Core Logic, a heavily viewed monitor of U.S. home prices said its home price index dropped for the first time in 2010 in August, sending prices just 1.5% lower for the year. However, the index also showed positive appreciation in more than a handful of states. The Core Logic index has had an unusually low… Continue reading First Home Price Decline in Year
Refinance Mortgages at Lowest Rates in Decades
Mortgage rates are near their lowest levels in decades, although they have risen slightly since hitting all time lows in mid-October. The rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage hit 4.19%, the lowest since 1951, according to the Federal Housing Administration. A small rise in rates has produced an increase in home refinances, which represents… Continue reading Refinance Mortgages at Lowest Rates in Decades
Whistleblowers Explode Foreclosure Crisis
By Kevin Chiu Working at a feverish pace to keep up with a record volume of foreclosures, bankers, attorneys and bank servicing companies have allegedly broken laws to foreclose on at least tens of thousands of homeowners. But only over the last six months have the sorted details of the four people that have made… Continue reading Whistleblowers Explode Foreclosure Crisis
Poll Shows Housing Rebound Delayed
A rebound in the housing market is certain to be delayed a number of years as a result of mortgage lenders implementing foreclosure moratoriums, according to a new Housing Predictor poll. But more than two-thirds of all respondents feel that the delay will be four years or less. In fact, the largest percentage or 42%… Continue reading Poll Shows Housing Rebound Delayed
Mortgage Rate Falls to Historic Low
The 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell again to break the all-time low average, hitting 4.19% down .08 from last week, according to Freddie Mac. The last time rates were this low was in April of 1951, according to the Federal Housing Administration. The 30-year fixed mortgage has been under 5% for 23 straight weeks. The… Continue reading Mortgage Rate Falls to Historic Low
Home Sales Jump Second Straight Month
By Mike Colpitts Home sales jumped in September for the second straight month in a row, showing a recovery in the sale of existing homes, according to the National Association of Realtors, even while the inventory of homes listed for sale out-weighs market demand. The sale of single family homes, condos and townhouses reached an… Continue reading Home Sales Jump Second Straight Month
Despite State Tax Credit California Home Sales Decline
By Kevin Chiu Despite a special state home buyer tax credit, sales of homes in California declined more than 17% from a year ago in September, according to San Diego based real estate research firm DataQuick. The median price for a California home is $265,000, which is 5.6% higher for the year. But with a… Continue reading Despite State Tax Credit California Home Sales Decline
Giant Mortgage Lenders to Get $363-Billion in Bailouts
By Mike Colpitts As much as $363-billion in mortgage-backed security purchases may be required to bailout troubled Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the government sponsored mortgage giants from growing debt due to the foreclosure crisis, according to a government report made public today. The projection was made by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the government… Continue reading Giant Mortgage Lenders to Get $363-Billion in Bailouts
Mortgage Rates on Way Up
Mortgage rates rose slightly for the first time in five weeks, increasing to an average of 4.21% on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, according to Freddie Mac. The rise represents a small .02 increase from last week for borrowers paying 0.8% in discount points. However, the increase was up from 4.19% last week, which was… Continue reading Mortgage Rates on Way Up
Cash is King in Real Estate
By Mike Colpitts Low home prices coupled with a tight economy have produced a rare set of events to trigger the highest number of cash home sales that many real estate agents remember in decades. In San Francisco, agents estimate that “around 15%” of all sales are paid in cash, while “more than 32%” are… Continue reading Cash is King in Real Estate