National News

NAR: October Existing-Home Sales Rise 2.1 Percent, Inventory Declines

By Peter Ricci Existing-home sales rose 2.1 percent in October, according to the National Association of Realtors latest market report. Housing inventory, though, declined again in October, adding further pressure to home

Q3 Mortgage Delinquency Survey Very Encouraging for Housing Market

By Peter Ricci The U.S. mortgage markets and the housing market on the whole showed continued improvement in the latest Mortgage Delinquency Survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), which studied delinquency and foreclosure rates across the country for

Rising Home Prices Lift 1.3 Million Borrowers Above Water

By Kerri Ann Panchuk Rising home prices lifted more than 1.3 million underwater homeowners above water this year, the Obama Administration said in its October Housing Scorecard report. The latest report shows more signs of a strengthening housing market,

REach Program: A New Revenue Stream for NAR or a Powerful Start-up Incubator?

By Lani Rosales, AGBeat This month, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) REach, the new real estate technology incubator which seeks companies at all stages of growth, noted that the accelerator program “will be particularly useful to those just

2012 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: An Introduction

By Peter Ricci Once a year, in the last gasps of the autumn season, Christmas comes early for the residential real estate markets – the National Association of Realtors (NAR) releases its yearly Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; and

Fannie Mae's "Housing Insights" Examines Homeowner and Rental Markets

By Natalie Terchek Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group released a new edition of its Housing Insights survey that examines how the recession affected homeownership and rental markets. Interestingly, even with rents rising, homeownership rates are on a

Does it Still Pay to Buy REO Properties?

By Peter Ricci There have been many unfortunate side effects to the housing downturn, but for homebuyers and agents who have been able to capitalize, there has been one decided benefit – heavily discounted REO properties, with price reductions

How Will the Fiscal Cliff Affect Real Estate?

By Peter Ricci Unless you’ve been living in severe isolation the last couple months, you know all about the so-called “Fiscal Cliff,” the rather dramatic name that the media has given to the latest round of budgetary disputes facing

2012's Record Low Mortgage Interest Rates – A History Lesson

By Peter Ricci In case you missed it, Freddie Mac announced what has by now become common in real estate – mortgage interest rates hit new record lows last week, with the 30-year FRM falling to 3.34 percent and

How To Salvage Your Reputation Online

By Stephanie Sims Before social media, people who felt like they had a bad experience with a business, whether bad customer service, a poor product, etc., would complain to the company. But now, thanks to social media, these people

Century 21 Returns to Super Bowl Marketing Roster

By Natalie Terchek Real estate company Century 21 is returning to the Super Bowl’s marketing roster for the second year in a row. According to Beverly Thorne, Century 21’s CMO, the company is expected to air a 30-second commercial

Is a 15 Percent Increase in Home Prices a Good Thing for Housing?

By Peter Ricci Lawrence Yun, the chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, is known for his optimistic predictions about the housing market, and he just recently made another notable projection: home prices, according his projections, will rise by

Housing Market Continues To Improve in Redfin Real-Time Seller Survey

By Peter Ricci The housing market continued to show signs of incremental improvement in Redfin’s latest Real-Time Seller Survey, a study of the homebuyers attitudes towards real estate in the fourth quarter. A sample of 1,287 homeowners throughout the

Stukel Receives Green Recognition From NAR

By Carlo Calma Laura Stukel, an agent with L.W. Reedy Real Estate in Elmhurst, was awarded the Green REsource Council’s inaugural Green Industry Advocate Award during the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) EverGreen Awards on Sunday. Stukel was recognized for

The Real Estate Numbers Game – How Do Agents Price Their Properties?

By Peter Ricci The real estate numbers game, as any agent knows, is not always the most fun of activities. Indeed, pricing a home is a delicate balancing act between accurately valuing the home, attracting potential homebuyers and, of

Fannie Mae Reports Robust Third Quarter Income of $1.8 Billion

By Peter Ricci Fresh off the positive financial news from Freddie Mac, sister GSE Fannie Mae is reporting great numbers of its own, with a third quarter net income of $1.8 billion. That income was strong enough, Fannie reported,

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