Construction spending rose 1.4 percent in August, a strong recovery after a disappointing 1.4 percent decline in July. According to data from the U.S. Commerce Department, building in August reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $799.1 billion, a

Serious delinquencies for single family homes, which are loans that are either in foreclosure or three month’s late on payments, declined for both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in August. For Fannie, the delinquency rate dropped to 4.03 percent,

Record-low mortgage rates and the most affordable housing market in 20 years are jump-starting investments in the mortgage markets, though financing remains tricky. Last week, the 30-year FRM fell to 4.01 percent, the lowest rate in the history of

The U.S. housing market has finally bottomed out, and after two years of flat growth, will begin a slow, steady recovery, according to former RealtyTrac vice president Rick Sharga. Sharga, who is now an executive vice president with Carrington

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