News / Features
In an effort to shore up its troubled finances, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced several changes to how it manages its loans, including increasing the mortgage insurance premiums for new
Another day, another hugely optimistic analysis for rental demand in the U.S. real estate market. FirstService Residential Realty, the nation’s largest residential single-family property management company according to HousingWire, is the latest to throw its hat in the ring,
Everywhere you look nowadays, the housing market is showing improvement. Home prices are increasing, home sales and housing inventory are stabilizing and even homebuilding is beginning to pick up. Yet, amidst all those signs of recovery, one sign of
The housing market’s effect on the general economy – or, the “spillover effect,” as its called by some – is often the trump card among housing analysts when debating the merit of real estate, the fact that though a
The Realtor Party was something new from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Though the famously democratic group was already one of the most active lobbying groups in the U.S., the Realtor Party made the association’s political influence official,
The Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), one of the best indicators in housing for future home sales, posted strong numbers in December, increasing 6.9 percent year-over-year in
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) topped off a week of mortgage rule rollouts by launching the agency’s guidelines for loan officer and broker compensation Friday. Among other provisions, the CFPB’s final rule keeps originators from steering borrowers into
According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Housing Affordability Index, 2012 fared well compared to previous years. The trade group made an important distinction, noting that though the affordability conditions mark “a great year for buyers who could
Existing-homes sales eased in December, while limited inventory maintained the upward momentum in home prices. Total existing-home sales declined 1.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.94 million in December from a downwardly revised 4.99 million in
According to the fourth quarter Zillow Home Value Index, home values rose 5.9 percent in 2012 to $157,400, and 2.5 percent from the third quarter, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of home values rising. Zillow forecasts home values will
Home sellers, though increasingly confident with the real estate market, are continuing to hang tight and wait for further improvements to the real estate market before listing their properties, according to the latest Real-Time Seller Survey from
At last week’s Inman Real Estate Connect in New York City, it was announced that Russ Bergeron, Chief Executive Officer of Midwest Real Estate Data LLC (MRED), has again been selected as one of the top 100 most influential
New single-family home sales in 2012 increased 19.9 percent over 2011, as the homebuilding market concluded its most productive year of business in some time. According to the latest Census Bureau figures, new single-family home sales were also up
The Purchase Index of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest Mortgage Applications Survey, which measures purchase activity in the nation’s mortgage markets, increased 3 percent last week from the week before and 26 percent year-over-year, hitting its highest level
Rebounding home prices, record low mortgage rates and strong home sales are just some of many positive factors in the housing market heading into 2013, according to the latest Economic and Strategic Research report from Fannie
The American Housing Survey is conducted every two years by the U.S. Census Bureau, and every time the agency releases it they unleash a bevy of fascinating statistics regarding how the buyers of newly-built single-family homes differ from the
