Current Market Data

Mortgage Applications Up Despite TRID

We’re approaching two months since the implementation of TRID, and after a string of weeks that saw declining originations, mortgage applications were back up in the week ending Nov. 13, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. In the two

Existing-Home Sales Decline, Market Continues to Improve

Homes sales were down in October, but the overall picture remains a very positive one for housing Existing-home sales declined 3.4 percent from September to October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.36 million, according to the latest report

As Apartment Building Falls, So Does the New Construction Marketplace

October provided yet more evidence of how integral multifamily building is to the current new construction economy October was a rough month for new construction, with housing starts falling 11 percent from September and 1.8 percent from Oct. 2014

CoreLogic: Healthy August Drop in Houston Cash Sales

The share of total residential real estate transactions carried out in all cash fell from 34.9 percent in Aug. 2014 to 31.7 percent this most recent August, according to a report from CoreLogic. Month-over-month, cash sales inched upward by

Mortgage Customer Satisfaction Jumps in New Report

The mortgage process doesn’t often top the list of things people like to do, but as far as dealing with banks and moneymen go, customers are more approving of the mortgage process now than any other time in the

Disproportionately High Rents Spoil Homeownership Dream

Many want to own a house, but the finances are only feasible for an increasingly select few It is a truth universally acknowledged that the vast majority of renters in America aspire to homeownership. Indeed, according to a recent

NAHB: Builder Confidence Slips in November

After some very positive months, builder confidence took a step back in November Builder confidence in the market for newly constructed single-family homes slipped three points to 62 from October to November in the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo

Houston’s Best Elementary Schools, High Schools and Districts Ranked

In WalletHub’s 2015 list of the best and worst school systems in America, Texas ranked among the bottom half of states, coming in at No. 27 overall – and No. 31 when only “quality” was considered. However, despite the

Demand for Crude Falls Alongside Price – Will Houston Hurt?

U.S. companies now hold 487 million barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s monthly report. The figure is significant because it represents the highest stock for early November in at least 80 years, and has major

The 6 Characteristics of Homebuyers in 2015

What does the typical homebuyer look like in 2015? Earlier this week, we reported on first-time homebuyers, and how they are now at their lowest market share since 1987. That information came courtesy of the 2015 Profile of Home Buyers

Houston Named No. 4 Best City for Real Estate Investors

The investor-market dynamic has shifted since the boom and bust years. Returns are no longer astronomical and scooping up discounted foreclosures isn’t as easy as it once was, but the promise of profit has far from dried up, as

HAR: Houston Sales Fall Double Digits

Last fall, the price of oil plummeted by 50 percent and Houston industry insiders claimed all was well. When energy companies started laying off thousands, many claimed Houston’s economy was strong and described the forthcoming effects on real estate

Black Mortgage Applicants Denied Substantially More in Houston

Mortgage markets have improved, but the inequities are still pronounced Black mortgage applicants in the Houston area are denied at a much higher rate than all applicants, according to new research from Zillow. In 2014, 17.3 percent of black mortgage applicants in Houston were

CoreLogic: Houston Remains Free of Foreclosure Worries

In September, foreclosure inventory continued its rapid decline, falling 24.3 percent since the same time last year, a new CoreLogic report found. As a testament to the market’s recovery – and a more total economic recovery – since the

Greater Houston’s Top Closings in October 2015

Click on the tabs below to see the top single-family, condo and multi-family closings in Greater Houston’s housing market in October. Single Family Condo Multi-Family Single Family Sales Price Property Agent Office $5,065,000 Inwood, 3660, Houston Tim Surratt Greenwood King Properties

6 Important Facts about First-Time Homebuyers

First-time homebuyers continue to lose market share in today’s housing market First-time homebuyer share has dropped to its lowest level in 27 years, with just 32 percent of all existing-home sales going to first-time buyers in 2015. That was one