Continue reading... Real estate markets to watch in 2012

1. 15 Best and Worst Performing Real Estate Markets Clear Capital just released their housing market report which, based...
2. Commercial Real Estate Markets Stabilizing, Demand Growing says NAR The improving economy and job creation mean growing demand for...
3. Is the real estate market headed for a triple-dip in 2012? Clear Capital just released it’s monthly Home Data Index™ (HDI),...

Until recently, home ownership was no bargain compared to renting, according to Paul Diggle, a housing economist at Capital Economics.

Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau and published statistics from Thomson Datastream indicate that rising rents and falling mortgages are tipping the scales towards home ownership. The median monthly mortgage payment has fallen to about

Continue reading... Mortgage Rate Update; Should you Rent or Buy a Home?

1. Mortgage Rate Update; The Benefits of ARM’s Even though over the past few years, ARM’s (adjustable rate...
2. Mortgage Rate Update; FHA good alternative for many home buyers In this tighter credit environment, FHA remains to be...
3. St. Louis Mortgage Rate Update; What income is required for a mortgage? What income is required to qualify for a mortgage?...

Continue reading... New homes sales fall in December and make 2011 worst year on record

1. New home sales drop again in July; 2011 new home sales continue on track to be worst year ever Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and...
2. New home sales drop in June; 2011 new home sales on track to be worst year ever Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and...
3. New home sales tick up in September but still on track to be worst year ever Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and...

The last couple of months I have said that, “unless something changes dramatically, 2011 will hit a new record low of new home starts. Unfortunately, nothing dramatic happened, and 2011 has ended with only 428,600 new home starts setting a new record low and significantly below the prior all-time low of 445,200 starts in 2009.

The

Continue reading... New Home Starts in 2011 Set All-Time Record Low

1. New home construction starts off 2011 with a ‘fizzle’ The U.S. Census Bureau and US Department of Housing...
2. New Home Construction On Pace For Record Low in 2011 In 1959 the census bureau first started keeping track...
3. New home construction in November inches up;  Curent pace slightly ahead of record-low The last couple of months I have said that,...

Continue reading... Home sales jump in October to highest level in 18 months

1. Existing home sales drop in June; ‘Actual’ home sales highest in 12 months Today’s existing home sales report from the National Association of...
2. Pending home sales increase in March; prediction is for an increase in existing home sales this year Dennis Norman The National Association of REALTORS Pending Home...
3. Home sales decline in August; second consecutive month of declines Dennis Norman The National Association of REALTORS Pending Home...

A report released today by CoreLogic shows that 17.10 percent (96,986) of all St. Louis homeowners with a mortgage were in a negative equity position in the third quarter of 2011, down slightly from 17.30 percent the prior quarter. Negative equity is also referred to as being “underwater” or “upside down” and refers to

Continue reading... Fewer Homeowners Underwater on Mortgage

1. Number of Homeowners Underwater on Mortgage Increases A report released this morning by CoreLogic shows negative...
2. Report Shows Little Improvement in Underwater Homeowners Negative equity is the dominant factor driving the real...
3. Homeowners with negative-equity declined slightly in first quarter 2011 A report released today by CoreLogic shows that 22.7...

In this tighter credit environment, FHA remains to be a great alternative for buyers with limited resources for a down payment and closing costs or past credit problems. Underwriting guidelines are more lenient than conventional guidelines.

Continue reading... Mortgage Rate Update; FHA good alternative for many home buyers

1. FHA 203(k) financing helps buyers take advantage of as is bargains Most mortgage financing plans provide only permanent financing. That...
2. Mortgage delinquency rate declines by largest rate in two years This morning, Trans Union released a report showing the national...
3. the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 – Update I first wrote an article on this topic a...

Continue reading... Justice Department Settles Housing Discrimination Lawsuit in Rolla, Missouri

1. Justice Department Settles Housing Discrimination Lawsuit in Waterloo, Iowa WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced a $95,000 settlement...
2. Justice Department Obtains $70,000 Settlement in Housing Discrimination Lawsuit Against New Orleans Landlords WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that New Orleans...
3. Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against the Owners and Managers of Rental Homes in Mississippi for Discrimination Against Families with Children WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit...

The last couple of months I have said that, “unless something changes dramatically, 2011 will hit a new record low of new home starts. Well, unfortunately, even though the report for October shows an increase of 3.9 percent in housing starts, the seasonally adjusted annual rate is still at just 430,000 homes and

Continue reading... New home permits and construction increase in October; Still at record low pace for year

1. New home construction continues at record low pace for the year Last month I talked about how in 1959 the...
2. New Home Construction On Pace For Record Low in 2011 In 1959 the census bureau first started keeping track...
3. New home permits and starts increase in May; New home shortage coming? The U.S. Census Bureau and US Department of Housing...

Continue reading... Report shows homebuyers heading to the "burbs"

1. Report Shows Continued Strong Momentum for the U.S. Apartment Market in the Third Quarter Occupancy Surpasses Long-Term Average, and Rents Move Ahead of Pre-Recession...
2. Report shows shadow inventory continues to decline A report released this morning by CoreLogic shows that...
3. Report shows enormous backlog of foreclosures A report issued by Lender Processing Services, one of...