top 100 Places To Live (2010 Edition)
Relocate America recently released its 2010 list of Top 100 Places To Live In America. The rankings are topped by some cities you may expect, and some you may not.
Foreclosure Activity Slows For The First Time In Several Years
According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac.com, the number of foreclosure notices dropped 2 percent between April 2009 and April 2010. 2 percent may not seem like much, but it's the first time in the history of the RealtyTrac report that the annual foreclosure rate has dropped.
Housing Starts Data Hints That Housing Will Expand Even After The Tax Credit Expires
A Housing Start is a new home on which construction has started and, over the last 6 months, home builders are averaging one half-million starts per month. This marks the highest 6-month average since 2008 and a reading one-fifth percent better from 12 months ago. Revisions to prior data have all been higher, too.
Fight Your Real Estate Property Tax Bill Without A Lawyer
More than 60 percent of U.S. homes are "over-assessed", says an industry trade group. It causes homeowners to pay more in property taxes than they otherwise should have to. You might be one of them. Have you considered fighting it?
How To Buy Bank-Owned Homes In A Period Of Rising Inventory
California, Florida, Arizona and Georgia accounted for more than half of all bank repossessions in March 2010. It's a disproportionate distribution of foreclosures. Together, the 4 states represent just 23 percent of the overall U.S. population.
Case-Shiller Shows Home Price Improvement In A Majority Of Cities Nationwide
Standard & Poors released its Case-Shiller Index Wednesday. The report shows that, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, between December and January, home prices rose in more than half of the index's tracked markets. The strength of this month's Case-Shiller report, however, should be put in context.
The Federal Home Buyer Tax Credit Enters Its Home Stretch — 29 Days Left
There's just 30 days remaining to use the federal home buyer tax credit. The credit ranges up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers, and up to $6,500 for existing homeworkers who have lived in their main home for 5 of the last 8 years.