Category: Housing Market

Mortgage Rates Jump After Hitting Record Lows

By Ryan Jackson For the first time in more than two months, mortgage rates jumped higher as lenders reversed course, setting the average rate for a fixed 30-year mortgage at 3.71%, according to Freddie Mac. The shift could signal a change in rates to come. The rate on the 15-year fixed also saw a jump… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Jump After Hitting Record Lows

US Government Moves to Prevent Mortgage Fraud

By Mike Colpitts In an unprecedented move, the agency charged with overseeing the nation’s giant mortgage lenders is taking steps to halt mortgage fraud by the lenders it deals with. The action, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is the first of its kind since the financial crisis threw the U.S. economy into chaos. The… Continue reading US Government Moves to Prevent Mortgage Fraud

Hardest Hit States Foreclosures Slow

By Ryan Jackson Three of hardest hit states in the U.S. housing downturn have seen foreclosures drop by more than 25% providing a major sign of improvement for the nation’s housing market. Formal foreclosures in Nevada, Arizona and Michigan have been reduced at the highest level since the housing crisis started more than five years… Continue reading Hardest Hit States Foreclosures Slow

Home Prices Rise 2 Consecutive Months

By Ryan Jackson U.S. home prices showed two consecutive months of increases in March and April for the first time since the summer of 2010 when the market benefitted from the federal tax credit for home buyers, according to CoreLogic. The firm’s Home Price Index rose 1.1 % year over year in April for the… Continue reading Home Prices Rise 2 Consecutive Months

Four Million US Homes Risk Hurricane Damage

By Mike Colpitts As homeowners move to coastal areas in unprecedented numbers, more than 4 million are at risk of suffering storm damage from hurricanes, a new all-time record high, according to an industry research report. This years CoreLogic report indicates that slightly more than 4 million homes along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions… Continue reading Four Million US Homes Risk Hurricane Damage

New Home Sales Jump

By Mike Colpitts Single family new homes sales rose 7.6% in May to a seasonally adjusted rate of 369,000 units, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The data reflects the first jump in actual new home sales in three months after disappointing spring home sales soured home builders. The Northeast and South posted a solid… Continue reading New Home Sales Jump

Research Firms Agree Home Prices Are Rising

By Mike Colpitts In a major positive sign for the U.S. housing market, the two largest real estate research firms tracking the market agree that average home prices have increased for the first time since the real estate collapse more than five years ago. California based CoreLogic and Florida based Lender Processing Services say home… Continue reading Research Firms Agree Home Prices Are Rising

Another Small Step for Housing as Mortgage Rates Fall

By Mike Colpitts The U.S. housing market is taking one small step forward at a time. Little by little it is improving. The Mortgage Bankers Association report added to the chorus of reports indicating the small steps forward with its mortgage applications survey today, which showed a small increase in applications for mortgages last week.… Continue reading Another Small Step for Housing as Mortgage Rates Fall