News / Features

Is Green Homebuilding Transforming the Residential Market?

Green homes have been growing more popular with each passing year, and a new study by McGraw-Hill Construction has discovered exponential growth in the industry. According to its study, officially called “SmartMarket Report: New and Remodeled Green Homes: Transforming

Housing Affordability at 40-year High

Housing affordability has been trending upwards in the post-boom housing market, and according to analytics firm Fiserv, it’s now at a 40-year high. Utilizing data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fiserv studied 380 U.S. markets, and it found

NAHB Advocates Housing Financial Overhaul

NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg has become the latest proponent for housing finance reform, arguing in an op-ed for a comprehensive overhaul of the current system. “Our goal is to overhaul the housing finance system to ensure that housing credit

LPS Analytics Reports Higher Home Values in February

Lender Processing Services released its latest Home Price Index (HPI) late last week, reporting that home values increased for just the third time in five years. Covering the month of February, the HIP rose by 0.2 percent from January,

Shadow Inventory Housing Slowly Decreasing in 2012

A new study out by Standard & Poor’s is estimating it will take 46 months to clear out the nation’s supply of shadow inventory, one month less than predictions from 2011. Liquidation rates for the residential mortgage markets appeared

Builder Confidence Soars in 55+ Market

Builder confidence in the 55+ market posted big year-over-year gains in the first quarter, another sign of 2012 optimism in the construction industry. Overall, the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) increased 10 points to

Past Loans Still Impacting FHA Delinquency Rate

Another round of foreclosures and delinquencies has once again put the FHA’s finances under scrutiny, as the agency’s boom-era loans continue to haunt its books. According to the latest data from Lender Processing Services, lenders began foreclosure proceedings on

Obama Ramps Up Refinancing Rhetoric

In tune with the campaigning season, President Obama is stepping up his populist rhetoric to drum up support for his home refinancing plan. Originally announced in January during his State of the Union address, the plan would allow homeowners

First Quarter Activity Strong for Median Home Values

Median home values, improving sales and stronger inventories were all features of the 2012 first quarter report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Median existing single-family home prices rose year-over-year in 74 out of the 146 metro areas tracked

Mortgage Delinquency Data Spotlights Judicial Divide

After a brief lull in activity, serious mortgage delinquencies picked up in the second half of 2011, according to new report from Foreclosure-Response.org, and along the way, they highlighted some of the most interesting nuances of the judicial handeling of

New Chapter in the Homeownership vs Renting Debate

The homeownership/renting debate has gotten fierce in recent months, but a new chart may have settled the dispute. A new chart of analysis has reinvigorated the homeownership vs renting debate, with another nod of economic approval heading for the homeowners’

Fannie Mae Avoids Losses in 2012 Q1

Fannie Mae, the much-beleaguered GSE, is reporting a financial scenario for 2012’s first quarter that stands in stark contrast to past reports – it’s positive. After quarterly losses of $6.5 billion in the first quarter of 2011 and $2.4 billion

Mortgage Servicers Resist Compensation Changes

Mortgage servicers have one warning for the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) – keep your hands off our compensation methods, you regulatory agency! As part of a wide-ranging effort by the the FHFA and the Department of Housing and

What Wave of Foreclosures?

The wave of foreclosures that many analysts had anticipated has, thus far, failed to materialize (knock on wood), and its absence is making some reconsider the housing market. As the Wall Street Journal explained in a recent story, the biggest

Housing Values Increase in CoreLogic Price Index

Home values increased 0.6 percent from February to March in CoreLogic’s Home Price Index (HPI) for the first time since July 2011. Though prices did decline by 0.6 percent from March 2011 to March 2012, they also rose by

Improving Markets Index Retain Triple-Digit Status

The NAHB’s Improving Markets Index (IMI) held steady at 100 in May, the second month in a row of triple-digit totals for the index. First released last summer, the IMI has grown by wide margins in the months since,

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