The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that as the federal government nears shutdown and hundreds of thousands of employees may be furloughed, only mail carriers, the military, and air traffic controllers would remain on the job. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) operations would cease during …
CNNMoney says mortgage rates are low and houses are cheap, but only the well-heeled borrowers qualify, and they typically need 20 percent down. The Federal Reserve says 25 percent of people who apply for financing are turned down, even good borrowers with one of two late payments are being denied. …
HousingWire says the Obama administration’s housing scorecard shows gain, but not yet a win. Prime and subprime mortgage delinquencies, and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) delinquencies, all declined from a year ago. The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Treasury Departments, also said properties receiving a notice of default declined from …
HousingWire reports the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said residential building permits declined in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey between January and February, while nationally this figure was up 3.5 percent. Single-family permits fell 38.1 percent in Pennsylvania, 26.6 percent in New Jersey and 11.1 percent in Delaware, while rising …
Residential Building Permits Fall in Three-State Area Read More
Forbes reports another indicator in the slow rebound of the housing market is in California, where in January, 31 percent of all real estate transactions were in cash, up by more than double the 14 percent historical average. The article quotes First Tuesday as saying the tight credit market is …
CNNMoney.com reports that during the housing boom, adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) comprised 70% of the housing market, but currently make up only five percent. Freddie Mac says it will be 10 percent by December. Now they are a bargain at 3.5 percent, while conventional 30-year fixed- rate mortgages are at five …
According to HousingWire.com, a new study by researchers at the Federal Bank of Cleveland says speculators who buy distressed housing in blighted urban centers may be doing more harm than good. Thomas Fitzpatrick and O. Emre Ergungor report if buyers do not buy through the banking system, liens, back taxes …
According to a recent survey of builders and consumers by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), by 2015 half of all builders think the living room will be merged with other rooms in the home. Nearly a third say it will vanish entirely. The entryway and dining room will …
If you are looking to build a new home, do it now, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Construction costs have fallen during the housing crunch, but are steadily creeping back upward. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, nine years ago construction costs made …
Trulia.com released its latest Rent vs. Buy Index Monday, which found that it is more affordable to buy than to rent a two-bedroom home in 72 percent of America’s 50 largest cities. Meanwhile, a nation of renters has emerged as more Americans rent by choice or due to unforeseen financial …
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) has released $45 million in mortgage credit certificate authority through its Texas Mortgage Credit Program, a homebuyer program that makes homeownership more affordable by providing a dollar for dollar reduction of a borrower’s tax liability, not to exceed $2,000 annually. The …
Texas Releases Funding to Provide Mortgage Credits Read More
The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau today released data on new residential construction in December, 2010. Permits for new homes jumped 16.7 percent in December compared with private-sector expectations of a 2.9 percent increase. The department says scheduled changes in building codes in January in California, New York and Pennsylvania …
Data through October 2010, released Tuesday by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show a deceleration in the annual growth rates in 18 of the 20 MSAs and the 10- and 20-City Composites in October compared to what was reported …
Senior Housing News reports that retirement areas are becoming year-round residences. The website highlights census statistics that show states with the highest percentage of population increases between 2000 and 2010 were heavily concentrated in popular retirement areas that include the southern and southwestern areas of the United States. The data …
A new Fannie Mae study may provide insight into the future buyers of manufactured homes. Fannie Mae released the second installment of its 2010 Own-Rent Analysis finding the U.S. population is projected to grow by nearly 130 million people over the next 40 years and much of this growth will …
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey Wednesday for the week ending December 10, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 2.7 …
Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Read More
From California, the Santa Monica Daily Press reports the City Council there is set to approve $9.2 million for a new manufactured home financing program. A maximum of 54 manufactured homes at the Mountain View Mobile Home Park, which can accommodate 105 homes, would be eligible for purchase under the …
Housingwire reports that Fannie Mae will open a mortgage help center for troubled borrowers in Dallas on Dec. 17. Centers have also been opened in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix. The report says Dallas-Fort Worth foreclosure postings at local county courthouses reached nearly 64,000 in 2010, a record …
A new study released today by Fannie Mae finds that most Americans — both those who currently own their homes and those who rent — strongly aspire to own a home and to maintain homeownership, despite ongoing turmoil in the housing market. However, demographic trends such as fewer married couples …
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey Wednesday for the week ending December 3, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 0.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 22.8 …
