News / Features

Census Bureau Data Emphasizes Housing’s Resiliency

The Census Bureau just released its massive tomb on housing data from 2000 to 2010, and as expected, the “Housing Characteristics” brief is a sweeping, detailed analysis of housing, offering both good and bad information on the embattled market. The

Bridgeland Community Celebrates Five Years of Success

The Bridgeland multi-community development in Cypress, Texas, has much to celebrate as its 5-year anniversary approaches.  In its short history, Bridgeland has won both the Community of the Year award in the 2010 Silver Awards, and The Nationals 2009

The Ghost of Countrywide’s Past Haunts BofA

In an ironic twist, Bank of America (BofA) is closing 40 mortgage offices and firing hundreds of workers at a time when mortgage interest rates are setting record lows. The firings come in the wake of recent news from Freddie

Construction Builds a Bright Spot for Sept. Jobs Report

According to the most recent jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor, the economy added 103,000 jobs in September, and though markets reacted to the data in a lukewarm fashion, a true bright spot in the department’s findings

Reviewing the Refinancing Relish

Mortgage rates have been on a steady decline the last couple months, and thanks to recent monetary action by the Federal Reserve, they hit all-time lows late last week, with the 30-year FRM shattering the 4 percent barrier and

Geithner Offers Inklings of New Govt. Housings Programs

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was on Capital Hill yesterday testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, and during his testimony made several faint mentions of pending housing programs and revisions from the Treasury Department. “We expect to move

Houston Southern Living Showcase Home Tours to Benefit Local Charities

Built by Morning Star Builders and marketed by the Prudential Gary Green Realtors Builder Marketing Division, the Houston Southern Living Showcase Home will be going on tour to benefit two local charities beginning

HUD Grants $243,179 to Houston Urban League

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced yesterday $28 million in grants – $243,179 of that due to a Houston organization – to fight and investigate housing discrimination and promote equal housing opportunities. Funded through the Fair Housing

CoreLogic HPI Declines Slightly in August

CoreLogic released its latest Home Price Index (HPI), showing a slight decline in August by 0.4 percent that represents the first decline in four months. A tracker of home prices and contemporary to Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller, the HPI

Private Mortgage Mods HAMPered by Redefaults

Lately, there hasn’t been much love for government loan mod programs. News has been swirling the past month that revisions are pending to the government’s underperforming loan modification programs, and sharp critiques have abound on the programs’ performance records.

HUD Emphasizes Passing Grades in Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the September edition of the White House’s “Housing Scorecard” yesterday, highlighting the positive trends in housing prices and refinancing options and other notable government initiatives. Raphael Bostic, a HUD

No Bottom in Sight for 30-year FRM

On Aug. 18, 2011, Freddie Mac released the results of its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), reporting that 30-year fixed rate mortgages had reached a new low at 4.15 percent, surpassing the previous low of 4.17 percent from

HAR Prevails in Supreme Court Copyright Lawsuit

The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) prevailed this week in a software copyright lawsuit when the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, upholding a Fifth Circuit decision in HAR’s favor. The case, Real Estate Innovations Inc. v. Houston Association of

Riverstone Community Celebrates 10 Years of Prosperity

Sugarland’s Riverstone community has much to celebrate during its 10-year anniversary. The 2011 year-to-year sales up 35 percent, home sales this past August set an all-time record high, and it is listed among the top 20 selling communities in

Redefining the Refinancing Perception

Freddie Mac Senior Vice President Paul Mullings confronted negative perceptions on refinancing in a recent blog post, stating that refinancing by Freddie and other government agencies has saved homeowners not millions, but billions of dollars. “One thing I observed

Does Homeownership Still Matter? Of Course!

Despite daily doses of apocalyptic news and forecasts, two prominent surveys on housing cut through the fog and show that even in a down market, housing remains a mainstay of the American Dream. The two surveys, one by Fannie

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