Stories abound on the immense international investments in the U.S. housing market, and a new study from Credit Sesame seems to have clarified why. According to an elegant infographic that Credit Sesame compiled using price data from Zillow, the New

First, it was the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Now, it’s the Emergency Homeowner’s Loan Program (EHLP). Both are government programs for housing, and both are due to fall short of their initial goals. Underperformance seems to be the

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) offered two plans for revamping mortgage servicing compensation. One model would reduce percentage-based servicing fees on government-sponsored enterprise loans and set aside three to five basis points of the principal balance to fund

The Appraisal Institute, the nation’s largest association of appraisers, has released a new form focused on adequately valuing the green features of a property. Appraisals have a long, storied history with many Realtors and builders, and sometimes not in

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may have stopped in Cleveland to speak about emerging market economies, but his comments during the Q&A session that followed, which included addresses on housing, are garnering all the attention. Repeating statements he made

The question lately regarding mortgages is, how low can mortgage rates go? In the case of the 30-year FRM, the answer is still pending. After falling to a historical low of 4.09 percent, the 30-year rates have fallen yet again

The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index, which measures the number of contracts to purchase previously owned homes, declined 1.2 percent from July to August, it still remains above 2010 levels. The August index, at 88.6, was

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), along with its member institutions, were pleased to announce today that it has awarded more than $3.3 million in Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grants to 14 low- to moderate-income housing

Standard & Poor’s released the latest Case-Shiller Indices yesterday, reporting gains in metropolitan home prices for the fourth straight month. Those indices, however, rely on nominal prices, not the “real” prices that consider inflation. But thanks to Bill McBride

Standard & Poor’s (S&P), the mammoth credit rating agency whose questionable ratings of risky credit derivatives are blamed for the 2008 financial crisis, is currently under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for ratings it gave to

Tell us your opinion! What are your predictions regarding marketing tools, what technological tools and apps are you using, and how are you staying successful in the Houston housing market? Take our survey and tell

The Houston Business Journal (HBJ) recently published a list of the most expensive Houston-area homes sold in 2010. The list is made up of 51 homes

Mobile platform designer Smarter Agent announced today it has developed a mobile application for Prudential Gary Greene Realtors. The app will benefit real estate clients by providing MLS data and location-based searches through any mobile

The number of active mortgage originators declined for the fourth year in a row, a sign that economic conditions may not yet be ideal for sustained economic growth. According to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), which tracks

According to a new report from noted research firm CoreLogic, the shadow inventories for U.S. residential housing continued their downward slope in July, falling to 1.6 million units, or a five-month supply of homes. Shadow inventory properties that are

According to a national study, the median home in Harris County is priced at $130,000. This puts Harris County about a third of the way down the national list for median