Just when it seemed that only one more negative housing report would be enough to rev up the bandwagon for a new federal homebuyer tax credit, today’s pending home sales index for August baffled prognosticators and restored hope the no more government stimulus would be needed to stabilize housing markets.
By: Steve Cook; Thu, Sep 2, 2010
A new FHA program launching next Tuesday allows homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages to refinance at today’s record low rates, take at least 10 percent off their principal, and get a new FHA loan that will leave them with positive equity in their home.
By: Steve Cook; Tue, Aug 31, 2010
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan created turmoil in the real estate industry when he said on CNN Sunday that a restoration of the homebuyer tax credit is “not off the table” and that it is “too soon to say” whether the administration’s credit tax credit, which expired April 30, will be revived.
By: Steve Cook; Mon, Aug 30, 2010
After admitting twice that the July home sales numbers released last week were “clearly worse than we expected,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan did not rule out the prospect that the Administration will revive the homebuyer tax credit that expired April 30.
By: Steve Cook; Wed, Aug 25, 2010
Inventories of existing homes for sale as measured by months supply broke an all-time record in July.
By: Steve Cook; Mon, Aug 23, 2010
Last month, first-time homebuyers’ share of the housing market fell lower than it has been since 2008 when the first-time version of the homebuyer tax credit took effect.
By: Steve Cook; Thu, Aug 19, 2010
Homeowners paid a median of $1,000 in monthly housing costs in 2009, compared to $808 for renters, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
By: Steve Cook; Thu, Aug 19, 2010
Homeowners have turned more pessimistic about near-term prospects for home values in their local housing markets than they have been in the past three quarters. One out of three now believes home values in their local markets have not yet reached a bottom and more than a quarter (28 percent) expect home values in will decrease over the next six months.
By: Steve Cook; Tue, Aug 17, 2010
Another provider of national credit data reported today that mortgage delinquencies have been falling during the first half of the year, suggesting that the housing sector is beginning to stabilize.
By: Steve Cook; Tue, Aug 17, 2010
He also announced the Administration will not support returning Fannie and Freddie to the role they played before they entered conservatorship in 2008, “where they fought to take market share from private competitors while enjoying the privilege of government support.”
By: David Lereah; Fri, Apr 9, 2010
Housing activity has slipped considerably during these past several months but help may be on its way. A primary obstacle to a long term housing recovery has been a lack of hiring. But recent gains in the job market portends favorably for a needed boost in housing demand.
By: David Lereah; Wed, Mar 17, 2010
Looking forward, expect downward pressure on home values, as measured by the Case-Shiller index, due to mounting foreclosures, supply imbalances and relatively weak housing demand.
By: David Lereah; Thu, Mar 4, 2010
Housing activity is sputtering even though there are government subsidy programs in place to support housing demand.
By: David Lereah; Wed, Feb 10, 2010
At a cursory glance, the U.S. economy is improving, while the status of the housing market remains uncertain.
By: David Lereah; Mon, Feb 1, 2010
It is painfully clear that the number one obstacle preventing a complete housing recovery is the foreclosure crisis.
By: David Lereah; Mon, Jan 25, 2010
During the past several years, the nation’s housing sector has been weighed down with a disturbing trend that had been absent since the Great Depression: falling home values.
By: David Lereah; Mon, Jan 4, 2010
Housing data released this past month suggest a more uncertain housing outlook than the month before.
By: David Lereah; Thu, Dec 17, 2009
As we approach the New Year, we are more hopeful about prospects for 2010 compared to the dismal performance of 2009.
By: David Lereah; Thu, Dec 10, 2009
Don’t let recent good news about the nation’s housing sector lull you into believing that the housing market is firmly on the road to recovery-because it isn’t.
By: David Lereah; Tue, Nov 24, 2009
Wild swings in the housing data released this past week indicate that both homebuilders and households were heavily influenced by the tax credit extension debate.
Written by: Steve Cook Thu, Sep 2, 2010
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