Mel Watt, the recently installed head of the FHFA, delivered his first major address on housing this week; here were the main takeaways. #171644428 / gettyimages.com Mel Watt, who is the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA),

It’s one thing for NAR to think that lending is too strict, but now even FICO has thrown its voice into the mix. #182982451 / gettyimages.com For some time, tight lending standards in the post-bubble housing market have been

With talk in the air about overhauling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, how much sway does conforming loan limits have on our market? #157336161 / gettyimages.com Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the massive government-sponsored entities that are responsible for the

Prices have risen strongly thus far in 2014, and April only continued that hot streak. #122676840 / gettyimages.com Houston’s home price increases in 2014 continued in April, with asking prices rising 9.8 percent yearly and 2.1 percent quarterly, according to the

Some consumers prefer newly built homes, while other prefer existing residences; why is that? #486077819 / gettyimages.com It’s always been a give-in that some consumers will prefer newly built homes while others opt for an existing residence, but an

There’s been quite a bit of negative press swirling around housing lately, but we’ve got some pleasant developments to hang your hat on. #461497687 / gettyimages.com There’s no two ways about it – the last few weeks, at least

Did our area’s long-term housing inventory trends continue last month? #171583862 / gettyimages.com Falling housing inventory in Houston has been the name of the game for quite some time now, but new analysis from Movoto may suggest light at

Realtor.com’s survey of luxury housing continues to yield interesting findings about that most important sector of housing. #479997555 / gettyimages.com The last couple weeks, we’ve been covering realtor.com’s survey of the luxury housing market with glee, with our stories

We don’t like to pair the term “buyer’s remorse” with real estate, but new survey results suggest we should. The term “buyer’s remorse” is often associated with cars and appliances, but a new survey from Redfin suggests that a

This year’s stellar home-price gains continued into the spring, according to CoreLogic’s latest analysis. #485935355 / gettyimages.com Home prices in the Houston area housing market rose 13.7 percent year-over-year in March, according to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic.

Home prices have increased in a hurry the last year, but has that made homeownership any less practical in certain markets? #476846255 / gettyimages.com In the immediate years after the housing bubble popped, the answer to “rent or buy?”

Housing has gotten off to a slow start in 2014, and as we approach the year’s halfway point, a diagnosis is in order. #485205213 / gettyimages.com If the last couple of weeks have made anything clear, it’s that the

What are the most troublesome obstacles faced by luxury homebuyers in today’s housing market? Earlier this week, we reported on a fascinating new study by realtor.com, which looked at what features today’s luxury homebuyers desire the most in a home.

The mortgage markets may have undergone a radical change since 2008, but some details may still surprise you. Last week, we reported a rather sobering statistic – according to record keeping by Ellie Mae, the average FICO score for

Residential construction has been making a tepid comeback in recent months; how did March play into that narrative? Let’s put it this way – March was a wonderfully positive month for residential construction in the Houston area, according to

Houston is well known for its affordability, but what neighborhoods are in the upper echelon of pricing? Time and again, we’ve reported on the relative affordability of housing in Houston, and how much that affordability differs from similarly large,