More positive signals from housing — home values are still on the rise. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, after posting its first quarterly increase since 2007 this past September, the Home Price Index rose by another 0.6 percent in October. Prices are up in 4 of the last six months. But before we [...]

It’s not only the real estate markets that differ from town to town — the Cost of Living does, too. Insurance costs, tax bills and just plain, day-to-day living will dent a household budget differently depending on where that household is.  It can be a nerve-wracking fact for families moving across state borders. As an [...]

Mortgage markets made a 4-day losing streak last week on thin holiday volume and overall economic optimism. It was awful news for rate shoppers because mortgage rates were higher every day last week. The holiday-shortened week marked the third out of 4 during which rates worsened and last week’s action happened to be especially harsh. [...]

One day after November’s Existing Home Sales report blew away estimates, the Census Bureau’s related New Homes Sales report failed to impress. A “new home” is a home that is newly-constructed; not bought as a resale. In a lackluster showing, New Home Sales dropped 11 percent in November, falling to the lowest levels since April. [...]

Home resales are soaring. For the 4th consecutive month, the Existing Home Sales report revealed what today’s buyers and sellers already know — there’s a lot of buyer activity right now. Existing Home Sales surged 7-plus percent in November, posting its largest number of recorded sales in 33 months.  Sales volume is up 44% higher [...]

Mortgage markets improved last week as pricing followed a roller coaster-like pattern. After touching a 6-week high Tuesday, rates rallied to weekly lows Thursday, and then jumped back higher Friday. Despite the improvement last week overall, mortgage pricing remains significantly worse from the all-time lows set in late-November. Oddly, last week’s most prominent mortgage-related story [...]

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Housing Starts jumped last month as builders got back to business.  It’s a telling sign for the economy, but bad news for next season’s sellers. With more homes coming online, home prices may be slow to rise nationwide. A “Housing Start” is a privately-owned home on which construction has started. In November, starts rose by [...]

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate within its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release, the FOMC noted that the U.S. economy “has continued to pick up”, that the jobs markets is getting better, and that housing market has shown “some signs of improvement” lately. It’s the [...]

Fannie Mae raised the bar for mortgage applicants this past weekend.  Getting approved for a home loan just got harder. In its official announcement, Fannie Mae says the updates minimize long-term lending risks.  If that’s the case, this won’t be the last guideline change Fannie Mae makes — especially with loans defaulting at an above-normal [...]