New Home Sales Slip from 5-Year Peak as Prices Rise
By Lucia Mutikani – WASHINGTON — Sales of new U.S. single-family homes fell modestly in November from a five-year high and prices pushed higher, indicating the housing market is weathering higher...
View ArticleExisting Home Sales Jump a Bit in December
Gene J. Puskar/AP – WASHINGTON — U.S. home resales rose slightly in December after three monthly falls in a row, as record low mortgage interest rates and pent-up demand continue to sustain a...
View ArticleMore Americans Apply for Home Mortgages
By Luciana Lopez NEW YORK — Applications for U.S. home mortgages rose in the latest week, an industry group said Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of...
View ArticleRent-to-Own: New Mortgage Rules Can Make This More Appealing
By Susan Johnston – New mortgage underwriting criteria went into effect Jan. 10 requiring a debt-to-income ratio of less than 43 percent for most qualified mortgages. Even if you don’t qualify for a...
View ArticleMortgage Rates Slip a Bit in Latest Week
WASHINGTON — Average U.S. rates for fixed mortgages changed little this week. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average for the 30-year loan declined to 4.39 percent from 4.41 percent last...
View ArticleNew Home Sales Not So Merry in December
By Lucia Mutikani – WASHINGTON — Sales of new U.S. single-family homes fell more than expected in December, but lean inventories and steady price gains suggested sufficient strength in the housing...
View ArticleChilly Weather Pulls Home Prices Down in November
By JOSH BOAK – WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices fell slightly in November as colder weather slowed buying, ending nine straight months of price gains. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home...
View ArticleWintry Blast Crimps December Pending Homes Sales
By Margaret Chadbourn – Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes fell sharply in December to a more than two-year low due in part to unusually cold weather across the country, pointing to signs...
View ArticleWhen Homebuyers Insist on Spending the Night
By Aaron Crowe – One of the fun parts of searching for a home to buy is visualizing living in it. Will your furniture fit? Is the kitchen big enough for all of your kids? Imagining your belongings and...
View ArticleWhy Americans Want Smaller, Cozier Houses
Get this: Americans are getting sick of McMansions. So says The Wall Street Journal in a recent report. Americans are favoring more historic designs, such as the arts-and-crafts houses their...
View ArticleRepossessions Drop to Lowest Level in More Than 6 Years
By ALEX VEIGA – LOS ANGELES — Lenders repossessed fewer U.S. homes in January, bringing the number of completed foreclosures down to the lowest level in more than six years. Even so, many states posted...
View ArticleFreddie Mac to Pay Treasury $10.4 Billion on Record Profit
By Margaret Chadbourn – WASHINGTON — Freddie Mac said Thursday it will soon send the U.S. Treasury a $10.4 billion dividend after posting a ninth straight quarterly profit, putting taxpayers further...
View ArticleBest Ways to Buy Foreclosures in a Seller’s Market
By Teresa Mears – Just a few years ago, buying a foreclosed home was seen as a way to get a bargain. With a glut of foreclosures and few buyers perusing the market, lenders were willing to sell homes...
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New Home Shoppers Want Great Rooms, Spa Baths and More Connectivity
(MCT)—New home buyers are coming back, but they don’t want the same old McMansion. They want a house they can use. That means a “great room” where everyone can gather — and a spa-like bathroom to...
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How Long Does It Take to Build a House?
Thinking about building a new home, weighing the pros and cons of building versus buying, or simply curious about the building process? The 2012 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau...
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Ask the Expert: What Do Changes Proposed By Consumer Financial Protection...
Today’s “Ask the Expert” column features Marvin Stone, CFPB Program Manager for Stewart. Q: What do the recently proposed changes announced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau mean for today’s...
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Good Faith Estimate: Common Costs When Closing a Home Sale
Closing on your home is a huge step in the home-buying process. It’s when you officially get the title for your new house. It’s important to keep in mind that there are several costs when closing a...
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Home Prices Rise in August; Yearly Gain Best Since 2006
By Steven C. Johnson – NEW YORK — U.S. single-family home prices rose in August and also posted their strongest annual gain in more than seven years, a closely watched survey showed Tuesday. The...
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Real Estate Q&A: Furnishing Buyer Information to Condominium Boards
Furnishing Condo Buyer Information Q. A recent article in The New York Times (“Hurdles for Condo Buyers,” by Lisa Prevost, Oct. 3) noted that some condominium boards use the right of first refusal to...
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Mortgage Applications Fall in Latest Week
By Ryan Vlastelica – NEW YORK — Applications for U.S. home loans fell in the latest week, reversing the previous week’s gain, data from an industry group showed Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers...
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Homebuilder Sentiment Stabilizes in November
By Richard Leong – NEW YORK — U.S. homebuilder confidence stabilized in November after falling for two straight months, though steady home demand was tempered by worries about further fiscal battles...
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Home Mortgage Rates Head Down Again
WASHINGTON — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages declined this week after two weeks of increases, keeping home-buying affordable. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on...
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Housing Permits Breach 1 Million Mark, Highest in 5½ Years
By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON — Permits for future U.S. home construction rose to their highest level in nearly 5½ years in October, suggesting the housing market recovery remained intact...
View ArticleU.S. Average on 30-Year Mortgage Rises to 4.29%
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER – WASHINGTON — Average U.S. mortgage rates rose modestly this week, a move that makes home-buying a bit less affordable. Still, rates remain near historically low levels....
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October Pending Home Sales Down Again, but Expected to Level Out
Although conditions were mixed across the country, pending home sales continued to move lower in October, marking the fifth consecutive monthly decline, according to the National Association of...
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Average U.S. Rate on 30-Year Loan Rises to 4.46%
WASHINGTON — Average U.S. rates for fixed mortgages rose sharply this week, making home-buying slightly less affordable. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year loan...
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FHA Drops the Ceiling on Home Mortgages
The U.S. Federal Housing Administration will scale back the size of loans it backs to a maximum $625,500 at the beginning of 2014 to reduce its share of the U.S. mortgage market, the agency said on...
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Housing Market Overstocked With Older Homes
By Cybele Weisser – If you are in the market for a new home, you have probably noticed that almost all the houses in your local listings are anything but new. According to a recent survey from...
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Average U.S. Rate on 30-year Loan Eases to 4.42%
WASHINGTON — Average U.S. rates for fixed mortgages eased slightly this week, remaining near historically low levels. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan...
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U.S. Homebuilder Confidence Surges in December
By ALEX VEIGA – U.S. homebuilders’ confidence bounced back strongly this month, a sign that construction and industry hiring may pick up in coming months. The National Association of Home...
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