A new survey out from Coldwell Banker is reporting that a formidable number of homebuyers put more emphasis on the emotional appeal of a home than its technical details. According to a Real Estate Economy Watch overview of the

A new regulation from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is poised to further restrict access to the agency’s pool of low-cost, low-money-down loans. According to a CNN Money article on the changes, the FHA is now scrutinizing the creditworthiness

Construction spending, one of the main economic indicators for future growth, rose 5.8 percent year-over-year in February, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. At a $808.9 billion annual rate, spending was actually down somewhat from January’s revised totals, falling slightly

The housing market received another dose of good news late last week with delinquency rate reports from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which both declined in February. The reports are the latest in a long line of positive developments

Sales of investment and vacation homes skyrocketed in 2011, with the combined market share jumping to its highest level since 2005, according to the 2012 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey from the National Association of Realtors. That survey found that,

An interesting nugget of information was tucked away in the National Association of Realtor’s latest press release on existing-home sales. Amidst the details on sales (which were down 0.9 percent monthly but up 8.8 percent year, in case you were wondering),

All week, we’ve been reporting on the different dimensions of the housing recovery. From housing’s relationship with the greater economic progression of 2012, to positive projections from Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, to the continually high interest from Americans

New legislation proposed in the House of Representatives would extend the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007, a federal provision that allows taxpayers to exclude from their income the debt reductions that resulted from mortgage restructuring or foreclosure settlements.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last week finally integrated HARP 2.0 into their automation systems, and though refinancings are expected to increase dramatically, they could come with some strings attached that previous refinancings did not

It’s long been one of the ultimate truisms in real estate that a robust economy, and all the positive employment and investment numbers that accompany it, is the finest contributor to a growing housing market, and agents, investors and

Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft is predicting a reawakening, of sorts, for the housing market in his March 2012 Economic Outlook in a fashion that could read like a sequel to “Sleeping Beauty.” Analyzing economic growth, construction data and

Toll Brothers has joined the league of revitalized builders, including Lennar and Hovnanian, if comments from the luxury builder’s CEO are any indication. In an interview with CNBC, CEO Douglas Yearley said his company has been experiencing some of

Foreclosures launched by Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)-registered banks and servicers fell by 16 percent in the fourth quarter and by 17.9 percent year-over-year, according to the latest data from the agency, capping off an entire

Standard & Poor’s released the latest Case-Shiller Indices yesterday, and as has been the trend the last few months, the research firm reported declines in price, specifically a 3.9 percent year-over-year drop in the 20-City Composite, which measures home

Despite economic strife and continued difficulties in the housing market, Americans continue to see homeownership as preferable to renting, according to Fannie Mae’s latest National Housing Survey. A study involving 3,000 Americans that focuses on the state of homeownership aspirations in

The principal reduction, and whether the GSEs will embrace it as a central policy for aiding distressed borrowers, is undoubtedly among the most contentious issues facing housing right now, as Acting FHFA Director Ed DeMarco has resisted repeated calls