Category: Housing Market

Housing Starts Unexpectedly Slide

By Mike Colpitts Despite record warm weather making it attractive for new home builders, housing starts saw an unexpected slide in March, but new home building permits rose to the highest level in three and a half years, according to the Commerce Department. The drop in new home construction caught economists off guard as starts… Continue reading Housing Starts Unexpectedly Slide

New Home Sales Dip

By Mike Colpitts New home sales saw a dip for the fourth month in a row in March as many home buyers remained on the sidelines, according to the Commerce Department. Sales slipped 7.1% to a seasonally adjusted 328,000 unit annual rate. However, government figures for February show home sales were revised to a higher… Continue reading New Home Sales Dip

Short Sales Double Leap

By Ryan Jackson Bank assisted short sales or mortgage holders who are approved to sell their homes for less than what is owed on a mortgage leaped to double the number of short sales approved in 2009 last year. There were 227,570 short sales approved in 2011 accounting for a 12% increase from the previous… Continue reading Short Sales Double Leap

Homeowners Cash Pay Offs Gain Momentum

By Ryan Jackson In a move to improve bank balance sheets and increase their profits, banks are offering cash incentives to homeowners in default on their mortgages to entice them to make short sales on their homes. The effort is gaining momentum with an onslaught of banks and private mortgage companies as bankers offer as… Continue reading Homeowners Cash Pay Offs Gain Momentum

Court Orders $4 Million Mortgage Scam Fine

By Ryan Jackson A federal judge has ordered the ring-leader of a group and six defendants accused of defrauding homeowners to pay nearly $4-million for running a mortgage modification scam that promised to provide homeowners at risk of losing their homes foreclosure relief. The order was issued in U.S. District Court in the Central District… Continue reading Court Orders $4 Million Mortgage Scam Fine

Real Estate Recovery Likely to Produce Higher Home Prices

By Mike Colpitts The fallout from the real estate collapse is starting to see a turn around in some areas of the U.S. Home sales slid 7.4% in March in western U.S. states but fell more modestly in the rest of the country, according to the National Association of Realtors. But home prices in some… Continue reading Real Estate Recovery Likely to Produce Higher Home Prices

Mortgage Rates Drip Lower

By Ryan Jackson Borrowing rates for consumers shopping to refinance homes or buy another property just saw a small drop lower to reach 3.98% on a fixed 30-year loan, according to Freddie Mac. Mortgage rates on most other leading categories also fell modestly. The fixed 15-year mortgage averaged 3.21%, a decline of just two basis… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Drip Lower

Florida Capital Named Baby Boomers Favorite

The capital of Florida has been named the favorite U.S. city for baby boomers to retire by a Washington based economics research group. Tallahassee, Florida won out over 20 other cities considered for the prestigious award as the ideal place to retire. The southern city was selected after researchers considered a combination of factors, including… Continue reading Florida Capital Named Baby Boomers Favorite

Mortgage Reductions May Help All Homeowners

By Mike Colpitts A progressive Washington based group is lobbying to reduce mortgage principal in an effort to help all homeowners, and Democratic members of the Senate Banking Committee are urging the reductions. The Center for American Progress is pushing for mortgage reductions on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae held mortgages and is expected to… Continue reading Mortgage Reductions May Help All Homeowners