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Last year's home buying season continued through the balance of 2011 and though January, according to RE/MAX, which reported yesterday that sales have risen seven straight months.

Young Minorities Value Homeownership 2 to 1 Over Whites

Tue, Feb 14, 2012

Compared with whites, greater shares of both black and Hispanic young adults say owning their own home is among their top priorities. While 25 percent of blacks and 26 percent of Hispanics say owning a home is of the highest importance in their lives, only 12 percent of whites say the same.

Remodeling Looking up in 2012

Mon, Feb 13, 2012

Homeowners are ready to make 2012 a banner year for remodeling and the latest cost-for-value research suggests that getting the most bang for every buck is more important than ever.

Rents Flat in Fourth Quarter

Thu, Feb 9, 2012

With rental vacancy rates at their lowest levels in 10 years, a review of TransUnion's proprietary rental screening database found that rental prices remained about the same between the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2011.

EquityLock Solutions Sees Four Fold Growth in 2012

Wed, Feb 8, 2012

Despite predictions that home prices are close to bottom, the leading provider of home equity protection sees its customer base exploding in 2012 because of changing consumer attitudes towards homeownership.

Banks Shift to Loosen Standards

Tue, Feb 7, 2012

Have lenders turned the corner on lending standards in response to public and marketplace pressure?

January Prices Continue to Slide

Mon, Feb 6, 2012

Home prices are continuing their slide into the new year as January home prices fell to 2.6 percent below where they were a year ago, a decline from December, when prices were 2.1 percent below December 2010.

Bulk Sales of GSE Foreclosures Begin

Wed, Feb 1, 2012

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today invited Investors interested in purchasing pools of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA foreclosures in the nations hardest-hit metropolitan areas with the requirement they rent them for a period of year to pre-qualify.

Foreclosure Markets Dominate Realtor.com Turnaround Towns

Tue, Jan 31, 2012

Ten of the nation's local real estate markets that suffered from high foreclosure rates in recent years, eight of which are in Florida, are leading America's housing sector towards a general recovery, according to Realtor.com's Top 10 Turnaround Town Report, fourth quarter 2011.

Mortgage Originations Decline 10 Percent but Quality Soars

Fri, Jan 27, 2012

Mortgage originations plunged 10.1 percent from November to December, continuing a decline from 2011's September peak. At the same time, loans originated over the last two years have proved to be some of the best quality originations on record.

First-time Buyers Ended 2011 on New Low

Thu, Jan 26, 2012

First-time home buyers are an ever-shrinking segment of the real estate market. In December, The percentage of first-time buyers tied the lowest level ever recorded in the National Assocition of Realtors' Realtors Confidence Index this year at 31 percent of the market.

Luxury Listings Lag Cheaper Properties as Inventories Rise

Tue, Jan 24, 2012

Sales are typically slow in winter, but this January is proving especially sluggish for luxury homes even though sales for all existing homes have increased through the last three months of 2011.

Mortgage Approvals Handicap Buyers

Mon, Jan 23, 2012

In another sign that buyers are having an increasingly difficult time getting mortgage financing, nearly one out of three home sales in December went to buyers paid all cash.

RE/MAX Reports December Surprise

Tue, Jan 17, 2012

December home sales unexpectedly rose 5.7 percent over November, ending the year with the 6th consecutive month to show a year-over-year sales increase. Sales were 1.1 percent higher than a year ago, RE/MAX reported.

Transition to Purchase Mortgages Seen Changing Lenders

Tue, Jan 10, 2012

Top producers will continue to be on the move this year as the lending industry transitions form refinancings to purchase mortgages, according to Hammerhouse LLC, a national recruiting and strategic growth firm for the financial services industry.

Consumers Top the Experts in 2012 Home Price Outlook

Tue, Jan 10, 2012

For the past six months, one consumer survey after another has tracked increasingly negative expectations about home prices in the year to come while some expert forecasts were more positive. Now, Fannie Mae has turned the tables.

Markets Seen Stabilizing This Year

Mon, Jan 9, 2012

Home prices this year cease their decline and gain a slight 0.2 percent across all markets as more and more individual markets stabilize in the months to come.

Delinquencies Deteriorated in November

Fri, Jan 6, 2012

The steady decline in new delinquencies stopped in November and progress in reducing the volume of future foreclosures has hit a wall.

December Freezes Luxury Sales

Tue, Jan 3, 2012

Even though the weather was mild across most of the nation in the last week of December, sales of luxury homes entered a deep freeze and time on market soared for homes. As the new year begins, inventories are lower and time on market is higher than they were during all of 2011.

52 Percent of Owners: Homes Worth More Now Than When They Bought Them

Mon, Jan 2, 2012

Slightly over half of all homeowners say their homes are worth more today than they were when they bought them, according to a new national survey conducted just before Christmas.

Gloomy Price Picture Forecast for 2012

Sun, Dec 25, 2011

Expect at least another full year of falling home prices before things get better. That's the bottom line from Fannie Mae's economists in their final forecast for 2011.

Big Banks Created Foreclosure Boom

Fri, Dec 23, 2011

The largest banks and federal savings associations created a 21.1 percent increase in new foreclosures during the third quarter when they lifted voluntary moratoria implemented in late 2010.

Homeownership Counseling Helps Keep Modified Loans Current

Thu, Dec 22, 2011

Just three weeks after Congress restored $40 million in its budget for homeownership counseling, a new study by the Urban Institute reports that counseling greatly increased the ability of homeowners to stay current once they cured a serious delinquency or foreclosure.

Nearly Half of all November Sales Were Distressed

Tue, Dec 20, 2011

Despite solid demand for home purchases overall, a glut of distressed properties is continuing to put downward pressure on home prices, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey.

Home Sales Higher than Last Year; Prices Lower

Tue, Dec 20, 2011

Sales in November were 8.1 percent higher than a year ago but year over year sales have slipped from increase of 18 percent increase in August and 13.1 percent in July.

Financial Security Rebounds to Six Month High

Mon, Dec 19, 2011

Americans' feelings of financial security are at their highest level in six months, according to Bankrate.com's December Financial Security Index, which was released today. The overall index jumped 3.3 points to 95.8, the highest level since June.

Delinquency Rate Creeps Up

Mon, Dec 19, 2011

As the year winds down, a growing number of homeowners are 30 days or more behind in their mortgage payments. Delinquency rates, which have been in decline for months, are creeping up again.

November Foreclosures Down 14 Percent from 2010

Thu, Dec 15, 2011

Foreclosure filings decreased 3 percent from October and 14 percent decrease from November 2010. One in every 579 U.S. housing units with a foreclosure filing during the month, according to RealtyTrac's Foreclosure Market Report.

Florida’s First in Mortgage Fraud

Tue, Dec 13, 2011

While activity increased on mortgage fraud cases being prosecuted in California, New York also saw acceleration in fraud and fraud activity in Minnesota zoomed, Florida's mortgage fraud index topped the list for the Third-Quarter 2011 Mortgage Fraud Index from MortgageDaily.com.

Mortgage Defaults are on the Road to Recovery

Mon, Dec 12, 2011

The UFA Default Risk Index for the fourth quarter of 2011 edged lower to 131 from last quarter's revised 133, which has suggests that residential mortgage default and prepayment risks are continuing their return to normalcy.

Consumers Expect Big Rent Hikes in 2012

Thu, Dec 8, 2011

Consumer sentiment on housing expectations is stabilizing as the year winds down and consumers are adopting a "wait and see" attitude towards 2012, according to Fannie Mae's November National Housing Survey.

Mortgage Delinquencies Forecast to Fall in 2012

Wed, Dec 7, 2011

After rising slightly to a rate of 6.02 percent in the first quarter, 60-day mortgage delinquencies will resume their decline, falling to about 5 percent of all performing mortgages by the end of next year

Consumers Grow Gloomier over Housing Recovery

Wed, Nov 30, 2011

Even as consumer confidence in the economy as a whole brightens, hopes for a housing recovery are growing increasingly gloomy.

Excessive Rates Cripple Underwater Borrowers

Tue, Nov 29, 2011

In a time of 4 percent mortgages and programs like HARP designed to help homeowners refinance at lower rates, more than 15 million homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages are paying rates higher than 5 percent.

Twenty Somethings are Faring Better

Mon, Nov 28, 2011

Young Americans under 30-a prime age group for first-time home buying-are feeling considerable better about their financial picture than they did a year ago, according to a major new study from Bankrate.

First Mortgage Defaults Rose in October

Tue, Nov 15, 2011

In another sign that more foreclosures are on the way, defaults on first mortgages rose last month as defaults on other credit categories declined.

LPS: Prices to Fall 5 Percent in 2011

Mon, Nov 14, 2011

Prices were down 3.8 percent from August last year and based on partial data for September, sales will further decline approximately 1.1 percent to come, according to the latest Lender Processing Services' Home Price Index.

First-Time Buyers Faded in 2011

Mon, Nov 14, 2011

First-time home buyers fell to a 37 percent market share in the past year from a record high 50 percent in 2010 as down payments rose and buyers found getting a mortgage to be more difficult than in the past.

Foreclosure Defaults Are Rising Again

Fri, Nov 11, 2011

Foreclosure default notices are on the rise as the economy continues to take its toll and lenders become more aggressive as they move past the processing problems that have plagued foreclosures for more than a year.

Will Prices Slide 3.6 Percent More in 2012?

Wed, Nov 9, 2011

We're going to have to wait a few more months for an upturn in housing prices. Down 5.9 percent through the second quarter of this year, home prices will decline an additional 3.6 percent until the middle of next year before they recover 2.4 percent from the second half 2012 through the first half 2013.

Why Buyers Balk: Price Apprehension, Financial Fears, Cash Crunch and Credit

Tue, Nov 8, 2011

Four factors - uncertainty about future prices, concern about the economy and jobs, concerns about their credit and difficulty saving for down payments - are causing buyers to delay their purchases, dramatically reducing near-term demand.

Consumers Less Pessimistic on Prices

Tue, Nov 8, 2011

5 Comments

For the fifth month in a row, Americans in October expected home prices to decline over the next 12 months in Fannie Mae's monthly consumer survey.

Fewer Foreclosures Lift Negative Equity

Tue, Nov 8, 2011

A lower rate of foreclosure repossessions coupled with relatively flat home values caused negative equity to rise in the third quarter with 28.6 percent of single-family homeowners with mortgages underwater compared to 26.8 percent in the second quarter, according to Zillow's third quarter Real Estate Market Reports.

Homeowners Fear Falling Values More Than Fire

Mon, Nov 7, 2011

The five year long real estate depression has taken such a toll over homeowners that they fear falling values four times more than fires and they are twice as likely to monitor local prices than their own cholesterol levels.

Prices Fall Thirteen Months in a Row

Thu, Nov 3, 2011

Last September a HomeGain survey of real estate professionals and homeowners detected a grass roots souring on the price outlook for the coming six months, even though many experts predicted a quicker recovery from the post-tax credit hangover.

Austin Spells Relief: J-o-b-s

Mon, Oct 24, 2011

With an unemployment rate of only 7.3 percent in August, it's no secret why Austin is on everyone's list of top recovering housing markets.

Mortgage Bottlenecks Hold up Closings

Mon, Oct 24, 2011

6 Comments

Backlogs in approving mortgages are causing significant delays in home purchase closings, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse monthly tracking survey of real estate market conditions.

Florida Sales Continue to Zoom

Thu, Oct 20, 2011

Florida's existing home and existing condo sales continued their year-long upswing in September, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales increased 10 percent last month with a total of 15,036 homes sold statewide compared to 13,723 homes sold in September 2010, according to Florida Realtors.

Rising Rents Improve Investors’ Returns

Wed, Oct 19, 2011

With rents rising faster than last year, the picture for residential real estate investors is getting even better than it already was as a result of once-in-a-generation prices and low interest rates, according to the founder of the leading Internet platform for investors and real estate professional.

California Sales Top 2010 for Third Straight Month

Sat, Oct 15, 2011

Heightened economic uncertainty and lower loan limits contributed to a decrease in California home sales in September. However, September home sales posted higher on a year-to-year basis for the third consecutive month and remain at stable levels.

RE/MAX Confirms Prices Trail 2010

Fri, Oct 14, 2011

The latest national housing report from RE/MAX is the second price report to show national average prices down modestly from last September, confirming fears that markets have not fully recovered from the second dip in prices during the first quarter of this year.

Mortgages Won’t Recover in 2012

Wed, Oct 12, 2011

Even though purchase mortgage applications perked up last week, anemic was the word used by the Mortgage Bankers Association to describe the outlook for mortgage originations next year, including purchase originations, which it projects will grow only 3 percent in 2012 after they plunge 15 percent this year.

Prices Grow Grimmer as Fall Begins

Thu, Oct 6, 2011

Home prices through August are down 4.4 percent on the year according to the most depressing price report issued since the double dip in the first quarter.

FHA Applications Perk Up Purchase Mortgages

Wed, Oct 5, 2011

Driven by a wave of FHA loans, applications for mortgages to purchase a home reached their highest level since May last week, but they still trail the 2010 application rate by more than 34 percent.

Apartment Rents Rising Faster than Last Year

Mon, Oct 3, 2011

4 Comments

Effective rent growth is significantly higher so far this year than it was at this time in 2010, and at this pace rents may rise more in 2011 than they have since 2005.

Mortgages Cause Fewer Bank Failures

Mon, Oct 3, 2011

Mortgage-related failures among lenders are down 42 percent this year from this point in 2010. The improvement is entirely due to fewer failures among federally chartered banks; mortgage-related losses contributed to the same number of nonbank mortgage lenders and credit union failures this year as last

Case-Shiller: July was a Very Good Month

Tue, Sep 27, 2011

Through July, home prices registered a fourth consecutive month of increases up 0.9 percent in July over June.

Foreclosure Lawsuits Soar

Mon, Sep 26, 2011

Litigation over the foreclosure process reached its highest level in the second quarter than in any quarter since MortgageDaily.com's Mortgage Litigation Index was introduced in 2007.

First-Time Buyers Losing Interest in Short Sales

Mon, Sep 26, 2011

Processing delays have taken their toll on first-time homebuyer interest in short sales, which now account for more than one of every six house sales, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey.

Prices Cool with End of Summer

Thu, Sep 22, 2011

We're not out of the woods yet and the market trends tell us we're settling in for a long, cold winter.

Luxury Sales Languish

Thu, Sep 22, 2011

The end of the spring-summer buying season is taking its toll on luxury properties. Median days on market for homes selling over $500,000 has fallen 40 percent since the peak of the season in May.

CAR Anticipates Modest 2012 for California

Wed, Sep 21, 2011

California home sales and median price are predicted to improve only slightly in 2012, as the continuation of the tepid economic recovery, uncertainty about the future, and funding challenges for residential mortgages are expected to keep the market moving sideways.

Experts’ Forecast for 2011 Prices Improves

Wed, Sep 21, 2011

The home price picture for this year is shaping up to be a little better than it looked June, according to the September 2011 home price expectations survey of 111 leading housing economists and experts sponsored by MacroMarkets LLC.

Homeowners Sour on 2012

Mon, Sep 19, 2011

Homeowners are growing even more pessimistic about the potential short- and long-term values of their homes.

Foreclosures Down One Third from 2010

Thu, Sep 15, 2011

Foreclosure filings rose 7 percent in August, but they are still down nearly 33 percent from August 2010. Foreclosure activity on a year over year basis now has been down for 11 straight months.

More Owners Fear Falling Values

Wed, Sep 14, 2011

Nearly half the nation's homeowners now fear that home values will decrease further this year, up from 30 percent in the second quarter.

Fannie Mae’s Defaults Sink to 2 Year Low

Wed, Aug 31, 2011

The percentage of mortgages in default more than 60 days in Fannie Mae's portfolio have fallen to the lowest level in two years, another sign that defaults are slowly but steadily declining as more homeowners pay their mortgages on time.

Case-Shiller Prices Recover in Second Quarter

Tue, Aug 30, 2011

Home prices rose in the second quarter almost as much as they fell in the first, but prices at the end of June still trailed June 2010 levels-which still reflected demand generated by the tax credit boomlet.

Delinquencies Rise with Recession Fears

Thu, Aug 25, 2011

It's official! With the nation on the brink of a double dip recession, mortgage delinquency rates, especially 30-day delinquencies-- have shifted course and they are trending up again.

Luxury Prices Stabilize

Mon, Aug 22, 2011

While year-over-year national median prices fluctuate monthly by ten percent or more, upscale homes have settled down.

Investors Can’t Resell

Mon, Aug 22, 2011

Anemic demand from owner-occupant homebuyers has forced investors to rent out about half of the homes they purchase -- as opposed to renovating and flipping the properties.

Florida July Sales Soar

Thu, Aug 18, 2011

Florida existing single family home and existing condo sales increased 12 percent last month over sales a year ago and prices were stable.

Delinquency Decline Erases Foreclosure Inventory Rise

Wed, Aug 17, 2011

Though the national delinquency rate is about percent below the level of a year ago, the inventory of foreclosures yet to be sold is about 10 percent higher.

Signs of Slippage in DC Housing Market

Wed, Aug 10, 2011

Home sales are down more than normal for this time of year in the Washington, DC market but are still strong when compared to July 2010. Prices fell from a three year high in June.

Short Sales Strong Through 2013

Tue, Aug 9, 2011

Short sales will remain strong for the next several years as foreclosure inventories timelines grow even longer, according to the chief operating officer of Equator, a premier software platform for default servicers.

Rates on 15-Year Fixed Lowest Ever Recorded

Mon, Aug 8, 2011

The average rate for a 15-year fixed loan dropped to 3.54 percent last week from 3.66 percent the week before. Freddie Mac said Thursday. That's lowest result since the mortgage buyer began tracking it in 1991.

Mortgages Tanked in Q2

Mon, Aug 8, 2011

Residential originations by U.S. lenders fell nearly 20 percent in the second quarter, according to the Mortgage Lender Ranking from MortgageDaily.com. The biggest-three lenders fueled the decline, while business was less concentrated at the top.

June Prices Still in Red; Northeast Booms

Thu, Aug 4, 2011

National average home prices in June were still 7.9 percent below a year ago, which was the height of the boomlet spawned by the tax credit. However, prices are still up 4.1 percent over the first quarter.

Buyers are Less Satisfied, Sellers More

Fri, Jul 29, 2011

Home buyers are less satisfied today with real estate brokerage services from franchises and seller s more so than they were a year ago. That's the bottom line from J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 Home Buyer/Seller Study.

“Normal” Home Prices are Stabilizing

Tue, Jul 26, 2011