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Foreclosures Fall To Lowest Level Since 2007
Foreclosure filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, were reported on 212,764 properties in July, a 4.0 percent decrease from June and 35 percent below last year. According to RealtyTrac's U.S. Foreclosure Market Report,...
2nd Quarter Report Shows Housing Affordability Near All-Time High
The National Association of Realtors' Housing Affordability Index for the second quarter of this year reached 176.6, the third highest level since record keeping began in 1970. The previous high came during the first quarter of 2011. The affordability index measures...
Mortgage Loan Demand Spikes As Rates Fall To New Low
According to The Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, the average contract interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.37 percent last week from 4.45 percent the week before. The drop brought rates to their lowest level of the year...
Majority Of Americans Say They’ll Buy Their Next Home
Each month, Fannie Mae's National Housing Survey polls 1,000 Americans to assess their attitudes toward homeownership, household finances, and overall economic confidence. And though confidence in personal finances fell in July, 61 percent of participants said they'd...
July Housing Scorecard Finds Prices Up, Defaults Down
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of the Treasury's July Housing Scorecard collects key data on the housing market and the administration's foreclosure prevention programs. The report shows home prices improving, though under...
Home Prices Rise For Third Straight Month
CoreLogic's June Home Price Index shows home values climbed 0.7 percent from May, marking the third consecutive month prices have risen. Mark Fleming, CoreLogic's chief economist, said there has been consistent and sustained seasonal improvement in prices over the...
Shrinking Inventory Bodes Well For Housing Market
Typically, when the number of houses for sale drops, price gains follow. Which is why reports that inventory was at its lowest level in four years at the end of June is a positive indicator for the housing market. In more than 900 metropolitan areas, 2.34 million...
Mortgage Rates Fall, Demand Climbs 7.1 Percent
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, demand for mortgage loans increased 7.1 percent last week. The Refinance Index rose 7.8 percent, as 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.45 percent from 4.57 percent the previous week....
Refinancing Homeowners Benefit From Record Low Rates
Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey found that 77 percent of refinancing homeowners either reduced or maintained their principal loan amount in the second quarter. Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's vice president and chief economist, said savvy homeowners are...
Foreclosure Rates Fall In First Half Of 2011
Foreclosure activity fell in 84 percent of U.S. metropolitan areas during the first half of 2011. According to RealtyTrac's Midyear 2011 Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report, foreclosures decreased on a year-over-year basis in 178 of the nation's 211 metro areas...