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Builder Confidence Rises To Highest Level Since 2007
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose five points to 29 in May, according to the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index. The improvement brought the index to its highest level since May 2007. Barry Rutenberg,...
Majority of Surveyed Consumers Say Now’s The Time To Buy
Fannie Mae's April 2012 National Housing Survey finds Americans' attitudes toward homeownership, the economy, personal finances, and home prices continuing to improve. A large majority of respondents say now is a good time to buy a house and an increasing number say...
Americans View Of Economic Conditions Continues To Improve
According to a Gallup poll tracking daily economic confidence, Americans' view of the economy is increasingly positive and is now within one point of the highest level recorded since Gallup began daily tracking of economic confidence in 2008. Nearly half of...
Refinancing Homeowners Maintain Or Reduce Mortgage Debt In 1st Quarter
New data from Freddie Mac finds 79 percent of homeowners who refinanced their mortgage during the first quarter of 2012 reduced or maintained their principal balance. The number of borrowers who were able to maintain about the same loan amount after refinancing was...
Mortgage Application Demand Rises As Rates Fall To New Low
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, the Market Composite Index, which measures both refinance and purchase loan activity, rose 1.7 percent last week from the week before. The increase was due to growing demand for conventional...
Improving Markets List Holds Steady In May
The National Association of Home Builders' Improving Markets Index held steady at 100 in May, down from 101 in April. The number of represented states was also virtually unchanged from the month before at 35. The index determines improving housing markets based on...
Industry Insiders Say Housing Market Has Turned A Corner
Speaking at an economic conference in Washington, Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the housing market has turned a corner. Donovan cited sales statistics, the number of signed contracts, and the decreasing number of...
Government Scorecard Finds Progress In Recent Housing Data
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of the Treasury's monthly Housing Scorecard collects key market data and tracks the administration's recovery efforts. The April report cites progress made in home sales and mortgage...
Job Creation Index Approaching Four-Year High
Gallup's Job Creation Index rose another two points in April, increasing to 20 from 18 in March. The index, which began tracking job growth in January 2008, is at its highest level since July of that year and is approaching the highest score ever recorded by the...
Foreclosure Levels Continue To Improve In March
The March Mortgage Monitor report from Lender Processing Services shows foreclosure starts down more than 31 percent from last year, despite a month-over-month increase. But even with the increase from February, the total number of foreclosure starts in March was much...