News / Features

Obama's October Housing Scorecard Gives Mixed Signals on Housing Market

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the October edition of the Obama Administration Housing Scorecard, a detailed report on the nation’s housing

ARO: Active Rain Optimization

ActiveRain, the social networking site for Realtors, is more than a “Facebook for agents;” rather, it’s an important professional networking resource, one that can introduce agents to scores of valuable industry contacts. As such, it’s valuable to optimize your presence

Is the Government Considering Additional Refinancing Aid?

According to a report from Reuters, recent comments by Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan suggest that the government is considering new rounds of refinancing aid for American homeowners, beyond the recent revisions to the Home

State's Attorney Case Against Wells Fargo Green-lit for Trial

A lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan against mega-bank Wells Fargo got the green light today from a state court judge. The suit, which was originally filed in the summer of 2009, alleges that Wells Fargo engaged

The Delightful Devolution of the American Home

During the boom years, bigger and better was the mantra for everyone in the housing market, most of all developers. “McMansions,” as they were called, sprang up in suburbs across the country, and everybody seemed to have the financing

Are Americans Detached When Buying Homes?

Seeking to debunk the conventional wisdom on detached homes, a new piece by Wendell Cox of New Geography, citing data from the 2010 American Community Survey, throws down the gauntlet on detached housing, claiming the housing type is not

Allied Home Mortgage Corp. Suspended for Mortgage Fraud

Allied Home Mortgage Corporation and its CEO James Hodge were suspended today for fraudulent lending practices that cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering debarring Hodge and

Private Construction Spending Up for September

According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, construction spending rose for the second straight month, in increasing 0.2 percent from August to September to a seasonally adjusted rate of $787.2 billion. Though the spending was 1.3 percent

The Importance of Proper Housing and the How Housing Matters Conference

As legislators keep looking for ways to increase the efficacy of housing policy, some of the research will be shared at tomorrow’s How Housing Matters Conference in Washington,

Fannie/Freddie Delinquency Rates Operate with Inversion

The delinquency rates at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the GSEs that control more than half of the country’s mortgages, moved in opposite directions in September, with Fannie’s rate declining and Freddie’s increasing, according to a post by Calculated

Confusion Abounds for Some Potential Homebuyers

What is the typical rate of appreciation for home values? What does an appraisal do? What about an inspection? And is PMI always necessary? Those and other questions were featured on a recent survey by Zillow, the popular MLS

In the World of Financial Regulation, is Small Really Better?

Though credit unions and small community banks had little to no impact on the global financial crisis of 2008, representatives from the two banking sectors stated before the House Financial Services Committee today say that a maze of new

Legal Weaponry Could Lead to Write-Downs for Mortgages

Broad legislation stemming from 2010’s “robo signing” foreclosure scandal may lead to the first case of mortgage write-downs since the housing market declined in 2008. According to a report from Reuters, negotiations between state attorneys general, federal regulators and

Presidential Candidates Avoid Housing on Campaign Trail

The housing market is a grand, influential sector of the global economy, one that ebbs and flows with overall economic performance. But even though the message remains consistent – fix housing, fix the economy – very few of the

Investments in Redfin Total $14.8 Million

Redfin, the online real estate brokerage based in Seattle, has raised $14.8 million this venture round, led by new investor Globespan Capital Partners. That brings the virtual brokerage’s total financing to roughly $46

Study Claims MERS Destroyed the Chain of Title and Consequently, the Housing Market

David Woolley, a California licensed land surveyor and certified fraud examiner, is leading a new study in tandem with the Harbinger Analytics Group Real Estate Fraud Experts on the recently disbanded company, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS).  The topic

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