The U.S. foreclosure markets spent much of 2011 on hiatus, cowering in the corner while banks handled the robo signing controversy and settled the substantial lawsuits that resulted from the scandal’s numerous foreclosure-related mishaps. 2012 is a new year, though,

Residential housing construction started off 2012 on good footing, building on December’s gains and rising in nearly every relevant area, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing

President Obama released his 2013 Budget proposal only this week, but housing advocates are already coming out against the measure, citing reductions in services and revenue models that they claim are essential for housing’s future. On the association side,

In an effort to improve is relations with the housing industry and fellow MLS providers, popular website Zillow has hired real estate veteran Bob Bemis as the company’s vice president of partner relations. Bringing 25 years of experience with

Home builder confidence in the single-family home market rose for the the fifth consecutive month in February, according to the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), reaching its highest level since 2008. Barry Rutenberg, the NAHB chairman and a home builder from Gainesville,

Rosemary Derstler and Cynthia Berry at the Katy Home Connections Team of the Prudential Gary Green, Realtors Kathy office,  each received their Master Certified Negotiation Expert designation, an accomplishment that only one percent of real estates agents nationwide  has

There are 1,325,334 foreclosed homes on RealtyTrac right now, and through December 2011, one in every 634 housing units received a foreclosure filing. Though some banks have only added to their foreclosure proceedings – and as we wrote yesterday, there could

We’ve been covering the state attorneys general mortgage settlement for the last couple of days, and analysts have uncovered an interesting nugget of information that spells good news for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The finances of the FHA

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its 2013 budget yesterday, and as can be expected from an agency of HUD’s size and scope, there are dozens of pages in the budget proposal highlighting the many initiatives

The recently-announced mortgage settlement is being heralded by state attorneys general and government officials for its $26 billion deal to help hundreds of thousands of troubled homeowners, but as a recent CNNMoney article reveals, there may be unintended consequences

Houston-based, privately owned real estate firm, Rockspring Capital has announced the purchase of 117 residential lots in New Braunfels, Texas, by one of its affiliates. Rockspring is a land investment company that plans to buy more land, like the

“McMansions,” the derogatory name given to overly-large, mass-produced suburban homes, were as much a feature of the housing boom as subprime loans and credit default swaps, with new developments of such homes seemingly springing up wherever land was available. But as

A local investment group has obtained a $10-million loan to buy the 145-unit Greenbriar Chateau in the near southwest submarket, according to a report by swamplot.com. Residents of the Greenbriar Chateau apartment complex, just minutes from Rice University, Hermann

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke offered measured comments on housing in a speech at the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida on Friday, describing a market more in transition than one that has

Housing affordability reached record heights in 2011, according to the National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) latest Housing Affordability Index (HAI),reaching its highest levels since the index was first launched in 1970. Based on median home price, median family income

A quick glance through the news feeds these past couple weeks yields many good developments for the housing market. Along with improved residential construction numbers, strong local sales and a rebound in consumer confidence, there were huge jumps in multifamily