Blog
Inventory Levels Continue To Fall, Market Stabilizing
The number of homes for sale nationwide fell for the eighth-straight month in January and is now 23.2 percent below last year's levels. According to data from Realtor.com, inventory dropped 6.59 percent from the month before which, along with stabilizing prices, is a...
Housing Starts, Permits Increase In January
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's new residential construction statistics for January show privately-owned housing starts rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 699,000, exceeding economists' expectations. The increase...
Builder Confidence Hits Four Year High In February
Builder sentiment rose for the fifth consecutive month in February, according to the National Association of Builders' Housing Market index. The index measures builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes on a scale where any number over 50...
Mortgage Loan Volume Holds After Last Week’s Gains
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, demand for home loans was flat last week, with the Market Composite Index dipping just 1.0 percent after surging 7.5 percent the week before. The drop was caused by declines in the Purchase...
Survey Finds Home Price Expectations On The Rise
Fannie Mae's National Housing Survey polls 1,000 Americans each month about their attitudes toward homeownership, mortgage rates, the economy, personal finances, and overall consumer confidence. January's survey finds Americans more optimistic about the economy and...
Americans Increasingly Optimistic, Confident In Economy
According to Gallup, Americans' economic confidence and sense of well being both rose in January. Gallup's Life Evaluation Index, which asks Americans to rate their current and future lives on a scale from 0 to 10, climbed to its highest level in 11 months, increasing...
Housing Affordability Index Reaches Record High
The National Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Index reached a record high in 2011. The index, which began in 1970, measures the relationship between median home price, median family income, and average mortgage interest rate. The index defines 100 as the...
Foreclosures Down Nearly 25 Percent In 2011
The number of foreclosures completed in 2011 fell 24 percent to 830,000 from 1.1 million in 2010. Data released by CoreLogic shows that, not only were foreclosures down year-over-year, but they also dropped 8.4 percent in December. Mark Fleming, CoreLogic's chief...
Mortgage Demand Spikes As Rates Hit New Low
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, demand for mortgage loans surged last week. The Market Composite Index, which measures total loan application volume, was up 7.5 percent over the previous week due to a 9.4 percent spike in...
Improving Markets Index Adds 29 Metros In February
The National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index rose by 29 metropolitan areas in February bringing the total number of entries to 98. There are now 36 states represented by at least one metro market. The index identifies cities that...