News / Features

Asking Prices Increase 5.1 Percent in December Trulia Price Monitor

By Peter Ricci Asking prices increased 0.7 percent from November to December and 5.1 percent year-over-year in the latest Trulia Price Monitor, which studied the asking prices of for-sale homes listed on Trulia in

Did the Housing Market Escape the Fiscal Cliff Unscathed?

By Peter Ricci We knew it would go down to the wire – after countless discussions, negotiations and stories by the media, Congress finally reached an agreement to avert the so-called “Fiscal Cliff,” and the housing market, upon initial

Residential Construction Spending Up in November

By Peter Ricci Private residential construction spending increased again in November, rising 0.4 percent from October to November in what is shaping up to be an encouraging 2012 for residential construction, according to the latest data from the Census

5 Real Estate Trends to Watch For in 2013

By Peter Ricci Well, 2013 has finally arrived, and it brings with it a housing market that, in the view of every major real estate analysts – from the NAHB, to the Wall Street Journal, to CoreLogic – is on

Top 10 Stories of 2012

What were the top attention-getting, most interesting stories of 2012? Let’s find out, shall we? We have our top 10 news stories on the next few

Top 10 Viewpoints of 2012

Viewpoints is another of our popular features that shares a successful and respected managing broker in the community’s opinions on the top issues of the week. What 10 were the most viewed by our readers? Click through to the

What’s Hot, What’s Not, for Housing Next Year

By Stephanie Sims Like many in the industry, since it’s the end of 2012, industry professionals are making predictions for 2013, and Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia, is one of those people, giving his predictions in a “what’s

Top 10 Agent Snapshots of 2012

The Agent Snapshot is one of the most popular features on our site, and for good reason! It introduces our readers to the many talented, successful, smart, entertaining, driven and wonderful agents that make the Houston area real estate

How Does Geography Influence Building Materials?

By Peter Ricci Have you ever wondered by chrome seems so common in New England homes? Or why the shiny, shimmering textures of bronze always pop up in Texas dwellings? The NAHB Research Center just combed through 15 years-worth

Texas Home Prices Strong as Ever in October Case-Shiller

By Peter Ricci Texas home prices continued their strong 2012 performance in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from Standard & Poor’s, with Dallas home prices increasing by 4.6 percent year-over-year in October. Though Standard & Poor’s does not track Houston home

Where are Home Prices Heading This Winter?

By Peter Ricci Well, it’s Christmas Eve, the time of mistletoe and yuletide and egg nog. But while visions of sugarplums may be dancing in the heads of most people tonight, we’ll be going to sleep with another, equally

FHA to Tighten Mortgage Standards in 2013

By Peter Ricci In an effort to shore up its struggling finances, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced that it will be tightening its mortgage standards and policies for certain homebuyers in 2013. The FHA’s finances have been

Multifamily Housing Dominates November Architecture Billings Index

By Peter Ricci The multifamily housing market continued its dominant performance in the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Architecture Billings Index, a leading economic indicator of future construction activity that is based on the billings from the nation’s architectural firms.

NAR Gives A Great Xmas Present with its Existing-Home Sales Report

By Peter Ricci There was nothing but good tidings and cheer in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) existing-home sales report for November, which found existing-home sales to have increased 5.9 percent from October to November and 14.5 percent

Building Permits Up 26.8 Percent in New Census Bureau Study

By Peter Ricci Building permits increased 3.6 percent from October to November and 26.8 percent year-over-year in the latest joint study by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Altogether, between single-family and multifamily

Houston Real Estate Surges in November, Inventory Plummets

By Peter Ricci The Houston real estate market continued to surge in November, with housing inventory falling to its lowest level in 12 years and both average and median home prices setting new records for a November in the

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