By Peter Ricci Home prices in Texas continued their strong 2012 performance in August, with Dallas home prices increasing 3.6 percent year-over-year in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the economic measure from Standard & Poor’s (S&P) that is considered the authority on

By Peter Ricci The mortgage markets have been bracing themselves for new regulations ever since the passing of the Dodd-Frank regulatory bill in 2010, and a new study from the American Action Forum on the qualified mortgage rule, Basel

By Peter Ricci “Boomerang buyers” are just like any other prospective homebuyer, except with one key difference – as the clever name would suggest, they are returning to the homeownership market after going through a foreclosure during the housing

By Peter Ricci According to a new survey jointly conducted by the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and technology firm Merge, 64 percent of agents said they update clients weekly or several times weekly. But this communications

Fifth Third Mortgage Company, a subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank, and the 13th largest originator in the country (Inside Mortgage Finance, Second Quarter 2012) continues to outpace the industry in permanent modifications in the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program

By Peter Ricci The Architecture Billings Index, a leading measure of growth in the commercial and multifamily sectors of real estate, grew at its fastest pace since 2010, rising from 50.2 in August to 51.6 in September. A measure

By Natalie Terchek Fannie Mae (NFMA/OTC) released a statement announcing enhancements on it’s HomePath properties, making the REO sales process easier and more efficient. Starting this week, real estate professionals may access Fannie Mae offer documents online through their

By Peter Ricci The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) has joined the Realtors Property Resource as a partner, becoming just the latest member of the rapidly expanding listing service

By Peter Ricci Just a day after the best new single-family home sales data in years, the National Association of Realtors is reporting another strong month for the Pending Home Sales Index, which rose 14.5 percent from September. From August to

By Peter Ricci The latest housing construction forecast from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is looking quite sunny, with both the single-family housing market and multifamily residencies expected to post strong numbers in the coming years. With

By Peter Ricci Earlier this year, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) received some criticism for an television advertisement on positive homeownership effects that connected homeownership with stronger communities, higher self-esteem and, perhaps most controversially, better test scores in

By Peter Ricci The next generation of potential homeowners are smart, savvy individuals with a unique understanding of both how homeownership works and the sacrifices it requires, according to a homebuyers survey by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

By Peter Ricci New single-family home sales increased 27.1 percent year-over-year in September, according to the latest joint report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition, sales were up 5.7 percent from

By James James Customer Relationship Management is an integral part of of the business of being a Realtor, and the holiday season – which, amazingly, Target has already kicked off – is THE time to remind your clients who you are

By Peter Ricci For the most part, the September existing-home sales report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was positive. Sales were up by 11 percent from last year, median time on the market is down and distressed

By Peter Ricci As Barack Obama campaigns on his accomplishments of the past four years, a new report from RealtyTrac takes its own look at the president’s first term. Titled “Election 2012 Housing Health Check,” the report analyzes five key