News / Features

FHA Financing Soars 500 Percent from 2006

The granddaddy of housing construction data, the U.S. Census Bureau’s “Characteristics of New Housing” report, just came out for 2011, and it features numerous stats on the single-family home market. Perhaps the most interesting data, though, involves financing, and

20 Percent Think Agents Have ‘Very High’ Ethical Standards

Compared to lawyers, politicians and used car salesmen, how ethical are real estate agents? According to a new poll out from Gallup, the answer to that question is actually quite

Weed-ing Out the Best Commissions Model

As Slater puts it in “Dazed and Confused” – “That’s what I’m talking about, man!” A Colorado man shipped 12 pounds, or $18,000 worth, of marijuana to his real estate

Is Prudential Gary Greene Changing Franchises?

Rumors are swirling that Prudential Gary Greene, the oldest real estate firm in Houston and one of the Bayou City’s top performers, is changing franchises in 2012. The Gary Greene partners offered no comment for this story, but according

Home Prices Increase 1.1 Percent in CoreLogic HPI

Home values reached a milestone in April, according to the latest CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI), rising 1.1 percent year-over-year. The increase was the second consecutive yearly gain for the HPI and the first time consecutive increases have occurred since June

5 Mistakes Your Homebuyers Should Avoid

As we’ve chronicled on several occasions, housing is coming back, and now that the market is improving, many features of the post-boom market no longer apply. Here are five of the most common remnants of the past housing market

50 Percent Increase in Hispanic Purchasing Power in Two Years

The composition of the U.S.’ housing market is changing radically, and nowhere is that change more apparent than among hispanic homeowners. The data could not be more clear – in the next two years, the purchasing power for Hispanics

What’s in a Word? “Agents” Absent on Job Sites

Job-hunting sites such as Monster, Career Builder and especially Simply Hired have made job searches easier than ever, but in the case of real estate, a bit more legwork may be necessary. Houston Agent did a sweep of the real

39 Percent of Houston Agents Dealt With International Homebuyers in 2011

International buyers are making up an increasingly potent share of Houston’s real estate market, according to the 2012 International Real Estate Business Survey. Conducted by the Houston Association of Realtors and covered by the Houston Chronicle, the survey found that 39

Did the FHA’s Foreclosures Really Rise by 73 Percent?

Lender Processing Services (LPS) made quite a stir last week with its report that foreclosures on Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-guaranteed homes rose by 73 percent in April. Naturally, the FHA, feisty as ever, is not taking that claim mildly,

4 Things You MUST Know About the Supreme Court’s Recent Ruling on Transaction Fees

The Supreme Court’s rulings have a habit of disappearing in the daily news cycle, but its most recent ruling could have a transformative effect on the entire real estate landscap. The ruling for Freeman et. al. v. Quicken Loans,

3 Reasons the Luxe Life is Here

The Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago made a big splash last week when it listed one of the most expensive slices of real estate in the city’s history – an 89th-floor, 14,260 square-foot, $32-million penthouse. Trump Tower, though,

3 Reasons Houston Keeps Prospering

One does not have to be a rocket scientist at NASA to see that things are pretty good in Houston right now. Home sales in April were positive for the 11th straight month, reaching their highest level since August

5 Great Things Happening in the Construction Economy

Everything was sunny and fine for the U.S. construction industry in April, which continued its 2012 gains with strong showings for the month in the Census Bureau’s latest report. Altogether, construction spending rose 0.3 percent from March to April

What is Walmart’s Impact on Home Prices?

Walmart is many things to many people – discount chain, multinational corporation, grocery store, and, of course, arbiter of pollution, low-wage jobs and traffic. But a new study from a duo of economists has put a new, interesting perspective

159 Percent More Buyers Interested in Foreclosed Properties

A new survey by Realtor.com has found that prospective homebuyers are more interested in foreclosures than ever before – and in a major way. Since October 2009, homebuyer interest in foreclosures has risen by an incredible 159 percent, which

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