By Peter Ricci President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney squared off in Denver last night in the first of three presidential debates, and though the debate (which focused solely on domestic policy) mainly generated headlines on

By Peter Ricci Home values have been on a certifiable roller coaster ride the last 12 years, with their ebbs and flows resembling the famed “Raging Bull” ride at Six Flags Great America; however, home values have stabilized in

By Peter Ricci In the most recent Gallup poll of professions, 20 percent of respondents surveyed had a high opinion of real estate agents, compared to 70 percent for doctors and 84 percent for nurses; could that be because of

By Peter Ricci Home prices increased 4.6 percent year-over-year in August in the latest CoreLogic Home Price Index, which is the largest yearly increase in more than six years. Indeed, not since July 2006 have home prices risen as

By Peter Ricci Realogy, the real estate services company that owns Coldwell Banker and Century 21, is planning on going public late next week, and its IPO is expected to raise more than $1 billion from investors, according to

By Peter Ricci Residential construction spending increased 0.9 percent from July to August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $273.5 billion, according to new numbers out today from the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall, private construction spending was down by

By Peter Ricci When you’re around the housing industry long enough, you begin to see the common traits of valuable real estate – strong schools, great trim work, decent lots, and of course, the specific geographical location of the

By Peter Ricci Autumn is a season of many things – pumpkins, darkening foliage, and, of course, Jack Skellington – but it is not a season known for selling homes. As many an agent will attest, home sellers often

Shadow housing inventory declined by 1.2 million in the first half of 2012, according to a new study by JPMorgan Chase of the ominous housing stock. The shadow market peaked at six million in 2010, and JPMorgan estimates that banks, through

By Peter Ricci Who says the political process doesn’t effect homebuying? According to a new survey from MortgageMarvel.com, 25 percent of Americans are taking the upcoming presidential election into consideration in their homebuying decisions. Conducted online by Harris Interactive, the survey

By Peter Ricci The Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) declined in August, falling 2.6 percent from July but rising 10.7 percent from August 2011. The index fell from an upwardly-revised 101.9 in July

By Peter Ricci Mitt Romney doubled down on his earlier promises and commitments for the U.S. housing market late last week, releasing a white paper that contained more information about some of the policy initiatives floated on his campaign

By Peter Ricci New residential home sales increased 27.7 percent year-over-year in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 373,000, according to the latest joint report from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban development. From

By Peter Ricci The U.S. mortgage delinquency rate declined by 10.6 percent year-over-year in the August First Look report from Lender Processing Services, an analytics firm that studies the mortgage markets and real estate industries. A study of approximately

In an effort to recover past losses, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is considering new g-fees in five states most affected by the housing downturn. Labeling its losses as “exceptionally high,” the FHFA has selected Connecticut, Florida, Illinois,

By Kerri Panchuk The number of underwater borrowers is down from late 2011, but housing is far from on the mend, the Obama Administration said. In the administration’s August Housing Scorecard, the report shows the number of upside-down borrowers