Realtors are an increasingly confident bunch, according to new results from NAR’s expansive Realtors Confidence Index Report. Co-authored by Jed Smith, the association’s managing director of quantitative research, and George Ratiu, the manager of quantitative and commercial research the report looked at

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), one of the leading economic indicators of future construction activity, reported positive numbers yet again in March. The fifth straight month that the index has been in positive territory, the ABI finished the month at 50.4,

In private comments overheard by reporters, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney floated the idea of eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). According to the Washington Post, Romney made his comments at a private fundraiser amidst a

A recent surge in short sales, caused by more agreeable selling terms by banks, has increased short sales above foreclosure sales for the first time. According to research by Lending Processing Services (LPS), short sales accounted for 23.9 percent

Prices for homes in the nation’s 53 largest metropolitan areas were up 5.8 percent year-over-year in March, according to research by RE/MAX. The increase marks the second straight month of yearly increases for home values; before February, prices had

Building permits continued their strong performance in March in the latest construction data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Released in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the report found that building permits in March were at

A new rule making its way through Washington could restrict access to home loans when the market needs them the most, agents and lenders fear. The rule, which would stipulate what characteristics a mortgage must have to be labeled

Nearly half of lenders expect strategic defaults to increase from 2011 to 2012, according to a quarterly survey by FICO. The survey, which sought opinions from 262 risk managers across the U.S., found that 46 percent of respondents expected

The pilot bidding program for the FHFA’s REO conversion program has been extended by a month, possibly because of high demand. According to a HousingWire article on the program, investors will now have until May to bid on the

FHFA Acting Director Ed DeMarco added spice to the principal reduction pot on Tuesday, coming out in hesitant favor of the measure for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. Long an opponent of the policy measure, DeMarco said in comments before the Brookings Institution that

The emerging market for converting REO properties into rentals could net as much as $100 billion in 2012 for investors, according to new data from CoreLogic. With assistance from the government’s REO conversion plan, the research firm is reporting

Numerous factors dictate a real estate agent’s success, but a new study in the “Applied Financial Economics” journal explores what impact an agent’s physical attractiveness may have on their prosperity. Entitled “Broker beauty and boon: a study of physical attractiveness

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the FHA were hugely influential in the recent increase of multifamily originations, according to the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). As the MBA explained in a summary of the data, originations

Foreclosure activity was down in the latest foreclosure report from RealtyTrac, which covered foreclosure filings, default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions for the first quarter of 2012. The total properties in these catergories is reported to be 572,928 properties during

Shifting economic factors, including rising rents and competitive home prices, are contributing to a new level of consumer interest in homes, according to Fannie Mae’s March 2012 consumer attitudinal National Housing

Government housing policy since 2008 has been a mixed bag, but the International Monetary Fund is suggesting that more government action, rather than less, may be the answer to the U.S.’ housing woes. In its latest World Economic Outlook