News / Features

The Feminine Mystique of Mortgage Rates

Typically, income and credit scores are main factors in determining mortgage rates, but a new study from the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics suggests that gender plays a substantial role. Brought to light by an AOL Real Estate

A Tale of Two Home Values

We all saw the headlines; CoreLogic’s Home Price Index (HPI) fell 1.3 percent from September to October and 3.9 percent from last year, while LPS reported a 1.2 percent drop from August and the Case-Shiller, the granddaddy of them

20 Cities Added to the NAHB's Improving Markets Index

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) added 20 more cities to its Improving Markets Index (IMI), further evidence that though housing remains tough in some markets, it is not only improving, but showing positive signs of growth in

Scientific Curiosity Fuels New Consumer Research Firm

Why do consumers make the choices they do? Why buy one jacket, but pass on another? Why invest in one bond, but not the latest Silicon Valley IPO? In the end, what governs reckless financial behavior, even at the

Low Credit Scores Hobble Prospective Homebuyers

There were many outcomes of the housing boom and bust cycle, but one of the more implicit has been lowering consumer credit scores, a detail that has posed problems for prospective homebuyers seeking a mortgage for their transactions. According

Competing Price Indices Post Seasonal Lulls

Two home price indices from CoreLogic and Lender Processing Services (LPS) both showed small declines in home prices for October, indications that the summer buying boom has concluded and home values are entering their seasonal lull. CoreLogic’s Home Price Index (HPI),

Romney Wins HomeGain Survey Election

Real estate website HomeGain recently surveyed Realtors on a number of economic topics, and though most of the questions dealt with prices and home values, a question on political support yielded interesting results, according to a HousingWire piece on

Concerns Mount for FHA's Finances

What originally began as a mere economic analysis by a University of Pennsylvania professor has quickly developed into an all-out inquiry into the financial solvency of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), one culminating in testimonies and audits that put

First-Time Homebuyers Skittish on Ideal Market

Only 65.1 percent of U.S. households own homes, which is the lowest amount since 1996. A big reason for that decline, according to a new piece by the Associated Press (AP), is the relative absence of first-time homebuyers, a longtime

Pending Home Sales Up By 10.4 Percent in October

By Peter Ricci The Pending Home Sales Index, a prospective data set compiled monthly by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), increased by 10.4 percent in October, rising from 84.5 in September to 93.3 last month. In addition, the

Suburban Deterioration? Not So Fast

Suburbia has been taking a bit of flack, as of late. The New York Times, as highlighted by NewGeography, ran two op-eds this past weekend proclaiming the decline of suburban living. Urban theorist Chris Leinberger claiming that Americans were abandoning

HUD to Grant $40 Million to Housing “How-to” Programs

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today it is offering more than $40 million to various housing counseling programs. The grants will be awarded competitively to approximately 500 HUD-approved counseling agencies and State Housing Finance

A Knight's Tale of Global Home Values

The Knight Frank Global House Price Index, a massive, wide-ranging collection of data that operates as a Case-Shiller-esque index for the global housing market, was just released by Knight Frank, and it offers some startling revelations on how housing

Foreclosure End Zones Reset — Again

Courtesy of a new report from Lender Process Services (LPS), the delinquency markets have yielded several batches of data this week, with some good, some bad, and some suggesting we still have a long way to go. The good

Construction Builds Upon Past Gains in October

Construction spending, driven by renewed investment in housing, rose in October for the third straight month, exceeding analysts’ projections and increasing by 0.8 percent, according to a Business Week article by Alex Kowalski. Riding on low interest rates, a

Negative Homeowner Equity Declines Slightly

CoreLogic released its third quarter negative equity report yesterday, and it revealed an interesting paradox in housing for 2011 – though prices resumed their downward trend in the third quarter, and investment remains sluggish, negative equity is still declining, albeit

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