News / Features

Builder Confidence Unswayed in March

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) maintained its highest level since June 2007 in March, with the national measure holding steady at 28 and gaining two points in the South to settle at

Challenges and Opportunities for Housing

The Bipartisan Policy Center made a splash earlier this month with a wide-ranging study of the Echo Boomer generation that highlighted many of the demographic, economic and sociological factors that would contribute to the generation’s economic impact, and it

Most Americans in the Dark on Government Mortgage Programs

A new survey by FreeScore.com has uncovered a most interesting anomaly in the housing landscape – although 22.1 percent of homeowners are underwater on their mortgages, according to CoreLogic, more than 70 percent are unaware of government programs created specifically to

NAHB Improving Markets Index Poised for Triple Digits

The National Association of Home Builders in March added 30 more metropolitan areas to its Improving Markets Index (IMI), a unique survey of the nation’s best-performing urban areas. Representative of 33 states, the IMI has grown steadily since its launch in

New Short Sale Timelines to Begin for Mortgage Servicers

Mortgage servicers, namely the nation’s five largest banks, will have to adapt their business models to new timelines starting this week for short sales, as some of the regulatory aspects of the state attorneys general mortgage settlement are implemented

Houston Evades February Foreclosure Bug

February foreclosures in Houston posted mild increases from a year ago, as banks resume filings in the wake of the $26 billion mortgage settlement, according to the latest data from RealtyTrac. From January, February’s 3,351 foreclosure filings were a

Supply and Demand on Realtor.com

Listed inventory on Realtor.com fell by 22 percent in February compared with a year ago, but according to the site, that drop was accompanied by a 6.8 percent increase in asking price, which signified a greater interest from prospective

Outlook Brightens at the Federal Reserve

Policy makers at the Federal Reserve raised their expectations for the economy in 2012, with stronger-than-anticipated results in employment and consumer behavior motivating the positive change in perspective. The Fed said it expects moderate economic growth and gradually declining

Ashby High-Rise to Move Forward, Despite Citizen Resistance

Mayor Annise Parker announced Monday night that she signed a settlement between the city and the developers of the Ashby High-Rise, the much-resisted Southampton development that will now officially move forward. The mayor’s announcement came as no surprise, after

Have No Fear, Bernanke is Here

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke attempted to calm the nerves of community bankers earlier today with a pre-recorded message directed at the pending effects of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory bill. Appearing before the Independent Community Bankers of America convention in

Homebuilders Prepped for Spring Rebirth in New Home Sales

Spring is often seen as a time for growth and rebirth, and those metaphorical aspects, based on new estimates and projections from some of the nation’s largest homebuilders, have rarely been more appropriate. According to Barclay Capital analysts, 2012

Rentals and Homes Running in Opposite Directions

A new index from Zillow has found an inverted relationship between median rental prices and home values last year, with rents rising 3 percent from January 2011 to January 2012 and home values falling 4.6 percent. Released for the

Freddie Finances Showing Gradual Improvement

Freddie Mac ate its latest serving of humble pie late last week when it reported yet another year of losses and made an additional request for funds from the U.S. Treasury, but it also dampened the news with some

Constructing an Improvement For U.S. Employment

Construction employment may have been down slightly in February, but it is part of a larger trend in the jobs market that points to a slow, but sustainable growth for the U.S. economy through 2012 and beyond. For February, construction jobs

New NAHREP Report Signals Arrival of the Hispanic Homebuyer

Hispanics are anticipated to contribute in transformative ways to the U.S. housing market in the coming years, according to an expansive study of the increasingly prominent demographic by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals

REO Magic Tricks at the Government Sponsored Enterprises

The Department of Housing and Urban Development released data last week that both GSE and its own REO inventories were reduced by nearly 50 percent in 2011, a result of both higher sales and the robo signing-inspired foreclosure freeze.

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