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2013 Housing Market Trends: What Will Be Different Than 2012
AOL Real Estate
December 31, 2012
One year ago, I wrote: "Even the best possible 2012 won't get us halfway back toward normal." That turns out to be true, but barely: the latest Trulia Housing Barometer, for October, showed us that the market is 47 percent back to normal. ...
The Real Force Behind the Rise in Home Prices?
Realtor Magazine
December 28, 2012
One of the main culprits driving the rise in home prices: The Federal Reserve, says Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of Miller Samuel Inc., a real estate appraisal and consulting firm.
At a time when unemployment is high, lending standards are tight, and the overall economy is still sluggish, many have asked, "How has housing been able to still rebound?"
Record low mortgage rates are helping to boost home prices, says Miller. The Fed has been buying up mortgage-backed securities to keep mortgage rates hovering at record lows. ...
Chinese investors buying up U.S. assets
CBS News
December 28, 2012 - Investors from China are putting billions into American businesses to meet the increasing Chinese demand for U.S. products. CBS News' Ben Tracy reports. ...
Distressed home sales still hitting California's inland
Sacramento Business Journal
December 28, 2012
The percentage of distressed home sales is falling, but still remains elevated in California’s heartland, according to new California Association of Realtors data. ...
Expected Foreclosure Wave Weakened by Short Sale Rip Current
Forbes
December 27, 2012
A strong rip current of distress continues to threaten the U.S. housing market despite the absence of a giant wave of bank foreclosures in 2012.
There’s no doubt that the great foreclosure wave of 2012 just didn’t happen. No mighty financial dams fell and no monetary levees were washed aside. ...
The 12 States That Are Still Getting Buried Under Foreclosures
Business Insider
December 24, 2012
180,817 homes received foreclosure filings in November, down 3 percent from the previous month, and 19 percent from a year ago, according to RealtyTrac's foreclosure report.
The drop in foreclosure activity was largely driven by a drop in foreclosure starts - the pace at which mortgages enter the foreclosure process - which were down 13 percent on the month. ...
Mortgage refinancing landscape will shift focus to HARP: Compass Point
HousingWire
December 26, 2012
Borrowers whose loans are backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may see expanded opportunities to refinance, but borrowers with nonagency loans won't be so lucky, Compass Point Research & Trading said. ...
Latest Numbers Show Strength in Housing
CNBC
December 26, 2012 - We had good news on housing this morning. The Case-Shiller index has been published and shows that home prices year over year are up 4.3%. ...
24% Gain in Detroit, 22% gain in San Francisco and a 21% gain in Phoenix year-over-year. ...
Bond Ratings Cuts Advance to Fastest Since ’09: Credit Markets
Bloomberg
December 26, 2012
Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service are cutting corporate debt ratings at the fastest pace since 2009 as a global economic slowdown and record borrowing erode credit quality. ...
Deconstructing Instead of Demolishing Houses Is Growing West Coast Trend
The Wall Street Journal
December 21, 2012 - More home buyers who want to tear down an existing home and rebuild on the same lot are doing so without wrecking balls and bulldozers. "Deconstruction" is a growing trend in the West Coast housing market. WSJ's Monika Vosough reports. ...
A Tricky Transition from Housing Stability to Strength in 2013
DSNews
December 21, 2012
Some level of certainty and stability returned to the U.S. housing market in 2012, providing a solid foundation for the market to build on in 2013.
But there are still significant risks that threaten this hard-won stability and could trip up some local markets trying to make the tricky transition from stability to strength. ...
Five Star Economist: Housing in 2013 Depends on Many Moving Parts
DSNews
December 21, 2012
No matter how foggy the haze is, economists typically dust off their crystal balls in December. However economic forecasts too often involve driving by looking in a rear-view mirror. ...
Current homeowners accounted for 46.3% of the total home purchase transactions tracked in November
HousingPulse Tracking Survey
December 21, 2012
Current homeowners are continuing to drive the recovery of the housing market, the latest HousingPulse results show. In November, current homeowners accounted for 46.3% of the total home purchase transactions tracked. This was the highest level ever recorded in the HousingPulse survey and was up from 44.8% a year earlier. ...
How to play the 2013 housing market
CNNMoney
December 20, 2012 - 2013 could bring on more home price appreciation and changes in the popular mortgage interest tax deduction. ...
Fannie Mae: Housing market 'has turned the corner'
InmanNews
December 18, 2012
Despite lower expectations for the economy's progress as a whole this quarter, home sale and price trends suggest housing finally represents "a tailwind to growth," according to a monthly economic outlook released today by Fannie Mae's Economic & Strategic Research Group. ...
Fringe 15-year mortgage becomes hot property
MarketWatch
December 18, 2012
The 15-year loan, long considered a fringe character in the mortgage scene, is riding a wave of popularity.
Thanks to low interest rates, many borrowers are opting for the deal that allows them to pay off their mortgages in half as much time as the traditional 30-year mortgage. ...
California's Foreclosure Inventory Continues to Dry Up
DSNews
December 18, 2012
Foreclosure inventory in California continued its steady decline in November, according to data from ForeclosureRadar.
The total number of preforeclosures, foreclosures scheduled for sale, and REOs fell 7.6 percent from October to November and declined by 31.8 percent from a year ago. ...
Freddie Mac Economist Sees New Households Outpacing Apartment Boom
RIS Media
December 15, 2012
In his 2013 forecast, Freddie Mac's chief economist, Frank Nothaft, sees more than a million new households bolstering housing starts, driving apartment vacancy rates down to ten year low and outpacing the boom in new apartment construction ...
What real estate trends suggest for 2013
HousingWire
December 18, 2012
As 2012 comes to an end, most real estate professionals sit on the edge of their seats, anticipating the outcome of the fiscal cliff and how it will affect the housing market going into 2013.
However, there are real estate trends, both nationally and locally, from 2012 that may indicate what is expected in 2013, according to the latest trend data released by Realtor.com. ...
Median Home Price in California Increases 19.3%
DSNews
December 14, 2012
Home sales in California displayed a typical seasonal decline in November and fell month-over-month, but the median price posted both monthly and yearly gains, San Diego-based DataQuick reported. ...
'Flippers' Get a Break From FHA
Charlotte Observer
December 14, 2012
Rehabbers and real estate investors, rejoice: You'll still be able to sell houses to first-time buyers using low-down-payment FHA-insured mortgages next year, even if you’ve owned the fixed-up home less than 90 days. ...
Housing's Repo Man Is Back
CNBC
December 13, 2012
The good news is that overall foreclosure activity continues to fall and a decline in new foreclosures are leading the drop.
The bad news is that the huge backlog of homes already in the foreclosures process, but long delayed, are finally going back to the banks in big numbers. ...
Housing's Repo Man Is Back
CNBC
December 13, 2012 - Just when we thought we were on the road to recovery, repossessions hit a nine month high. ...
New Report Raises Concerns Over FHA Loans
The Wall Street Journal
December 13, 2012
A new analysis of loans insured in recent years by the Federal Housing Administration is warning that the agency isn't helping the low- and moderate-income homeowners it is designed to serve. ...
No pressure on mortgage rates as Fed continues easing
InmanNews
December 13, 2012
Mortgage rates remained at or near record lows this week as the Federal Reserve signaled that measures designed to keep a lid on interest rates will remain in place for some time to come. ...
Mortgage delinquencies to remain high in 2013
USA Today
December 12, 2012
Transunion expects the mortgage delinquency rate -- which looks at borrowers 60 or more days past due -- to finish this year at 5.32% and to drop only slightly to 5.06% by the end of next year. ...
Press Release - Weekly Mortgage Application Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association
December 12, 2012
The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 84 percent of total applications from 82 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity remained at 3 percent of total applications. The HARP share of refinance applications increased to 29 percent from 27 percent the prior week. ...
Housing affordability drops, as market recovery takes hold
The Real Deal
December 11, 2012
While rising home prices are a boon to the greater economy, they are also starting to squeeze the record affordability that was drawing so many home buyers back into the market, CNBC reported. ...
Consumers More Optimistic About Housing in Fannie Mae Survey
DSNews
December 10, 2012
Consumers’ perceptions of housing and the economy are growing more and more positive, according to responses in Fannie Mae’s November 2012 National Housing Survey. ...
Freddie Mac: What to Expect from Housing in 2013
DSNews
December 10, 2012
Freddie Mac made suggestions on what housing might look like in 2013 in its December outlook report. Overall, the GSE expects to see a continuation of positive trends. ...
What's Really Behind the Housing Recovery?
Realtor Magazine
December 10, 2012
The housing market has shown several consecutive months of improvement in home prices and buyer demand. The housing market—once a downer for the U.S. economy—is now its one bright spot. But why? ...
How to time the market
first tuesday journal
December 7, 2012
Everyone wants to know the best time to buy, sell or hold real estate. These charts will help you anticipate the market to maximize profit. ...
California housing market squeezes middle class home buyers and renters
Dr.HousingBubble
Earlier this week I woke up to a couple of e-mails of readers unfortunately confronting much higher rents. "My landlord suddenly hiked up the rents by 10 percent!" This seems to be a common trend for 2012. ...
Wells Fargo CEO: "I'm bullish on housing"
CNNMoney
November 26, 2012 - Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf says he believes that while the housing market is bouncing back, there are policies that can ensure recovery. ...
Five Reasons Home Prices Have Been Rising
The Wall Street Journal
November 27, 2012 - Some markets are up sharply amid big declines in both prices and the share of distressed sales, while others are still soft. Generally, though, there are at least five significant contributors to rising prices: ...
American States in a Fiscal Death Spiral
Forbes
November 25, 2012 - Forbes' William Baldwin explains why California, Illinois and nine other States are fiscal danger spots posing high-risk for investors. ...
5 Reasons to Buy a Home Now Instead of the Spring
The KCM Blog
November 28, 2012 - Based on prices, mortgage rates and soaring rents, there may have never been a better time in real estate history to purchase a home than right now. Here are five major reasons purchasers should consider buying: ...
Investing in Real Estate With a Self-Directed IRA
Bloomberg News
November 27, 2012 - Marilyn Cotterman was fed up with her financial planner. He had invested the 57-year-old’s Roth IRA in stock mutual funds that tanked in 2008, and then he put it in bond funds that yielded next to nothing. So in late 2009, Cotterman, a quality assurance manager at a printing company in Brownsburg, Indiana, decided to move the $40,000 she had with her planner into a self-directed IRA so she could invest in mobile homes. ...
Lack of Distressed Properties Locks Out First-Time Homebuyers
DSnews
November 27, 2012 - The share of distressed properties is shrinking and home prices are rising, but first-time homebuyers aren't benefiting from the improvements, according to findings from a survey. ...
Big investment firm buys hundreds of houses in Sacramento area
Sacramento Bee
November 25, 2012 - An investment firm that owns the Waldorf Astoria hotel and the Weather Channel has bought more than 500 houses in Sacramento in the past few months, betting upward of $60 million that home prices will rise. ...
Proposed mortgage rules threaten private RMBS comeback
Housingwire
November 27, 2012 - It's likely the future mortgage market will feature a standardized, almost plain-vanilla mortgage product, some analysts suggest.
But on the other hand, analysts in the mortgage finance space believe the market will be perpetually lost without the return of private capital and a more robust system of lending. ...
Quantitative easing a time bomb
Reuters TV
November 22, 2012 - Economist Stephen Roach worries that the Federal Reserve's approach to stimulating the economy will lead to a bubble. Roach also discussed with former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair and other panelists at Rand Corporation's Politics Aside conference in Santa Monica, California, whether the government will resolve the fiscal cliff. ...
The full panel discussion
Despite Low Inventory, Listing Prices Slacken
Realtor Magazine
November 19, 2012 - The inventory of for-sale homes remains at historic lows, down 17 percent compared to year-ago levels, but the housing recovery may be slowing with recent rises in median listing prices now showing signs of tapering off, according to October housing data recently released by Realtor.com, ...
Average FICO score getting higher for approved mortgages
HousingWire
November 19, 2012 - Mortgage lending keeps getting tighter as the move away from FHA loans takes shape in the marketplace.
Case in point, the average FICO score on closed, first-lien loans hit 750 in October, which is up from 741 last August, Ellie Mae said. ...
Uneven housing forecast for next year
HousingWire
November 19, 2012 - The housing market recovery is driven by an improving industry and credit fundamentals, which will continue through 2013, according to Barclays Securitized Products Research.
However, there are major concerns including the fiscal cliff and shadow inventory. ...
Blackstone Buys 10,000 Homes - Sees Opportunity in Distressed Homes
Bloomberg TV
November 14, 2012 - Jonathan Gray, global head of real estate at Blackstone Group LP, talks about Blackstone's investment in foreclosed homes and the outlook for the U.S. housing market. He speaks with Jason Kelly on Bloomberg Television's "Money Moves."
Serious Mortgage Delinquencies Fall to Lowest Since 2008
Bloomberg
November 15, 2012 - The rate of seriously delinquent U.S. mortgages, a proxy for the so-called shadow inventory of homes, fell to the lowest since 2008 as employment improved and recovering housing demand made it easier for homeowners to sell. ...
Bernanke blames banks for holding back housing market
BBC Business News
November 15, 2012 - Ben Bernanke has said that the overly stringent lending requirements of banks are hurting the US housing recovery.
In a speech, he said the housing market showed signs of recovery but was "far from being out of the woods". ...
Blackstone Sees 2-Year Window to Buy Distressed Homes: Mortgages
San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate
November 14, 2012 - Investors buying foreclosed U.S. homes might have less than two years to accumulate properties as competition and rising prices shrink the pool of cheap assets, according to Blackstone Group LP, the largest buyer. ...
How can you refinance an underwater mortgage?
CNNMoney
November 9, 2012 - I am trying to find a program that will help me refinance my home loan. I owe more than the house is worth. I have never been late on a payment and my credit score is really good. My current rate is 8% and no one will seem to refinance it for me. Is there any hope? — Jeff D. ...
Investors have been key players in the housing recovery.
MSN Real Estate
November 8, 2012 - MSN Money real estate expert Diana Olick talks about an increasing trend - investors teaming up with renters on a rent to own program.
For Housing, Many Signs Still Point Up
The Wall Street Journal
November 9, 2012 - Real estate is one asset class that could be relatively protected from the "fiscal cliff."
Even if the overall economy weakens from fiscal tightening, housing is poised to continue to improve, says Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo ...
Rising home prices lift 1.3 million borrowers above water
HousingWire
November 9, 2012 - Rising home prices lifted more than 1.3 million underwater homeowners above water this year, the ...
NAR: Median Price and Sales Up in Q3 for Existing Homes
DSNews
November 7, 2012 - A lower supply of inventory and fewer distressed sales led to stronger home price gains across the country, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed in a recent report. ...
Home prices up in 81 U.S. cities
San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate
November 7, 2012 - Prices for single-family homes rose in 81 percent of U.S. cities as the property market extends a recovery from the worst crash since the 1930s, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. ...
Americans Upbeat on Prospects for Home Prices
The Wall Street Journal
November 7, 2012 - Americans continue to show growing confidence that home prices will increase over the next 12 months, offering another sign of a slow but steady housing recovery, according to Fannie Mae's FNMA -2.03% monthly national-housing survey. ...
Hovnanian and Blackstone double land bank investment
HousingWire
November 2, 2012 - Leading national homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises and GSO Capital Partners, the credit firm of The Blackstone Group increased land banking arrangements by another $125 million, to total of $250 million.
The additional land banking agreement is an opportunity for GSO to increase its investment in the residential real estate market. ...
Apple's real estate footprint grew 31 percent in a year
Silicon Valley BizBlog
November 1, 2012 - Apple Inc.'s share price might be shrinking, but its appetite for real estate shows no sign of letting up. ...
Warren Buffett Just Made A Huge Bet On The US Housing Market
Business Insider
October 31, 2012 - Perhaps the most bullish indicator for U.S. housing is Warren Buffett.
The legendary investor has been buying up real-estate brokerages around the country ...
Is there a housing recovery under way?
MSN Real Estate
October 29, 2012 - MSN Money columnist Charley Blaine answers that question in this two minute video.
The 'Fiscal Cliff,' QE3, and the Future of Interest Rates
Realtor Magazine
October 24, 2012 - Economists from the Mortgage Bankers Association sounded an optimistic note at a press conference yesterday afternoon during the organization's Conference & Expo in Chicago, with predictions that unemployment will go down, home purchase loan originations will go up, and mortgage rates will remain low in 2013. ...
Nondelinquent Borrowers Soon to Be Eligible for Short Sales
Realtor Magazine
October 24, 2012 - Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have issued new rules, which will take effect Nov. 1, that will allow short sales for underwater borrowers who have never missed a mortgage payment. Previously, Fannie and Freddie allowed only home owners who had missed payments to qualify for a short sale. ...
August Home Prices Up 4.7% from Year Ago: FHFA
DSNews
October 24, 2012 - The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI) continued its upward crawl in August, rising 0.7 percent from July, according to a release from the agency. For the 12 months ending in August, home prices in the United States rose 4.7 percent. ...
Signs of Improvement Emerge but Economic Outlook Remains Uncertain
Fannie Mae
October 18, 2012 - A positive September jobs report, continued resilience in the housing market, and the Federal Reserve’s latest quantitative easing measures appear to have bolstered consumer confidence, with September retail sales posting relatively good results. However, uncertainty surrounding ongoing financial and policy issues both domestically and abroad may restrain meaningful economic growth in 2012. ...
Traits of People With High Credit Scores
Realtor Magazine
October 19, 2012 - To have a high credit score, individuals tend to keep revolving balances low to their available credit, not max out credit cards, and consistently make payments on time, according to the company behind the FICO credit score. ...
Sharp rise in foreclosures as banks move in
NBCNews
October 13, 2012 - More U.S. homes are entering the foreclosure process, but they're taking ever longer to get sold or repossessed by lenders. ...
Putting this story in perspective: The number of foreclosed homes currently listed for sale in Yuba City has dropped dramatically over the last year. Only 11 of the roughly 86 homes currently listed for sale are foreclosures. A 14% rise in the number of foreclosures will only add one or two homes to the market. - Lloyd
Housing Recovery Picks Up, But Challenges Await
Realtor Magazine
October 19, 2012 - The Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency concludes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would benefit from getting some help in pursuing those who walk away from their mortgage, despite their ability to pay. ...
France's 'rich tax' means Paris mansions for sale
TheBottomLine NBCNews
October 17, 2012 - France’s new 75 percent income tax on the rich may not be popular with millionaires. But it’s being cheered by another group: Paris real-estate buyers. ...
Why Home Refinancing Boom Is Different This Time
CNBC
October 17, 2012 - U.S. home owners are refinancing their mortgages at the fastest clip since 2005, but the difference now is they are putting cash in, not taking it out.
At the going rate, 25 percent of all first-lien U.S. mortgages will be refinanced this year, according to LPS Applied Analytics. ...
FHFA should help pursue Fannie, Freddie strategic defaulters: Report
HousingWire
October 17, 2012 - The Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency concludes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would benefit from getting some help in pursuing those who walk away from their mortgage, despite their ability to pay. ...
House flipping helps recovery
ABC World News
October 15, 2012 - Homeowners see rise in housing market with help of house flippers.
A new housing boom
CNNMoney
October 12, 2012 - The long-battered housing market is finally starting to get back on its feet. But some experts believe it could soon become another housing boom. ...
Real estate ray of light: Shadow inventory declines
CBS MoneyWatch
October 15, 2012 - Roughly 2.3 million homes are in the shadow market, according to a report by data and analytics firm CoreLogic, which marks a considerable drop from where the inventory of these properties stood a year earlier. ...
Fitch Forecasts Continued Improvements for Housing
DSNews
October 16, 2012 - Fitch Ratings is predicting a continued recovery into 2012, according to a recent report titled U.S. Homebuilding and Construction: The Chalk Line. ...
California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) 2013 California Housing Market Forecast
California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.)
October 8, 2012 - C.A.R.'s chief economist, Leslie Appleton-Young, gives C.A.R.'s 2013 Housing Market Forecast. California home prices in 2012 are up 10.9% as compared to 2011. C.A.R. is projecting that 2013 home prices will increase by another 5.7%. Lack of inventory will continue to constrain the total number of sales.
A new housing boom
CNNMoney
October 12, 2012 - The long-battered housing market is finally starting to get back on its feet. But some experts believe it could soon become another housing boom. ...
CoreLogic: 2012 housing recovery is durable
HousingWire
October 12, 2012 - The overall U.S. economy remains lackluster, but gains in housing during 2012 were significant enough to remain durable, says Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic.
Fleming points out in CoreLogic's latest MarketPulse report that housing is now ...
Foreclosures hit a five-year low
USA Today
October 11, 2012 - Foreclosure activity hit a five-year-low in September, further lessening fears that lenders might flood markets with foreclosed homes and curtail price gains. ...
New home sales up 85 percent from a year ago
Sacramento Business Journal
October 8, 2012 - The number of new homes sold in the Sacramento region last month was an 85 percent increase from September 2011, and building industry officials said 2012’s total will be the most in three years.
The 201 new houses sold in September was nearly identical to August's tally, the North State Building Industry Association reported. ...
Freddie's REO inventory down 30% from peak levels
HousingWire
October 5, 2012 - Freddie Mac executives feel more optimistic about the housing market with Freddie's REO inventory down 30% from peak levels, home prices on the rise and unemployment edging lower. ...
Housing still impediment to U.S. growth: Fed officials
Reuters
October 5, 2012 - A disappointing rebound in U.S. housing continues to trip up the country's overall economic recovery, two influential Federal Reserve officials said on Friday, highlighting a corner of the economy that still frustrates monetary policymakers. ...
Asking Prices Up, Rent Prices Rising Faster than Home Prices: Trulia
DSNews
October 5, 2012 - If current trends persist, this year may be the first year since 2006 the housing market records an annual price increase, according to a report released Thursday by Trulia. ...
Calif. hands trial lawyers 'nuclear weapon' to use against mortgage industry: legal expert
HousingWire
October 5, 2012 - The Homeowner Bill of Rights launched in California not only changed hundreds of years of real estate law, it may have turned the West Coast state into a judicial foreclosure state with financial firms on high alert, legal experts claim. ...
Housing Scorecard: Homeowner Equity Position Much Improved
Mortgage News Daily
October 4, 2012 - The Departments of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development released the August version of their monthly Housing Scorecard this afternoon. The Scorecard is a summary of housing data from various sources such as the S&P/Case-Shiller house price indices, the National Association of Realtors® existing home sales report, Census data, and RealtyTrac foreclosure information. Most of the information has already been covered by MND. ...
Rental Market's Big Buyers
The Wall Street Journal
October 3, 2012 - Blackstone Group LP has become the biggest U.S. investor in single-family rental homes by spending more than $1 billion since the start of 2012 to acquire more than 6,500 foreclosed houses in eight metropolitan areas, according to people briefed by Blackstone. ...
CoreLogic: Foreclosure inventory shrinks to smallest level since April 2010
HousingWire
October 4, 2012 - The nation’s foreclosure inventory in August dropped its lowest level since April 2010, according to new data from analytics firm CoreLogic.
About 1.3 million homes, or 3.2% of all homes with a mortgage, sat in foreclosure inventory, slightly under the 1.4 million, or 3.4%, in August 2011. ...
Morgan Stanley declares housing out of the woods
HousingWire
October 1, 2012 - Investment house Morgan Stanley ($17.50 0.03%) is pretty confident about the housing recovery.
In fact, even with mortgage servicing regulation coming and decisions on qualified mortgages forthcoming, Morgan Stanley believes the housing market will not only withstand this, but come out on top.
Here is the bold prediction: ...
Fed Ex says global economy is stalling, cuts outlook for fiscal year by about 10 percent
Washington Post
September 19, 2012 - Fed Ex Corp. says the global economy is stalling, and it’s going to get worse next year.
The conditions are shrinking earnings at the world’s second-largest package delivery company. Factories are making fewer items for Fed Ex to ship and customers are opting for cheaper delivery options to save money. ...
Freddie Mac: Fuel Price Spike Unlikely to Stall Recovery
DSNews
September 12, 2012 - While Americans may be feeling pain at the pumps, Freddie Mac doesn't believe the recent increase in gas prices will have a huge impact on the economy.
While rising energy costs can divert spending away from consumer goods, Nothaft said he isn't worried.
"A fuel-price spike doesn't pack the same punch it once used to in part because of more efficient use of energy," Nothaft said. ...
Borrowers in Negative Equity Declining as Home Values Gain: Report
DSNews
September 12, 2012 - About 600,000 borrowers rose above negative equity in the second quarter of 2012, CoreLogic reported Wednesday. ...
The Seven Deadly Sins Of Real Estate Investing
Business Insider
September 10, 2012 - Have you committed one of the seven deadly sins?
No, I'm not referring to gluttony, wrath, or sloth. I'm talking about the Seven Deadly Sins of Real Estate Investing. ...
Why Short Sales, Foreclosures Damage Credit Similarly
Realtor Magazine
September 7, 2012 - With short sales, home owners work with a bank on a solution to get out of a house they may no longer be able to afford or have to sell urgently for some reason. That’s why some argue short sales shouldn't damage a person's credit score in the same way as foreclosures, which can be much more costly for banks. ...
Median Days Listed Shortens as Inventory Tightens: NAR
DSNews
September 5, 2012 - Homes are spending less time on the market as supply conditions tighten, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released Wednesday. ...
U.S. Home Prices Improve
Wall Street Journal
August 28, 2012 - U.S. home prices ended the second quarter with the first positive annual growth rates since the summer of 2010, according to Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller indexes.
Homebuyers starting to pay higher prices as investor market dominance wanes
Sacramento Business Journal
September 5, 2012 - The population of Truckee might be small, but the latest big picture of the housing market emanates from the offices of Clear Capital, which calls the mountain community home.
Investor dominance in the resale housing market appears to be waning as more homebuyers are willing to pay higher prices, which could signal the next phase of an overall market recovery, according to an economist at Clear Capital. ...
Home prices signal recovery may be here
CNNMoney
August 28, 2012 - A sharp boost in home prices during the spring could signal a recovery in the long-suffering U.S. housing market, according to an industry report issued Tuesday. ...
'Red hot' Bay Area luxury home market sees biggest jump since 2006
San Francisco Business Times
August 28, 2012 - Don't be surprised if you hear your real estate agent and mortgage lender suddenly belt out a rendition of "Happy Days are Here Again."
Luxury home values in the Bay Area and other key California cities are chalking up their biggest gains since the housing boom went bust in the last decade. ...
US Housing Market Improves
VOA News
August 23, 2012 - There's good news for the U.S. housing market. Newly released figures show a modest uptick in the sales of new and used homes in July. Average home prices also are rising.
Pending home sales rise for 15th straight month
DSNews
August 29, 2012 - Pending home sales rose in July to the highest level since April 2010 when the homebuyer tax credit was about to close, according to the National Association of Realtors. ...
U.S. Firms Move Abroad to Cut Taxes
The Wall Street Journal
August 28, 2012 - More big U.S. companies are reincorporating abroad despite a 2004 federal law that sought to curb the practice. One big reason: Taxes. ...
How Fannie Mae Is Making It Harder to Get a Home Loan
AOL Real Estate
August 27, 2012 - One of the nation's two large government-sponsored backers of home loans recently revealed that it would tighten some of its lending restrictions for certain consumers. ...
Radar Logic: Share of June Distressed Sales Lowest Since 2008
DSNews
August 28, 2012 - Foreclosure and REO sales declined in June to their smallest share of total sales in four years, Radar Logic Incorporated reported Tuesday. ...
Rise in US home sales reflects steady improvement
The Boston Globe
August 23, 2012 - The recovery of the US housing market is looking steadier and more sustainable, a trend that will probably add to economic growth in 2012 for the first time in seven years. ...
FHFA Announces New Standard Short Sale Guidelines for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Federal Housing Finance Agency
August 21, 2012 - The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are issuing new, clear guidelines to their mortgage servicers that
will align and consolidate existing short sales programs into one standard short sale program. The streamlined program rules will enable lenders and servicers to quickly and easily qualify eligible borrowers for a short sale. ...
Exclusive: New Bill Brings Better Housing Benefits for Veterans
DSNews
August 20, 2012 - Earlier this month, President Obama signed a new bill into law with the intent of making much-needed changes to the VA Home Guaranty Program, ...
Expectation for Prices to Rise Deters Would-Be Sellers: Survey
DSNews
August 20, 2012 - After surveying more than 1,800 active home sellers, Redfin found that some of its customers are holding back from selling now because they believe patience will pay off in the form of higher offers for their home. ...
2 Ways to Become Mortgage-Free Faster
Realtor Magazine
August 17, 2012 - Many home owners dream of one day being able to pay off their mortgage, but is it really possible?
Home owners will need to take into account a variety of factors when deciding whether paying off their mortgage makes the most sense for them in their current financial situation But for those who’ve made it their goal, the following are the two most common ways to paying down the mortgage faster: ...
Rising Home Prices Put a Dent in Housing Affordability
Realtor Magazine
August 15, 2012 - While housing bargains can still be found, home buyers are increasingly finding that home prices are on the rise in many markets. As such, housing affordability is being pushed lower, according to the second quarter Housing Opportunity Index by the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo. Still, by historical standards, housing affordability remains high. ...
BofA/ML revises home price forecast way upward
Housing Wire
August 15, 2012 - Single-family home prices rose for the fourth month in a row in May when adjusting for seasonal swings, suggesting the recovery in the housing market continued to gain traction. ...
California home prices climb to highest point since 2008
HousingWire
August 15, 2012 - California home prices in July reached their highest level since 2008, according to analytics firm DataQuick.
Home sales in the Golden State went for a median price of $281,000 in July, up 11.5% from one year ago and 2.6% from the previous month. July marked the fifth-straight month prices rose from the same time last year. ...
Rising home prices show traction in housing recovery
Reuters
July 31, 2012 - Single-family home prices rose for the fourth month in a row in May when adjusting for seasonal swings, suggesting the recovery in the housing market continued to gain traction. ...
Cash buyers snap up 30 percent of houses sold this year in Sacramento
Sacramento Bee
July 27, 2012 - Record low interest rates and rock-bottom home prices make now the perfect time for buyers with modest incomes to purchase homes they can afford. In many neighborhoods, their mortgage payments would be about half the cost of rent.
Getting an affordable piece of the American Dream isn't so easy, though. These would-be homeowners are competing – and often losing – to investors paying all cash in a frenzy to snap up cheap rental properties at the bottom of the market. ...
Economists in Survey Oppose Strategic Default, Principal Forgiveness
DSNews
July 26, 2012 - Nearly three-quarters of economists surveyed said they would continue making their mortgage payments even if they were deeply underwater, Zillow reported Thursday. ...
Coming close to the percentage of those who said they would not strategically default, 72 percent said they opposed a principal reduction program, while 28 percent were in favor of one. ...
Foreign investors buy 33% more U.S. real estate in 2Q
HousingWire
July 26, 2012 - Foreign investors bought more U.S. real estate in the second quarter as they sought a safe haven from euro uncertainty, according to Jones Lang LaSalle research. ...
Housing Market Turns Corner; U.S. Home Values Post First Annual Increase In Nearly Five Years
Forbes
July 24, 2012 - Zillow’s second quarter Real Estate Market Reports, released today, show home values increased 2.1% from the first to the second quarter of 2012 to $149,300 (Figure 1). On an annual basis, home values rose 0.2% from June 2011 levels (Figure 2), marking the first annual increase in U.S. home values since 2007. ...
California home prices jumped 8.1% on a year over year basis.
California Association of Realtors
July 25, 2012 - C.A.R. Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young discusses June California home sales.
Decline in REO's blamed for sagging California home sales
Inman News
July 24, 2012 - The California Association of Realtors says inventory shortages dented pending home sales in June, as lenders signed off on more short sales but had fewer "real estate owned" properties, or REO's, to market. ...
Reminder: Half the nation's housing is still losing value
HousingWire
July 17, 2012 - Between Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony and the recent confidence boost among the National Association of Home Builders, it is pretty clear that housing is a bright spot in the nation's struggling economy.
It's a bright spot, but let me remind you, it's still not very bright. ...
Good news for contractors: Remodeling activity up in 2012
HousingWire
July 17, 2012 - The housing market has turned—at last.
Building permits authorizing home remodeling activity picked up in May, reaching a seasonally-adjusted rate of 2.6 million filed projects, 3% above April levels and up 6% from 2.5 million permits a year earlier. ...
LPS: Home Price Index Increasing at Fastest Rate Since 2005
DSNews
July 16, 2012 - Lender Processing Services, Inc.‘s (LPS) Applied Analytics division released its updated home price index (HPI), showing that although prices fell year-over-year, the HPI increase from this year’s low has been the most significant jump up in years. ...
HARP Accounts for 20% of May Refinances: FHFA
DSNews
July 16, 2012 - With the help of record-low mortgage rates, HARP refinances surged in May, accounting for 20 percent of all loans refinanced by the GSEs, FHFA announced Monday. ...
By Deutsche Bank's count, there have been seven false recoveries during the six-year national housing downturn
CNNMoney
July 16, 2012 - Buying into a housing comeback
Now there are signs that a true residential property recovery is under way. ...
New foreclosures jump 9% in second quarter
CNNMoney
July 12, 2012 - Foreclosures showed few signs of slowing during the first half of the year, with a sharp increase in new filings occurring during the second quarter. ...
700,000 homeowners no longer underwater on mortgages
CNNMoney
July 12, 2012 - Thanks to improving home prices, fewer mortgage borrowers owe more on their homes than they are worth.
More than 700,000 homeowners were no longer underwater on their homes during the first quarter, according to CoreLogic. ...
Housing Passes a Milestone
Wall Street Journal
July 11, 2012 - The housing market has turned—at last.
The U.S. finally has moved beyond attention-grabbing predictions from housing "experts" that housing is bottoming. The numbers are now convincing.
Nearly seven years after the housing bubble burst, ...
The U.S. Housing Bust Is Over
Wall Street Journal
July 11, 2012 - The U.S. finally has moved beyond attention-grabbing predictions from housing "experts" that housing is bottoming. The numbers are now convincing, according to David Wessel on The News Hub.
Gloomy jobs report raises pressure on the Fed
MSNBC
July 6, 2012 - Friday’s disappointing June jobs report confirms observers’ worst fears about the economic recovery: The employment market is still struggling and failing to put enough Americans back to work.
The dour employment data are also likely to raise pressure on the Federal Reserve to do more to bolster the economy, and have negative implications for President Barack Obama's chances of re-election in November. ...
Rents keep rising, while home prices inch higher
CNNMoney
July 3, 2012 - As if record low mortgage rates and beaten down home prices weren't enough to get prospective home buyers off the fence, there's another factor that has made the case for buying even stronger: rising rents. ...
Veros Forecasts Select Struggling Markets to Start Recovering
DSNews
July 3, 2012 - Certain regions that once dragged the housing market down are expected to start giving the industry a lift while national home values are expected to start leveling, according to forecasts from Veros Real Estate Solutions. ...
Prices Up Again in May, Trend Will Continue into June: CoreLogic
DSNews
July 2, 2012 - For the third month in a row, home prices posted both yearly and monthly gains, according to CoreLogic’s May Home Price Index (HPI) report. ...
The Housing Market's Latest Problem: Lack Of Inventory
Forbes
June 28, 2012 - When Janet Schindler snagged a listing in tony Presidio Heights last month, she was surprised to hear that her competition for the listing had valued the property at markedly less. ...
Improving real estate market
CBS Money Watch
June 26, 2012 - Chief Fannie Mae economist Doug Duncan the improving real estate market.
Insight: Evidence suggests anti-foreclosure laws may backfire
Reuters
June 27, 2012 - State and federal laws enacted to protect homeowners from eviction in the wake of the 2008 housing crash may be extending the slump, according to a growing number of economists and industry experts. ...
Existing-home sales constrained by tight supply, prices continue to gain
RISMedia
June 25, 2012 - Limited supplies of housing inventory held back existing-home sales in May, but sales maintained a strong lead over year-ago levels and home prices are on a sustained up trend in all regions, ...
Survey: Experts Agree Market to Hit Bottom in 2013
DSNews
June 24, 2012 - Experts surveyed by Zillow expect home prices to decline slightly in 2012, and predict they will bottom in 2013, according to the June 2012 Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey. ...
Real estate economists optimistic about housing recovery
HousingWire
June 22, 2012 - Chief economists for the National Association of Realtors, Zillow ($33.00 0%) and the National Association of Home Builders shared optimistic outlooks on the housing market on Friday and predicted a quicker-than-expected recovery. ...
Home Owners with Foreclosure Errors May Get $125K
Realtor Magazine
June 22, 2012 - Home owners who were subject to foreclosure abuses during 2009 and 2010 may be eligible to receive more than $125,000 in compensation from banks, regulators announced Thursday as part of the Independent Foreclosure Review. ...
Fannie Mae forecasts 'continued gradual healing' for housing
Inman News
June 20, 2012 - Despite signs of a slowdown in global economic growth, recent single-family housing data suggest the housing recovery is "on track" and is set for "continued gradual healing," according to a monthly economic outlook released this week by Fannie Mae's Economic & Strategic Research Group. ...
C.A.R. Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young discusses May California home sales
California Association of Realtors
June 22, 2012 - California home prices up 6.6% on a year over year basis.
Interview of CBO Mortgage Fraud Whistleblower!
Capital Account
May 30, 2012 - Interview with Dr. Lan T. Pham explains what MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registration System) does and how the use of MERS lead to the robo signing problem.
International super-rich target California real estate
Reuters
June 14, 2012 - The super-rich investors responsible for London's prime real estate bubble are adding California to their wish lists, lured by bargains offering crisis-defying returns as an overdue churn in the United States property market finally gets under way. ...
Foreclosure activity jumps in troubling sign for housing recovery
MSNBC
June 14, 2012 - The housing market has shown some promising signs of late, but a fresh batch of foreclosure data offers a reminder that any recovery from the housing bust will likely be slow, spotty and painful. ...
Did Too Much Money Lead to a Bubble in Spain?
Wall Street Journal
May 20, 2012 - Spain's scary $19B bailout of Bankia is the climax of a manic housing boom that hit the country before 2007.
U.S. Housing Market Finally Reaches a Turning Point
RIS News
June 11, 2012 - Home valuations will start to climb again while adjacent consumer industries will capture significant new growth opportunities in 2012 and beyond as the U.S. housing market finally turns the corner, ...
Bernanke: Economy, Housing Still Have Long Way to Go
Realtor Magazine
June 8, 2012 - High unemployment persists and the European debt crisis continues to threaten the economic recovery, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the Congressional Joint Economic Committee yesterday. The real estate market also continues to serve as "another drag" on recovery, he noted. ...
Down Payment Biggest Obstacle to Homeownership
DSNews
June 8, 2012 - Feelings about homeownership remain positive in the face of a diminished market, but an uncertain economy and increasing down payments are keeping Americans from making purchases, a report from Integra Realty Resources (IRR) said. ...
HARP nearly doubles refinanced mortgages in first quarter
HousingWire
June 1, 2012 - The number of refinanced Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages nearly doubled in the first quarter as the largest banks launched the expanded Home Affordable Refinance Program. ...
Set the Stage for a Faster Home Sale
Wall Street Journal
May 26, 2012 - Worried about trying to sell your home in this buyer's market? Adopting some simple staging tips from the pros can help your home sell faster.
The effort may be well worth your time, ...
Lenders sniffing out dishonest applicants
Chicago Tribune
May 17, 2012 - Thinking about fudging on your application for a mortgage? Maybe inflating your income a tad? Checking the box to indicate you're going to live there when you're really not? Exaggerating your job description?
Don't. ...
Market Stabilizing? Home Inventories Fall by Nearly 20%
Realtor Magazine
May 25, 2012 - Home inventories of for-sale listings continue to fall, which may help raise overall housing prices as demand picks up.
Inventory of for-sale single-family homes, condos, townhouses, and co-ops dropped by 18.85 percent in April compared to a year ago, according to housing data of 146 metro markets tracked by REALTOR.com. ...
Home Owners Try to Curb Rising Insurance Costs
Realtor Magazine
May 25, 2012 - Home owners' insurance premiums have been on the rise lately with many home owners seeing double-digit hikes and a rise in average annual premiums now over $1,000. ...
Freddie Mac mortgage portfolio decreases 14.1%
HousingWire
May 24, 2012 - Freddie Mac's total mortgage portfolio declined at an annualized rate of 14.1% in April, according to the GSE's latest monthly summary report. ...
Cities with the most homes in foreclosure
Yahoo! Finance
May 24, 2012 - According to data released last week, the worst effects of the housing crisis are beginning to wind down. RealtyTrac’s latest report shows the number of foreclosures in the U.S. in April is down 13 percent to 188,780 from 219,258 a year ago. However, some of the largest cities in the U.S. continue to lag behind the rest of the country, and still have long to go before the housing crash has fully run its course. ...
April real estate market report
California Association of Realtors
May 23, 2012 - Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist with the California Association of Realtors presents C.A.R.'s March real estate market report.
Fannie: Housing Shows 'Tepid' Signs of Healing
Realtor Magazine
May 22, 2012 - Home sales are expected to rise 7 percent this year as the housing market continues to make strides toward recovery, according to Fannie Mae’s latest housing market outlook. ...
Home Prices Show Strongest Gain in 6 Years: NAR
DSNews
May 22, 2012 - Existing-home sales rose to 4.62 million (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) in April from a downwardly revised March rate of 4.47 million ...
Europe remains biggest risk to global recovery
HousingWire
May 22, 2012 - Economic activity remains relatively stable in emerging markets and the United States, but Europe remains a fiscal threat to the entire global recovery, economists with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said Tuesday ...
FDIC sues big banks over mortgage debt losses
Reuters
May 21, 2012 - The U.S. government has filed three lawsuits against a group of large banks over losses on soured mortgage debt purchased by two small Illinois banks that failed in 2009. ...
The Facebook effect on San Francisco real estate
CNNMoney
May 17, 2012 - Three weeks ago, some clients wrote a $1.25 million offer on a 1,400 square foot 3-bed, 1-bath house with original kitchen and bath near San Francisco's Dolores Park. They weren't even close. There were 51 offers. It sold for $1.4 million and closed 8 days after offers were due. ...
Back from foreclosure to homeownership
Reuters
May 16, 2012 - When Jennifer Anderson's family could no longer afford their mortgage and lost their home, she expected many years to pass before they would again become property owners. ...
Delinquencies Decline in Latest MBA Mortgage Delinquency Survey
Mortgage Bankers Association
May 16, 2012 - The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 7.40 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the first quarter of 2012, a decrease of 18 basis points from the fourth quarter of 2011, and a decrease of 92 basis points from one year ago ...
In good news for Obama, housing markets improve in key states
Reuters
May 14, 2012 - Kathleen and Brett Sache are building a six-bedroom, six-bathroom home of their dreams in a sought-after corner of northern Virginia after taking encouragement from a robust local market. ...
HUD: 3 bills will complete Obama refinancing initiative
HousingWire
May 11, 2012 - Three bills intended to increase homeowner refinancing were introduced this week by Democratic senators — bills that HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said are "a win, win, win and something that we think can gain real bipartisan support very quickly and get passed." ...
"We have an unsustainable fiscal trajectory. We have a dangerous fiscal trajectory": Robert Rubin - Chrystia Freeland
Reuters
May 10, 2012 - Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin states that the country's deficit will lead to some form of major duress like high inflation, a long period of very slow economic growth or, he believes most likely, a serious financial and economic crisis.
Rubin thinks that, if we don't change course, one of three things or possibility a combination of these three things will happen;
1. We "monetize" the national debt (keep interest rates low, allow high rates of inflation and repay our debts using cheaper dollars).
2. We will see a long period of very slow growth as high interest rates hamper the economy.
3. We see a major financial and economic crisis as banks curtail lending out of a fear of monetization (banks don't want to loan money today and be repaid with future dollars that are worth, say 20% or 30% less than the dollars they are loaning).
Home Prices Rise in Half of U.S. Cities
Bloomberg
May 9, 2012 - Prices for single-family homes climbed in half of U.S. cities in the first quarter as real estate markets stabilized.
The median sales price increased from a year earlier in 74 of 146 metropolitan areas measured, ...
Housing Bottom? Fannie Mae Won't Seek Tax Dollars
Bloomberg
May 9, 2012 - Evidence is mounting that U.S. home prices are finally hitting bottom, and now comes the best news yet: Fannie Mae says that for the first time since 2008, it won’t need money from the Treasury Department to balance its books. ...
Major Delays in Refinancing Mortgages
Wall Street Journal
May 9, 2012 - The pipeline is clogged and there are major delays in refinancing mortgages. Some banks are quoting as much as 90 days.
CoreLogic reports home price appreciation in some states
HousingWire
May 8, 2012 - The month of March marked a turning point for home prices, with real estate values remaining mostly flat over last year, but up from February, CoreLogic said Tuesday. ...
Is This Market 'Bottom' a True One That Will Stick?
DSNews
May 3, 2012 - During a CoreLogic economic webinar Thursday, the company’s chief economist, Mark Fleming, Ph.D., was asked if the housing market has hit bottom and will it stick, as reports seem to be speculating. ...
Phoenix Finds Its Way Out of the Downturn: A Model for Recovery
DSNews
May 2 - The Arizona capital of Phoenix was one of the hardest hit markets by the housing crisis, with home values plunging nearly 60 percent from 2006 through mid-2011 and foreclosure filings soaring. ...
Banks Resume Mortgage Tightening Lending Standards
DSNews
April 30 - With an upsurge in demand, banks resumed tightening standards for residential mortgage loans, the Federal Reserve reported Monday in its quarterly survey of bank lending standards. ...
Buffett's carpet chief eyes housing bounce
CNN/Money
April 30, 2012 - Shaw Industries Vance Bell sees the housing market improving and notes that the carpet market in condominiums and apartments has already begun improving.
March real estate market report
California Association of Realtors
April 29, 2012 - Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist with the California Association of Realtors presents C.A.R.'s March real estate market report.
Stunned Home Buyers Find the Bidding Wars Are Back
Wall Street Journal
April 27 - A new development is catching home buyers off guard as the spring sales season gets under way: Bidding wars are back.
From California to Florida, many buyers are increasingly competing for the same house. Unlike the bidding wars that typified the go-go years and largely reflected surging sales, today's are a result of supply shortages. ...
Economists Say Housing Outlook Continues to Slowly Brighten
National Association of Home Builders
April 26 - Mirroring the uneven economic recovery, the housing market is expected to move in a slow, gradual upward path in 2012, while encountering its share of speed bumps along the road, according to economists participating in yesterday’s National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) construction forecast webinar ...
Raines: Don’t Blame Homeowners, Government for Housing Bust
Wall Street Journal
April 20 - The former chief executive of Fannie Mae, in a rare public appearance Friday, argued that government policies weren't the main cause of the housing bust, and that the government shouldn't stop pushing to expand home ownership. ...
Falling home prices drag new buyers under water
Reuters
April 26 - More than 1 million Americans who have taken out mortgages in the past two years now owe more on their loans than their homes are worth, and Federal Housing Administration loans that require only a tiny down payment are partly to blame.
That figure, provided to Reuters by tracking firm CoreLogic, represents about one out of 10 home loans made during that period. ...
Senator Corker opposes principal reduction on mortgages
CNBC
April 24, 2012
In an interview with CNBC's Rick Santelli, Senator Corker warns against a Treasury Department plan to encourage principal reductions on underwater home loans owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because it would incentivize responsible homeowners to stop paying their mortgages.
California foreclosures plummet 17.6% in 1Q
HousingWire
April 24 - The number of foreclosures in the state of California declined rapidly in the first quarter as the market grew more comfortable with quick short sales, DataQuick said in a report Tuesday. ...
Bidding wars are back and house flippers have become an essential part of the housing recovery
CBS Evening News
April 24, 2012
Flippers are taking beat up, difficult to finance properties and turning them into move-in ready homes. The result is that more homes are available to home buyers who don't want a fixer-upper or would have trouble financing a bank owned home being sold as-is.
Short Sales Up 33%
DSNews
April 19. 2012 - With the number of short sales increasing and even outnumbering REO sales in certain states, experts are speculating short sales might become key to preventing an even greater swelling of foreclosed properties on the market. ...
5 Ways to Sell a Home Faster, For More Money
Realtor Magazine
April 25, 2012 - 24/7 Wall St. recently asked real estate experts and several real estate organizations to weigh in on how sellers can get their house sold at the best price and in the shortest amount of time.
Here’s what they had to say as some of the best ways to get the “sold” sign out this spring: ...
Sacramento median home price rises for first time since July 2010
Sacramento Bee
April 20, 2012 - It may mark only a faint spark of hope for homeowners, but housing experts think the small uptick in Sacramento home prices reported Thursday could be a sign the long fall is over.
In March, Sacramento County saw a 1.3 percent increase in the median resale price ...
LPS: Mortgage delinquency rate falls 8.8% in March
HousingWire
April 24, 2012 - The loan delinquency rate for the 40 million mortgages analyzed by Lender Processing Services fell 8.8% annually in March, and 6.3% from the previous month, according to LPS latest First Look Mortgage Monitor Data. ...
Low-ball Offers a Thing of the Past?
Realtor Magazine
April 24, 2012 - Last year, 10 percent of REALTORS® complained about receiving low-ball offers on listed homes — offers usually submitted by the buyer for 25 percent or more below the list price, according to a National Association of REALTORS® survey of its members. But that number has dropped drastically.
According to a survey this March of 4,500 agents and brokers, no REALTORS® complained about low-ball offers. The main problem nowadays: The sudden drop in inventory of for-sale homes has led to fewer homes available to sell. ...
California Bay Area home sales hit 5-year high
HousingWire
April 20, 2012 - March home sales in California’s Bay Area reached their highest level for the month in five years, the result of lower prices, low interest rates and an improving economy. ...
Top 10 metros with greatest drop in for-sale inventory
Inman News
April 17, 2012 - U.S. housing market trends tracked by Realtor.com show a trifecta of promise: a shrinking number of homes on the market, fresher inventory, and an increase in median list price.
In 146 metros tracked by Realtor.com, the number of for-sale listings was down 21 percent in March compared to a year ago. ...
California breaks streak with jump in median home price
Sacramento Business Journal
April 17, 2012 - In a bit of a bright spot from the housing market, the California Association of Realtors on Monday said the median home price snapped a 16-month annual price decline and posted its first year-over-year gain in March.
Tight inventory and robust home sales, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, boosted the median price, ...
Americans More Likely to Buy, Not Rent, According to GSE Survey
DSNews
April 9, 2012 - According to the March 2012 Fannie Mae National Housing Survey, 48 percent of Americans who responded expect rental prices to increase, and the expectation is that prices will rise by 4.1 percent over the next 12 months, the highest number recorded to date and an increase from the 3.5 percent recorded in February. ...
February real estate market report
California Association of Realtors
March 29, 2012 - Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist with the California Association of Realtors presents C.A.R.'s February real estate market report.
Delinquent properties redraw regional real estate
HousingWire
April 9, 2012 - The overhang of distressed properties and strength of the regional economy will cause various housing markets over the next few years to look increasingly different.
Analysts at Bank of America ($9.23 0.03%) say it will take more than a year at the current sales pace to clear excess delinquent loans in Miami and Chicago compared to between seven and eight months in Phoenix and San Francisco. ...
California lawmakers align opposition to FHFA REO program
HousingWire
April 9, 2012 - Nearly 20 members of California’s congressional delegation sent a letter last week to FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco urging him to refrain from implementing the agency’s REO pilot program in the state.
California Congressman Gary Miller, R-Brea, along with 18 other members of California’s congressional delegation, said the program would negatively impact the state’s housing market and raise costs for taxpayers. ...
Spring Outlook: Reports From the Field Suggest Better Days Ahead
DSNews
April 9, 2012 - Despite the fact that key market indicators released in recent weeks have shown declines in home sales, anecdotal reports from real estate agents in the field suggest “better days are ahead for the industry,” according to commentary released Monday by the economic team at Wells Fargo Securities, LLC. ...
FHFA's DeMarco says principal reduction won't rescue the housing market
Brookings Institution
April 10, 2012 - Speaking at the Brookings Institution, The Federal Housing Finance Agency's Ed DeMarco says that the number of borrowers potentially eligible for a principal reduction is "well less than 1 million households, or a fraction of the estimated 11 million under water borrowers in the country ..." He also talks about the moral hazard of giving principal reductions to delinquent borrowers and the effect that will have on the vast majority of under water borrowers who are current in their payments.
Opinion by Mary Kissell
Wall Street Journal
April 10, 2012
"This just goes to show you ... that when you leave taxpayer money lying around Washington, the politicians will figure out a way to spend it."
President Obama & Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner "want to use taxpayer money to incentivize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, those toxic mortgage twins, to ... write down the mortgages ... of homeowners who are not paying their monthly payments. ...
The interesting twist, of course, in this case, is that the conservator and regulator who sits on top of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has been saying loudly and publicly now for months that there are better ways and less riskier ways to use taxpayer money to keep people in their homes. ...
Housing is hanging over his (the President’s) head because he has been doing everything humanly possible to interfere in the natural market clearing mechanisms that would have taken place if he had simply stood back, let banks foreclose, let the prices drop and let the market find a bottom and let the market recover. ...
This is yet another effort to interfere with the market and it will only delay the recovery."
Federal Housing Finance Agency head Ed Demarco speaking at the Brookings Institute
Bloomberg
April 10, 2012
Video is 1 hour, 2 minutes, 35 seconds long
Americans brace for next foreclosure wave
Reuters
April 4, 2012 - Half a decade into the deepest U.S. housing crisis since the 1930s, many Americans are hoping the crisis is finally nearing its end. ... But a painful part two of the slump looks set to unfold: Many more U.S. homeowners face the prospect of losing their homes this year as banks pick up the pace of foreclosures. ...
Low-ball appraisal: Mortgage denied: Advantage cash buyer
CNNMoney
March 30, 2012 - You find the home of your dreams. You're pre-approved for a mortgage. You've scheduled the closing. Then ... the appraisal comes in too low and the deal blows up. ...
Home Owners Planning Remodeling Projects This Year
Realtor Magazine
March 30, 2012 - Many home owners who have no plans to move this year are opting to tackle improvement projects around the house, according to a new survey of 1,500 adults by American Express Spending and Saving Tracker.
Seventy percent of home owners surveyed say they intend to take on a home improvement project this year, and they plan to spend about $3,500 on sprucing up their home ...
Consumer sentiment hits 13-month high in March
HousingWire
March 30, 2012 - Consumer sentiment improved in March, approaching a level not seen in more than a year.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index rose to a final reading of 76.2, up from a mid-March mark of 74.3 and 75.3 in February. It’s the highest index reading since 77.5 in February 2011. ...
Housing Is ‘Awakening From Hibernation,’ Freddie Says
Realtor Magazine
March 29, 2012 - An improving economy is contributing to a gradual rebound in home prices across the country, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac’s 2012 Economic Outlook report, released Wednesday. But there is still a way to go in the road to recovery for the housing market, the report noted. ...
Experts Expect to See Broad Improvements, Home Prices to Rise in 2013
DSNews
March 28, 2012 - The Urban Land Institute released its Real Estate Consensus Forecast Wednesday morning, and overall, the 38 real estate economists and analysts surveyed projected broad improvements for the economy.
With signs of improvement in the housing sector already emerging, participants expect to see housing starts nearly double by 2014 and project home prices will begin to rise in 2013. ...
States and Metros Known for Fraud Are Repeat Offenders: Report
DSNews
March 28, 2012 - States and metro areas known for being risky when it comes to mortgage fraud seem to be repeat offenders, according to the 2011 Annual Mortgage Fraud Risk report released by Interthinx. ...
Sales of Distressed Properties Down in California, Equity Sales Up
DSNews
March 27, 2012 - In California, the sale of distressed properties slowed down as equity sales picked up in February after two months of decline, the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) reported this week. ...
...REO inventory declined 24 percent in February from the previous year, while short sale inventory dropped 17 percent during the same period.
Insight: The Wall Street gold rush in foreclosed homes
Reuters
March 20, 2012 - Dan Magder recently gave up a top job with private equity firm Lone Star Funds to strike out on his own and become a landlord.
He's joining a growing list of big and small investors who see fat profits to be made in renting out foreclosed homes, especially now the U.S. government is moving ahead with a trial project to sell big pools of single-family homes that Fannie Mae currently owns in some of the hardest-hit housing markets. ...
Higher home prices predicted for 2012
Lloyd Leighton
March 21, 2012 - Dramatically lower inventory will provide the spark that finally ignites a long dormant housing market. 2012 will see the first year of rising homes prices since 2012 ...
It's rough for renters in Yuba-Sutter
Appeal-Democrat
March 18, 2012 - Marysville's Alexandra Walters doesn't need a new housing study to tell her the rent is too high in Yuba-Sutter. ...
5 States drowning in underwater mortgages
MSNBC
March 15, 2012 - As home prices continue to slide, more and more homeowners find themselves owing more on their homes than those houses are worth. The slowing level of foreclosure activity last year only exacerbated the problem, leaving more homes in trouble on the market. ...
Foreclosures fall, but there's a "rising tide" ahead
CNNMoney
March 15, 2012 - The number of homes entering foreclosure dropped in February, but a new up-turn may soon be on its way.
The reason? The $26 billion settlement between 5 major banks and state attorneys general over past foreclosure practices. ...
Short Sales Get Shorter: New Deadlines to go into Effect
Realtor Magazine
March 15, 2012 - As part of a settlement with state attorneys general, the five largest mortgage servicers are adopting new requirements for short sales, which is expected to speed-up what has been known as a lengthy process.
Here are some of the new requirements for servicers under the settlement: ...
Sacramento area home sales surge – price plunge persists
Sacramento Bee
March 16, 2012 - Single-family home sales in the Sacramento area bounced back strongly in February, a positive development dampened by sagging home prices.
The monthly report released Thursday by San Diego-based market researcher DataQuick said the number of resale detached homes sold in the four-county Sacramento region totaled 2,295 last month, a 15.4 percent increase from February 2011. ...
Home rental push jeopardizes affordable market rates
HousingWire
More Americans are renting houses instead of buying them, a trend that could disrupt price affordability, analysts say. ...
10 things to know about mortgage debt forgiveness
InmanNews
March 2, 2012 - Over the past several years, millions of homeowners have had billions of dollars in mortgage debt forgiven, either through foreclosure, refinancing or short sales. It's important for real estate professionals and homeowners to understand that mortgage debt forgiveness has significant tax consequences. ...
Fitch: Home Prices to Fall Another 9.1% Before Reaching Sustainability
DSNews
March 7, 2012 - Home prices across much of the country are still overvalued, but the gap is narrowing, according to Fitch Ratings’ latest quarterly market update. ...
FHFA to finalize plans for new secondary mortgage market by year-end
HousingWire
March 9, 2012 - The Federal Housing Finance Agency will develop and finalize its plan to build a securitization platform by Dec. 31.
The plan, announced in February, is intended to repair the nation's mortgage finance space by creating a secondary market that serves both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as a post-conservatorship market with multiple future issuers. ...
California Association of Realtors objects to bulk REO sales
California Association of Realtors
September 15, 2011 - Fannie Mae has been proposing to do bulk sales of REO properties to large investors who will agree to hold them as rentals. Carrington Holding Company has raised $450M for this purpose. One of the proposed target markets for this program is Los Angeles.
The California Association of Realtors, in opposing the plan, cited a lack of inventory in the Los Angeles market and went on to say "the current inventory (of homes for sale) is far below the long term average in almost every county throughout the state." ...
Pending sales of existing homes up to nearly two-year high
Los Angeles Times
February 27, 2012 - More Americans are signing contracts to buy existing homes than at any time in nearly two years, boosting the housing industry’s slow recovery, according to the National Assn. of Realtors’ index of pending home sales. ...
FHA to Increase Cost of Up-Front Mortgage Premiums for New 30-Year Loans
HousingWire
February 27, 2012 - The Federal Housing Administration will raise mortgage insurance premiums this April in order to repair the health of its emergency fund.
The FHA up front mortgage insurance premium will increase to 1.75% from 1% of the base home loan amount. This will apply regardless of the term or loan-to-value ratio beginning in April. ...
Home price declines resilient against REO saturation: Clear Capital
HousingWire
March 5, 2012 - National home prices fell by the smallest margin in 10 months in light of REO saturation increases, a trend that Clear Capital calls "unusual and encouraging." ...
Home Depot's earnings raise hopes for housing
msnbc
February 21, 2012 - Home improvement retailer Home Depot’s strong quarterly earnings report Tuesday has some wondering: Is this an indicator of an improving trend in the much-beleaguered U.S. housing market?
Brian Nagel, a retail analyst at Oppenheimer, thinks so. ...
Buffett: "I'd Buy Up a Couple Hundred Thousand" Homes
Realtor Magazine
February 29, 2012 - Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" recently that he'd "buy up a couple hundred thousand" single-family homes if it was practical.
Buffett said that's because he believes purchasing a home with ultra-low mortgage rates and holding it for the long-term has become a better investment than stocks right now. ...
Housing recovery for real? Deutsche Bank says yes
MarketWatch
February 22, 2012 - Of course the National Association of Realtors are cheerleaders. But the data released by the real estate agent trade group, along with other housing and economic indicators, has turned the opinion of one major Wall Street house.
Economists Carl Riccadonna and Brett Ryan of Deutsche Bank on Wednesday penned a note saying they believe the housing sector has finally entered a true recovery. ...
How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work
New York Times
January 21, 2012 - This is perhaps the best business article I have read in years. Read this and you will understand why manufacturing jobs won't return to the U.S. anytime in the near future. ...
Housing Starts Post Highest Level in 3 Years
Realtor Magazine
February 17, 2012 - Housing starts rose 1.5 percent in January from December, led by a surge in apartment construction, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. ...
Home buying: Most affordable in decades
CNNMoney
February 17, 2012 - Thanks to continued declines in home prices and rock-bottom mortgage rates, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index hit a record level of affordability.
According to the index, 75.9% of all new and existing homes sold during the three months ended Dec. 31 could have been comfortably purchased by families earning the national median income of $64,200. ...
Firms auditing foreclosure compliance get it wrong
HousingWire & Forbes
February 16, 2012 - A study of San Francisco County foreclosures found that 99% of foreclosures had irregularities. The only problem is, the audit firm got it all wrong ...
the rest of the story...
the rest of the story...
Delinquency and Foreclosure Rates Down for 4th Quarter
DSNews
February 16, 2012 - A recent Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report revealed that overall, delinquencies and foreclosures are on a decline, and when gauging where the U.S. housing market stands in terms of recovery, ...
Home prices fall, but inventory levels improve
HousingWire
February 17, 2012 - The national inventory of single-family homes, condos and townhomes declined 23.2% in January from a year earlier, as more markets benefited from an influx of investors and buyers looking for deals, Realtor.com said. ...
U.S. banks agree to $25 billion in homeowner help
Reuters
February 9, 2012 - Five big U.S. banks accused of abusive mortgage practices have agreed to a $25 billion government settlement that may help roughly one million borrowers but is no magic bullet for the ailing housing market. ...
THREE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE INVESTORS AGREE TO PLEAD
GUILTY TO BID RIGGING AT PUBLIC FORECLOSURE AUCTIONS
U.S. Dept of Justice
February 9, 2012 - Three Northern California real estate investors have agreed to plead guilty today for their roles in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced. To date, as a result of the ongoing investigation, 20 individuals have agreed to plead guilty. ...
Banks Paying Cash to Homeowners to Avoid Foreclosures
Bloomberg
February 6, 2012 - Banks, accelerating efforts to move troubled mortgages off their books, are offering as much as $35,000 or more in cash to delinquent homeowners to sell their properties for less than they owe. ...
Number of 'Improving' Housing Markets Expands to Nearly 100
DSNews
February 6, 2012 - The number of housing markets showing measurable improvement expanded by 29 metros in February to include a total of 98 markets ...
Fannie Mae survey shows Americans expect home prices to improve
Housing Wire
February 7, 2012 - A majority of Americans believe mortgage rates will remain steady over the next year, while home price expectations in January improved for the fourth consecutive month in a row, Fannie Mae said in its consumer sentiment report. ...
CoreLogic: Home prices declined nearly 5% in 2011
HousingWire
February 2, 2012 - Home prices decreased 4.7% in 2011 compared to the year before, marking the fifth consecutive year-end decrease in the CoreLogic ($14.27 -0.1%) home price index.
Excluding distressed sales, home prices decreased 0.9% last year, which CoreLogic said gives an indication "of the impact of distressed sales on home prices in 2011." ...
Fannie Mae Gains More Short-Sale Authority
Realtor Magazine
February 3, 2012 - Five mortgage insurers have granted Fannie Mae mortgage servicers the authority to complete a short sale or deeds in lieu of foreclosure without getting their separate approval, HousingWire reports. ...
Obama mortgage refinance plan accelerates equity rebuild
HousingWire
February 3, 2012 - One option under the most recent refinancing plan from the Obama administration would allow borrowers to not only surface from underwater but actually begin building equity in their home at a quicker pace. ...
Treasury to pay investors triple for HAMP principal reductions
HousingWire
January 27, 2012 - The Treasury Department will triple payments to mortgage investors for reducing borrower principal through an expanded Home Affordable Modification Program announced Friday. ...
Home prices drop, and consumers turn gloomy
Reuters
January 30, 2012 - Home prices fell more steeply than expected in November, and consumer confidence soured in January, highlighting the hurdles still facing the economic recovery. ...
Rise in Home Sales Signifies Strengthening Market: Economists
DSnews
January 20, 2012 - The long-awaited housing recovery is beginning to blossom, according to industry experts taking a look at recent existing-home sales.
While admitting home sales "are still very low," Paul Dales, chief economist at Capital Economics, says "it is clear that housing recovery is now well underway." ...
Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks Loosen Credit Standards
DSnews
January 24, 2012 - Capital Economics expects the housing crisis to end this year, according to a report released Tuesday. One of the reasons: loosening credit. ...
The Fed is unlikely to raise interest rates until at least late 2014
Reuters
January 26, 2012 - The Federal Reserve has moved closer to embarking on a new round of its controversial money-pumping ...
Obama Announces New Refi Program in State of the Union Address
DSNews
January 25, 2012 - Despite rumors earlier in the week that President Barack Obama would announce a settlement between the state attorneys general and the nation’s top servicers in his State of the Union address, the president made no such announcement Tuesday night.
However, he did announce his intention to save millions of homeowners approximately $3,000 annually on their mortgages by allowing them to refinance at today’s low interest rates. ...
CRE Price Index Rises for Seventh Consecutive Month
CoStar
January 18, 2012 - The CoStar National Composite Index of commercial real estate pricing rose for the seventh straight month since last spring as investment-grade sales made solid pricing gains in November 2011, and the level of distressed sale transactions continued to decline during the month. ...
Fannie Mae Predicts 'Moderate Growth' in 2012
DSNews
January 17, 2012 - The U.S. economy is projected to grow 2.3 percent for the year, according to Fannie Mae’s Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. ...
Housing May Turn the Corner in 2012: CoreLogic
DSNews
January 18, 2012 - CoreLogic’s chief economist Mark Fleming says housing statistics and the duration of the downturn to date indicate 2012 may be the year the housing market begins to turn the corner. ...
Housing outlook is more upbeat
Usa Today
January 17, 2012 - Optimism is building that the housing industry is nearing a bottom — finally.
Home sales and home building are forecast to rise this year after sliding steeply the past five years in housing's worst downturn since the Great Depression.
Recovery is expected to be slow, and home prices are widely expected to fall this year. But investors are betting on the start of an upturn, bidding up home builder stocks and causing them to outperform the broader stock market. ...
Fannie Mae sees 2012 home sales up 3.5% to 4.74 million
HousingWire
January 13, 2012 - The housing sector will likely take incremental steps forward in 2012, though total originations will fall on fewer refinances, according to economists at Fannie Mae.
The second half of the year should outpace the first six months in terms of growth, ...
Home Price Declines Consistent Across the Country
DSnews
January 11, 2012 - Marking the fifth consecutive month of decline, home prices fell 0.8 percent in October, matching levels last seen in 2002, according to Lender Processing Services’ (LPS) Home Price Index released Wednesday. As of October, the national home price average was $200,000.
The year-to-date decline in October was 2.7 percent. ...
Carrington, Oaktree partner to buy bulk REO for rental
HousingWire
January 18, 2012 - Carrington Holding Company and Oaktree Capital Management formed a partnership to buy up to $450 million in vacant foreclosed homes with a plan to rent them out. ...
A Good Rental History Can Help Borrowers
New York Times
January 5, 2012 - IF you’re planning to buy a home for the first time later this year, your chances of qualifying for a mortgage might be better if you've had a history of paying the rent on time.
Last year Experian, one of the three leading credit-reporting companies, added a section to millions of credit reports showing on-time rent payments ...
Lennar orders jump, says housing market stabilizing
Reuters
January 11, 2012 - Lennar Corp, the third-largest U.S. homebuilder, reported a third straight quarter of order growth and said the housing market is bottoming out after a prolonged downturn. ...
Home buyers forced to shore up Social Security and Medicare programs
Lloyd Leighton
December 22, 2011 - The recently passed 2 month extension of the payroll tax cut along with the postponement of Medicare reimbursement cuts is being paid for by increased fees on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA loans. Not unexpectedly, the new legislation also places an increased reporting burden on employers. ...
Freddie Mac Forecast for 2012
Freddie Mac
December 14, 2011 - Economic growth will likely strengthen, unemployment will decline but stay above 8%, mortgage rates will remain low at least through mid 2012 and housing activity will be better but not robust ...
Freddie Chief Economist: Housing Threats Loom
Realtor Magazine
January 6, 2012 - While most recent indicators have been upbeat about the economy inching toward a recovery in 2012, Freddie Mac’s chief economist warns that threats still loom, particularly for housing.
Freddie’s Chief Economist Frank Nothaft says that foreclosures will continue to put downward pressure on overall home prices and most likely remain high throughout 2012, ...
Fed Identifies Markets Primed for Bulk REO-to-Rental Programs
DSNews
January 5, 2012 - The Federal Reserve is throwing its support behind a large-scale REO-to-rental program to address the oversupply of vacant foreclosed homes and prevent property values from falling further. ...
NY Fed believes Fannie, Freddie should order principal reductions
Housing Wire
January 6, 2012 - Investors who buy delinquent mortgages routinely reduce principal to maximize value on these loans, according to William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Therefore the government-sponsored enterprises should do so as well. ...
2012 Home Sales: Positives on Many Fronts
Realtor Magazine
January 3, 2012 - NAR released its latest pending home sales index figure last week and for the second month in a row the index is up. But more than that, the index has broken 100. This is significant because the only time since the housing boom collapsed that the index has broken 100 is when the home owner tax credit was in effect. ...
Real Estate Outlook: Positive Buyer Sentiment
Realty Times
January 2, 2012 - The latest study from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), entitled, "The Great Recession and Attitudes Toward Homebuying," revealed some key findings about today's buyers.
The study found that almost 80 percent of home buyers still think that now is a good time to buy. ...
"I have nothing but great things to say about Lloyd and his wife, Tracy. They sold my home in four days and helped us get the home that we wanted. He followed up on all details above and beyond anything I expected. He has my highest recommendation.Lloyd Leighton Realtors
Address: 1212 Highland Avenue
Yuba City, CA 95991-6115
Phone: (530) 671-6152
Fax: (530) 671-3904
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