Painfully high joblessness and business closings trouble Kentucky as it tries to move out of the economic downturn into a recovery in housing, but an over-supply of homes on the market and foreclosures trouble the state, despite near record low mortgage rates. Consumer confidence over the real estate market ails homeowners trying to sell their… Continue reading 2011 Kentucky Housing Market
Category: 2011 Housing Market
2011 Illinois Housing Market
Troubled by a state economy on the edge, lingering high unemployment and a foreclosure crisis that rivals the most devastated areas in the nation, Illinois is losing residents as they flee high state income and property taxes for greener pastures. The uncertainty of the Illinois economy signals a housing market that has made little progress… Continue reading 2011 Illinois Housing Market
Home Prices Fall Almost 5% in 2011
By Mike Colpitts Home prices fell nearly an average of 5% last year as a result of a troubled U.S. economy, decaying consumer sentiment, high unemployment and a foreclosure crisis that is running out of control, according to real estate research firm Core Logic. The company’s December Home Price Index showed an average 4.7% decline… Continue reading Home Prices Fall Almost 5% in 2011
Foreclosure Activity Drops 34% in 2011
By Mike Colpitts Court ordered moratoriums halting foreclosures produced a 34% drop in the number of homes entering the foreclosure process in 2011, according to foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac. The slowdown in activity came as lenders reviewed foreclosures in the pipeline after bank servicing employees admitted to making illegal forgeries on what is likely to be… Continue reading Foreclosure Activity Drops 34% in 2011
Home Prices Tumbled Less in 2011
By Mike Colpitts Home prices tumbled an average of 4.3% on a year-over-year basis through last November, according to real estate analytics firm CoreLogic. The company’s Home Price Index, released Monday, confirmed what other real estate research companies reported – that home prices fell less in 2011 than 2010. The Santa Ana, California based firm… Continue reading Home Prices Tumbled Less in 2011
Mortgage Rates Jump for New Year’s
By Mike Colpitts Mortgage rates, already at their record all-time lows jumped slightly higher in time for New Year’s this week as lenders became weary about growing problems in international financial markets, according to Freddie Mac. The rate of a 30-year fixed rate loan rose to 3.95% from a record low 3.91% last week. The… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Jump for New Year’s
Record High Crop Prices Inflate Home Values
By Mike Colpitts Record high prices farmers are being paid for crops in the Mid-West are pressuring home prices, and are forecast to inflate home values as the real estate collapse moves closer to an end for part of the U.S. in 2012, according to the new Housing Predictor annual forecast. In all, a total… Continue reading Record High Crop Prices Inflate Home Values
Mortgage Rates Set New Record Low
By Mike Colpitts Mortgage rates set a new record low hitting an average of 3.91% on a fixed 30-year loan, according to Freddie Mac. Rates on the shorter term 15-year fixed mortgage remained at the same record level as last week. Rates on the benchmark 30-year mortgage have been at or below 4.00% for eight… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Set New Record Low
Home Sales Jump Two Straight Months
By Kevin Chiu Home sales jumped for the second month in a row in November, increasing 4% after rising almost half as much the previous month, according to the National Association of Realtors. The jump in sales accounts for an annual adjusted rate of 4.42 million existing homes sales. The rise also accounts for a… Continue reading Home Sales Jump Two Straight Months
Lowest Mortgage Rates of Year Arrive
By Kevin Chiu The lowest mortgage rates of the year arrived in time for New Year’s, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association survey. However, despite the drop, mortgage refinances and mortgages for home purchases slipped for the week. The drop in applications was attributed to the traditional holiday slowdown caused by Christmas and New Years,… Continue reading Lowest Mortgage Rates of Year Arrive