RealEstateRama
New-Home Sales Decline to a 13-Year Low
Sales of new single-family homes fell 2.8 percent in January to the lowest rate in nearly 13 years, according to a U.S. Commerce Department report issued Wednesday.
Wells Fargo Analysis: 200 Troubled Markets
Wells Fargo & Co., the country’s second-largest mortgage lender, says it has identified more than 200 housing markets nationwide where the mortgage crisis has spread.
WIDESPREAD HOUSE PRICE DECLINES IN FOURTH QUARTER
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. home prices fell in the fourth quarter of 2007 according to OFHEO’s seasonally-adjusted purchase-only house price index. The index, which is based on data from home sales, was 1.3 percent lower on a seasonally-adjusted basis in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter of 2007. This decline was substantially greater than the 0.3 percent price decline between the second and third quarters.
HUD Secretary: FHASecure helps 100,000 Americans stay in their homes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today announced that HUD's FHASecure product has helped 100,000 homeowners refinance their mortgages and avoid foreclosure. Since September 2007, FHASecure has enabled tens of thousands of families - who are current on their home loans or past due because their teaser rates reset - to close on loans refinanced through HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which is backed by the full faith and credit of the government
Best Places To Get Ahead
Move to New York, and you could become an investment-banking millionaire. Head for Los Angeles for a chance at an eight-figure Hollywood paycheck. Or go prospecting in San Francisco for dot-com gold.
Governors Demand Federal Leadership On Subprime Mortgage Crisis
February 24, 2008 - Governor Eliot Spitzer today joined Governors from across the United States in calling on the Bush Administration to deliver a comprehensive solution to the ongoing mortgage crisis. As more Americans lose their homes, the Governors have taken aggressive actions and stand ready to partner with the federal government to deliver critical relief to homeowners in need.
Federal Judge: Control Foreclosure Penalties
A federal judge in Wilmington, Del., where many of the country’s largest companies are incorporated, says he is considering reining in mortgage companies that have been foreclosing on consumers who have brought their home loan payments up to date while they are in bankruptcy.
Don’t Fear Falling Prices
Yale Professor Robert Shiller, whose Case-Shiller 20-city home price index has become an industry standard, says people shouldn’t fear gradually falling home prices.
Foreign Buyers Look to U.S. Housing
The strength of the Canadian dollar, the euro, and other foreign currencies, on top of a slowdown in the U.S. real estate market, is making the United States an enticing place for foreigners to buy property.
Jackson names three local housing developments recipients of 2007 Best in American Living Award
WASHINGTON - February 11, 2008 - Three local housing developments in Blacksburg, Virginia; Palm Desert, California; and Denton Texas are the recipients of the 2007 Best in American Living Award for their design excellence and innovative approaches in affordable homeownership.
Sharp Decline in Housing and Mortgage Activity Expected Again This Year
In the second year of an ongoing housing recession, measures of housing activity deteriorated sharply. The 25 percent decline in total housing starts in 2007 nearly doubled the drop in 2006. The decrease was more pronounced in single-family starts, which were down 28.6 percent, compared with an 8.3 percent drop for multifamily starts.
Million-Dollar Starter Homes
Step into the Manhattan offices of Prudential Douglas Elliman, and you'll see potential buyers negotiating million dollar-plus apartment purchases
Million-Dollar Starter Homes
Step into the Manhattan offices of Prudential Douglas Elliman, and you'll see potential buyers negotiating million dollar-plus apartment purchases
What $1 Million Buys In Homes Across The U.S.
That's because nationwide, homeowners are slashing asking prices, often by significant margins, making this year's list of million-dollar properties much more palatable than those in years past. These homes are still beyond the means of the average American, but there's some comfort in a million-dollar home looking like a million-dollar home rather than a hastily built McMansion or a shoebox-sized studio apartment.
GREENGUARD 2008 Memorial Fellowship Winners Will Examine Design Process/Chemicals to Determine Affects on Health
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), the pre-eminent brand in indoor air quality, congratulates the recipients for this year's Ken Dillon Memorial Fellowship for Indoor Environmental Quality Design.
The Real Estate Roundtable Praises
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — "We applaud President Bush’s leadership and the swift bipartisan Congressional action to enact this important economic stimulus package. This legislation will spur consumer spending, provide additional refinancing options to homeowners, boost confidence and encourage businesses to accelerate investments.
DETROIT, STOCKTON, LAS VEGAS POST HIGHEST 2007 METRO FORECLOSURE RATES
RealtyTrac the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today released its Year-End 2007 Metropolitan Foreclosure Report, which shows Detroit, Stockton, Calif., and Las Vegas documented the three highest foreclosure rates among the nation’s 100 largest metro areas during 2007.
Avoid These 5 Listing Presentation Pitfalls
Every listing presentation is a job interview. You are applying with the sellers for the opportunity to sell their home. And you need to convince them that you are the best real estate professional for the job.
In Milwaukee, A Foreclosure Glut
Via Marie Rohde and Ben Poston at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a look at just how much foreclosure activity has impacted the local real estate market: After a record year for foreclosures, a stunning 1,000 Milwaukee County properties already have been scheduled for sheriff’s sales in the first nine weeks of 2008, with a record 200 put up for sale in just one day earlier this month, records show.
State Foreclosure Prevention Group Produces Report On Mortgage Loss Mitigation
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group, a multi-state task force organized last summer by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to work with subprime mortgage loan servicers to reduce the number of unnecessary foreclosures by encouraging loan modifications and other sustainable, long-term solutions, released its first subprime mortgage servicing performance data report on Thursday.
