By Lois A. Vitt, Ph.D. When asked most people who use a real estate agent to sell their home say they would choose to do it again. Whether this option is best for your needs is a question that requires some research and careful introspection. While selling your home on your own may appear to… Continue reading Should You Work with a Real Estate Agent
Category: 2011 Housing Market
Foreclosures Set New Record in 2010 as Repossessions Ease
By Kevin Chiu Nearly 2.9 million U.S. residential properties received foreclosure filings in 2010 setting a new record in the nation’s foreclosure crisis even as homeowner foreclosures eased as a result of the robo-signing scandal, according to RealtyTrac. All combined default notices, scheduled auctions and formal bank repossession notices totaled 3,825,637 filings for the year.… Continue reading Foreclosures Set New Record in 2010 as Repossessions Ease
Mortgage Purchases Move Higher on Lower Rates
By Mike Colpitts Applications for home mortgages increased slightly for the week, indicating that home buying activity is increasing in the New Year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The bankers composite index, which includes both applications for home mortgages and refinances showed a 2.2% rise for the week. However, on an unadjusted basis, when… Continue reading Mortgage Purchases Move Higher on Lower Rates
Mortgage Rates Drop
By Kevin Chiu Mortgage rates dropped for the first time in weeks, falling to 4.77% down from 4.86% on a 30-year fixed rate loan, beginning the New Year on the right foot for mortgage borrowers, according to Freddie Mac. Rates have fluctuated on home mortgages since before Christmas when they rose for four straight weeks… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Drop
Mortgage Rates Rise as Buyers Jump
By Mike Colpitts Mortgage rates rose to the highest level since last May as home buyers jumped back into the market, according to Freddie Mac. The rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose to 4.86%, a .05 move up for the week. The National Association of Realtors pending home index rose 3.5% in November… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Rise as Buyers Jump
Mortgage Rates Dip Slightly
By Mike Colpitts Mortgage rates declined to an average of 4.81% for the week with 0.7 point down from 4.83% a week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The dip represents the first decline in more than a month after rates hit their record low in late October. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage is expected to… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Dip Slightly
Home Sales Rise Higher
Home sales rose higher to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.68 million units in November, according to the National Association of Realtors. The rise, however, accounts for a 27.9% decline from the market’s peak during the federal tax credit. The rise in sales represents a positive trend for the housing market, and includes the… Continue reading Home Sales Rise Higher
Mortgage Rates Soar Higher
Mortgage rates soared to 4.83% on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage to the highest level in more than eight months, according to Freddie Mac. The increase accounted for the largest rise in conventional mortgages since hitting their record all-time low and put the brakes on home buying. Rates rose from 4.61% with an average of… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Soar Higher
Poll Shows Split on Real Estate Market
Respondents are split over whether the real estate market will show better times in the coming New Year, according to a new opinion poll. Slightly more than 1 out of 3 said better times are ahead when 2011 rings in but the majority isn’t so positive about things. Some 37% of respondents to the poll… Continue reading Poll Shows Split on Real Estate Market
Pent Up Real Estate Demand Waits
By Kevin Chiu Pent up demand among consumers waiting on the sidelines to buy a home is something that real estate analysts aren’t counting on much these days as consumer confidence over the U.S. economy wanes. The housing sector of the real estate market was artificially sent to new heights by a concoction of mixtures… Continue reading Pent Up Real Estate Demand Waits