The Federal Reserve announced yesterday that it will begin a new round of stimulus to jumpstart the U.S. economy, with housing and refinancing being two main beneficiaries of the stimulus’ goal. The Fed’s plan, officially called “Operation Twist,” is

A new survey by Xerox on real estate and technology yielded interesting data about the industry, particularly for the e-mortgage market. Sixty-three percent of the lenders surveyed by Xerox used paperless mortgage software in 2011, an increase of 14

Two construction-related statistics – building permits and the architecture billings index – made gains in August, a positive indication that the more foundational elements of construction may be improving. Building permits were up by almost 20 thousand from July,

After weeks of speculation and debate, the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) Acting Director, Edward DeMarco, has finally offered some specifics on a possible revamp of the agency’s Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). Speaking at the American Mortgage Conference

Existing home sales exceeded expectations in August, growing at a seasonally-adjusted monthly rate of 7.7 percent  and year-over-year rate of 18.6 percent. Existing homes include single family, town homes, condominiums and co-ops. For the Midwest, monthly sales were up 3.8

The Residential Remodeling Index, which is compiled monthly by Austin, Tx.-based BuildFax, rose in July for the 21st straight month, an indication that homeowners are opting to renovate their current homes rather than buy new properties – and with

HouseFix.com, an online social networking community for homeowners and contractors, debuted recently to mixed reviews. The site offers peer recommendations for the home repair industry and launched at the TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield (TCDB), a premier conference for startup companies.

Existing home sales in August are projected to increase 5.4 percent from July and 15.8 percent year-over-year, according to the most recent projections from Tom Lawler, a noted analyst of the housing market. Lawler said he based his estimates

Despite efforts by politicians and housing professionals, federal housing limits will likely decrease on Oct. 1, a development that could hamper homeownership in some markets. The limit to loans by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Authority

Household debt declined for the 12th straight quarter, as a decrease in mortgages pushed total debt down by a seasonally-adjusted 0.6 percent and mortgage debt by 2.4 percent, according to data from the Federal Reserve. John Wasik, a columnist

“Doubled-up” homes, or, homes that include at least one additional adult who is neither a student nor the homeowner’s spouse/partner, decreased by 0.4 percent in 2011, though the total number of doubled-up homes remains far above its 2007 totals.

The National Association of Realtors has responded to a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury for input on recommendations for selling real estate

August home sales defied seasonal trends and rose 18 percent from last year, according to new data from RE/MAX. Historically, June is the highest-selling summer month, but in 2011, both July and August exceeded June’s sales

The seemingly never-ending debate on housing policy continued on Wednesday in Washington, as economists and policy analysts from a myriad of organizations testified before a Senate subcommittee on what to do about housing, particularly the 11 million borrowers who

KeepSum, a website that attempts to bring the same bright, zany style of the gloriously successful Groupon to real estate, has just formally launched, beckoning Realtors to “save some, keep sum.” Functioning more on a business-to-business basis than business-to-consumer,

Corcoran Consulting and Coaching announced that 43 of its clients were listed in the Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals national awards, sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends. The 43 clients, categorized as individual sales professionals or