JetsonGreen reports Hive Modular in Minneapolis, Minnesota is making inroads into the neighborhoods of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The B-Line Medium 010, with 2,075 square feet, offers three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, and features Plyboo cabinets, Hardie fiber cement exterior, Cambria countertops, Ames tile and Insteon lighting controls. With energy efficient […]
Modern Modular Crosses the Border Read More
The news-times says data from the Census Bureau shows 36.5 million people, 12 percent of the population, moved to a new home this year, up from a record low of 11.6 percent in 2011. The most mobile group, young men 25-29, are moving out of their parents’ home, either returning
Theolympian tells MHProNews Freddie Mac says the average on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) fell to 3.49 percent from 3.55 percent last week, matching its lowest rate since long-term mortgages began in the 1950’s. The 15-year FRM dropped to its lowest rate ever, 2.77 percent, from 2.85 percent last
Historic Lows for Mortgages Read More
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports in the Christian Science Monitor its index of existing home sales contracts increased 2.4% in July of this year to 101.7, higher than June’s reading of 99.3. It is the highest number since April 2010 when the government’s home-buying tax credit ended. Even
Home Sales Slowly Climbing Read More
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) reports builder confidence for new single-family homes increased for the fifth consecutive month to 40, bringing the index to the highest level since June 2006. (Any number above 50 indicates builders see conditions as good rather than poor.)
Housing Starts Increase Nationwide Read More
Prairiebizmag reports Red Lake Falls, Minnesota based Homark Homes is building two dormitory-style man camps for a Goldcorp, Inc. gold mine near Musselwhite, Ontario, Canada. Built to house 76 workers, each building consists of 16 modular units connected to form a two-story residence hall 28 feet wide by 282 feet
Modular Builder may enter Oil Boom Fray Read More
Marking the fastest sales pace since Dec. 2007, HousingWire reports home sales in Chicago’s seven county region in August picked up, with properties spending only 139 days on the for sale market as opposed to 165 days in Aug. 2011, according to REMAX. August 2012 home sales rose nearly 27
Chicago Housing Market Ticks Up Read More
nationalmortgagenews says, according to a new government report, servicers that work on delinquent FHA (Federal Housing Administration)-insured mortgages are shoring up the agency’s losses on insurance claims because they are becoming more adept at dealing with short sales. The FHA says its servicers completed 27,150 short sales for the first
Long Strides in Short Sales Read More
HousingWire reports the Obama administration’s August Housing Scorecard says the number of underwater borrowers fell from 12.1 million if the fourth quarter of last year to 10.8 million at the end of Q2 2012, a drop of 11 percent, according to data from CoreLogic. The most recent numbers show the
Administration’s Housing Scorecard Shows Modest Gains Read More
gigaom reports modular home producer Blu Homes has raised $60 million through global equity investment fund manager Skagen Group of the Netherlands. Blu bought the intellectual property rights and modular designs from Michelle Kaufmann Designs last year after that company closed its doors in 2009. As MHProNews reported Jan. 16,
nationalmortgagenews (NMN) tells MHProNews the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) says mortgage applications jumped 11 percent for the week ending Sept. 7 after several weeks of decline. Noting the holiday may have given potential borrowers an extra day to apply online, the trade group says refinancings accounted for 80 percent of
PattayaDailyNews from Bangkok, Thailand in Southeast Asia tells MHProNews the National Housing Authority is utilizing modular components such as doors, walls, windows, and roofing supports, to build homes that can float during flooding. Due to global warming and rising seas, it is anticipated Bangkok will be partially or wholly underwater
Amphibious Homes Being Built in High-risk Flood Areas Read More
CNNMoney tells MHProNews the unemployment rate not only hurts those looking for work, it also hurts those with jobs. Why? Employers have no incentive to give raises because they know workers have few options. Hourly wages dropped by one cent in August, which indicates workers have little or no bargaining
Low Wage Growth = Slow Economic Rebound Read More
GizMag reports a new roof and attic system developed by the Dept. of Energy that can be retrofitted to existing homes could save homeowners $100 a year, offsetting the $100 to $300 typically lost annually because of poorly sealed heating and cooling ducts that leak conditioned air into attics. Developed
New Roof System Saves Energy Expense Read More
BloombergBusinessWeek says just two months before the presidential election, the U.S. economy added only 96,000 jobs in August, indicating recovery from the recession still has a lot of ground to cover. The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, due to 368,000 leaving the work force, as the labor-force participation rate
Jobs, Jobs, and Fewer Jobs Read More
IHS Global Insight economist Patrick Newport, talking to nationalmortgagenews, says, “The trend is still away from homeownership. You still have a lot of foreclosures in the pipeline and people who lose their homes will mostly end up renting.” Rental rates have risen from 2.2% in 2011 to 4.1% in 2012,
Multifamily Rental Units Increasing Nationally Read More
DallasNews tells MHProNews with 29 new multi-family projects beginning and 27 new staff members at Dallas City Hall in the building services department, which is funded solely by permitting and building fees, construction is steadily returning. The high end of single-family construction is improving, as is private sector commercial construction.
As Construction Increases, Software will Streamline Building Read More
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) says the number of improving housing markets increased from 81 in August to 99 in Sept., further indication that the housing market is recovering. Based on employment growth, house price appreciation, and single-family housing permit growth for six
More Good Housing News Read More
nationalmortgagenews says according to John Burns Real Estate, before the housing downturn new home sales accounted for 16 percent of sales transactions, falling to five percent as the bottom dropped out. The new-to-existing home sales ratio fell from five to one to 17 to one, but has since climbed back
New Home Sales Slowly Returning Read More
In advance of the government’s jobs report, CNNMoney tells MHProNews paycheck processing firm ADP says private employers added 201,000 jobs in Aug., an increase from 173,000 in July. Adding more than 150,000 jobs in a month decreases the unemployment rate. ADP says the service sector added 185,000 new jobs, while
Private Job Reports Looking Up Read More
