Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes gained five points in May from a downwardly revised reading in the previous month to reach a level of 29 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. This is the index’s strongest reading since May of 2007. “Builders [...]

The new year opened with hope that the 3 percent growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reported for the end of 2011 would lead to stronger job growth and improving housing markets. While January and February offered positive economic news, March and April reporting suggested that unusually warm weather may have accelerated some economic [...]

Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) released the results of its first quarter refinance analysis showing homeowners who refinance continue to strengthen their fiscal house. In the first quarter of 2012, 79 percent of homeowners who refinanced their first-lien home mortgage either maintained about the same loan amount or lowered their principal balance by paying-in additional money [...]

It’s no secret that this is a good time to buy, but more and more sellers are beginning to agree. The uptick in seller confidence recorded by two recent surveys is uplifting, but concern is growing that seller withdrawal from the market is creating record low inventories that are limiting buyer choice, and curtailing sales [...]

Recently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hosted a White House Forum on Housing to discuss programs and initiatives promoted by the Obama Administration that help responsible homeowners and struggling communities hit hardest by the housing crisis. The White [...]

Many REALTORS® are asking the questions – why is NAR having this rally? Are there specific bills or legislation we are trying to pass or defeat? What is the urgency? Congress addresses a myriad of real estate issues every year. What makes this year unique is that for the first time ever the American dream, [...]

The list of housing markets showing measurable and sustained improvement held virtually unchanged in May at 100, down from 101 in April, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI). The number of states represented on the list also held firm from the previous month, at 35 (including the District [...]

The forecast for the rest of 2012 shows mild increases building up to a stronger 1.2 percent by year end, according to the Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report, recently released by Clear Capital®, with data through March 2012. The HDI Market Report uses a broad array of public and proprietary data sources providing the [...]

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia Rosemary Collyer signed documents to approve the $25 billion mortgage servicing settlement with the nation’s top five mortgage servicers: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Ally Financial. “Yesterday’s court approval of the historic $25 billion mortgage servicing settlement is a victory [...]

With annual sales of more than $82 billion, international buyers who are interested in purchasing properties in the U.S. provide a tremendous opportunity for brokers and agents looking to expand their business this year. And with the recent addition of more than 1 million international listings on REALTOR.com® and advanced training and education opportunities, there’s [...]