The number of people who signed contracts to buy homes jumped in October, marking the third gain since contract signings hit a decade low.
The National Association of Realtors said Thursday its index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes rose 10.4 percent in October. Contract signings were up in every region of the country except the West.
Filed under: Housing Market Trends, Market Update, National Real Estate News on December 2nd, 2010 | Comments Off
Fading government stimulus and waning buyer enthusiasm caused Southern California’s housing market to soften in August — but not as badly as earlier in the summer. The median price for a Southland home in August dropped 2.4% from the month before to $288,000, the third consecutive month-to-month drop for the closely watched indicator, San Diego [...]
Filed under: California Real Estate News, Economic Recovery, Home Buying, Home Prices, Home Sellers, Home Selling, Housing Market Trends, La Times, Local LA Real Estate News, Market Update on September 16th, 2010 | Comments Off
The end of a popular government stimulus program drove home sales in July to their lowest levels in more than a decade, fueling fresh concerns about the economic recovery. Home sales fell 27.2% nationwide from a month earlier, the National Assn. of Realtors reported. That was a much bigger drop than expected, as the boost [...]
Filed under: Home Prices, Housing Market Trends, La Times, Market Update on August 27th, 2010 | Comments Off
BOSTON — Homeowners who had mortgages modified recently are faring better than those who did so earlier in the housing crisis, according to a report released Tuesday, possibly debunking predictions of a huge wave of defaults to come. The State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group warned of other troubling signs, however, on the same day that [...]
Filed under: Home Buying, Housing Market Trends, Lending Info, loan modification, Market Update, Mortgage News, National Real Estate News on August 27th, 2010 | Comments Off
Mortgage lenders must now pay the difference if a loan’s closing costs come in higher than they estimated, which means no more lowballing to lure customers. Facing new penalties if they lowball estimates of upfront mortgage costs, lenders and brokers appear to be coming clean about how much borrowers will pay. As a result, the [...]
Filed under: Consumer Protection, Federal Housing Regulations, Lending Info, Market Update, Mortgage News, National Real Estate News on August 25th, 2010 | Comments Off
An index of home purchase contracts fell 2.6% in June from May as the expiration of federal tax incentives for buyers continued to damp demand from home shoppers for a second straight month, according to the National Assn. of Realtors. The trade group’s pending home sales index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed for [...]
Filed under: Economic Recovery, Home Buying, Home Selling, Market Update, National Real Estate News on August 4th, 2010 | Comments Off
The average on a 30-year loan drops to 4.54%, while 15-year mortgages are down to 4%, Freddie Mac reports. This marks the sixth straight week of record lows. The Gershwin standard is “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” The refrain in today’s housing market would be: nice loans — if you can get them. [...]
Filed under: Federal Housing Regulations, Market Update, Mortgage News, Mortgage Rates, National Real Estate News on August 2nd, 2010 | Comments Off
Homeowners who owe so much on their mortgages that they can’t refinance may want to consider bringing some money to the table to take advantage of today’s near record-low interest rates. That’s what Frank Nothaft did. And he isn’t alone. Millions of people in recent months have become part of a phenomenon known as “cash-in” [...]
Filed under: Economic Recovery, Housing Market Trends, Market Update, Mortgage News, Mortgage Rates, Refinancing on July 12th, 2010 | Comments Off
The May increase to $305,000, compared with the same period a year earlier, reflects a shift in sales in the region. Purchases climb 7.2% as buyers rush to take advantage of tax incentives. The Southland’s housing market surged in May with the median home price soaring 22.5% from its year-earlier level as tax incentives for [...]
Filed under: California Real Estate News, Economic Recovery, First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, First-Time Homebuyers, Foreclosures and Short Sales, Home Buying, Home Prices, Home Sellers, Home Selling, Housing Market Trends, Local LA Real Estate News, Market Update, Mortgage Rates on June 21st, 2010 | Comments Off
Case-Shiller index of 20 metro areas shows prices up 2.3% in March from a year earlier. But they fell 0.5% from February. The mixed reading leaves economists disagreeing over where the market is headed. Home prices in 20 major cities gained ground in March for the second consecutive month compared with their beaten-down year-earlier levels, [...]
Filed under: California Real Estate News, Economic Recovery, First-Time Homebuyers, Foreclosures and Short Sales, Home Buying, Home Prices, Home Sellers, Home Selling, Housing Market Trends, Local LA Real Estate News, Market Update, National Real Estate News on May 26th, 2010 | Comments Off
