Index Shows Housing Prices Decline

By Mike Colpitts Housing prices declined an average of 3.9% through the end of October on a year over year basis, according to the CoreLogic housing price index. The index shows that home values have dropped for three straight months, and are especially hard hit in five states. Nevada has led the nation in foreclosures… Continue reading Index Shows Housing Prices Decline

Underwater Mortgages Drop Slightly

By Mike Colpitts Homeowners with underwater mortgages or those who owe more on their homes than their properties are currently worth dropped in the third quarter in the U.S., according to real estate data firm CoreLogic. The decline, however, was marginal falling to 10.7-million residential homeowners, which is 200,000 less than the second quarter of… Continue reading Underwater Mortgages Drop Slightly

Homeowners Stuck With High Mortgage Rates

The over-whelming majority of homeowners with underwater mortgages are stuck with high interest rate loans and are unable to refinance their mortgages, according to real estate research firm CoreLogic. Some 10.9 million home mortgages were in negative equity in the second quarter of the year, and another 2.4 million were close or within 5% of… Continue reading Homeowners Stuck With High Mortgage Rates

Mortgage Insurance Giant Shutdown

By Mike Colpitts Mortgage insurance giant PMI Group has been ordered to stop writing mortgage insurance policies by state regulators. Technically, PMI Inc’s two Arizona subsidiaries were placed under regulatory supervision by the Arizona Department of Insurance, where its main operations are headquartered. Then Fannie Mae announced it will no longer purchase home mortgages from… Continue reading Mortgage Insurance Giant Shutdown

Squatters Grow in Housing Mess

Attempting to own a house by squatting in a property to gain legal ownership is increasingly becoming more popular in these tough economic times with more than 7 million homeowners who have been kicked out of their homes as a result of the foreclosure crisis. Gaining legal title to a home by adverse possession is… Continue reading Squatters Grow in Housing Mess

Housing Recovery Delayed as Foreclosures Stall

By Kevin Chiu As many as 1-million homes that should have been foreclosed in 2011 will be delayed until 2012 stalling a housing recovery in the U.S. as lenders work through problems with foreclosure procedures, lawsuits and other legal problems, according to RealtyTrac. The foreclosure tracking firm reported that a total of 1,170,402 residential properties… Continue reading Housing Recovery Delayed as Foreclosures Stall

Huge Downgrade in US Housing Market

By Mike Colpitts Buffeted by high unemployment and weak consumer sentiment, housing markets are encountering sluggish home sales in the midst of what is typically the busiest home buying season of the year. Home sales should see an improvement towards the end of summer, but the average US home is projected to decline 7.1% in… Continue reading Huge Downgrade in US Housing Market

Sarah Palin’s Daughter Turns Landlord

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol is becoming a landlord in Phoenix. The ex-Dancing with The Stars contestant, whose out of wedlock pregnancy alarmed the Republican religious right wing during Palin’s run to win the vice presidency, has moved out of her Phoenix area home, and has put it on the market as… Continue reading Sarah Palin’s Daughter Turns Landlord

New Home Building Starts Recovery

By Mike Colpitts Despite new home builder sentiment in the industry being exceptionally low, new home construction is in the early stages of recovery. The latest National Association of Home Builders confidence index was 16 in May. A reading under 50 indicates poor sentiment. However, new home developments are showing signs of life scattered throughout… Continue reading New Home Building Starts Recovery

Rigid Land Use Spiked Home Prices

By Mike Colpitts Rigid land use restrictions contributed to the housing bubble burst and still play a major role driving home values lower, according to a new study conducted by a Washington, D.C. think tank. “The majority of losses in the housing crash were overwhelmingly concentrated in metropolitan areas with restrictive land development regulations,” said… Continue reading Rigid Land Use Spiked Home Prices