According to Freddie Mac's Chief Economist Frank Nothaft, the housing market should see improvements in the second half of this year. With the economy poised for an upswing, Nothaft sees the housing market following suit, with mortgage rates predicted to stay between...
Real Estate
New Jobs to Determine State of Nation’s Housing
The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University just released "The State of the Nation's Housing 2011." The annual examination of housing, homeownership and rental figures painted a pretty bleak picture for the home building industry. The summary of the...
U.S. Employment Up But Construction Numbers Static
The U.S. Department of Labor just released its latest Employment Situation Summary for the month of April. Although things are looking promising for the overall U.S. economy, the construction business hasn't enjoyed the same gains. Almost a quarter of a million jobs...
Overall Construction Spending is Up
A Census Bureau report indicated that March construction spending was up 1.4% to an adjusted annual rate of $768.9 billion. Builderonline.com's coverage of the announcement by the Census Bureau reveals a deeper truth - that although construction spending may be up,...
Have We Started the Next Boom in Real Estate?
I have recently spoken real estate with many people: my brother in Illinois, friends in Alabama, New York, Massachusetts, and on. Since I am a Realtor® they ask my professional opinion on buying and selling their homes. The math in the market is simple. If you have...
Apartment Search Gets Easier
The economic downturn has seen a rise in foreclosures and a change in homeownership trends across the country. Fewer folks are able to afford the 20% down required by many lending institutions and credit is still not easy to come by. The result has more people --...
Is Now a Good Time to Buy Foreclosures?
Banks are acting like homeowners keen to sell, spending real dollars on their real-estate owned foreclosures to make them a little more presentable to the potential buyer. This according to a recent article in BigBuilderOnline.com, which says that the inventory of...
What’s Your Home Worth?
How much would you pay to find out your home's true worth? ForSaleByOwner.com has launched a new Home Value Estimator for homeowners wanting to know that answer. For a mere $40, anyone can get the fair market value of their home, factoring in current prices for homes...
Young Homebuyers Aren’t
...buying, that is. This according to a recent "Demo Memo" report cited on Builderonline.com. The key age group for home buying -- 30-to-34 year olds -- has experienced a bigger decline in homeownership than any other age, with a rate falling from 56.8 to 51.6 percent...
To Rent or To Buy
Not sure whether you are better off renting or buying where you live? This interactive map from Trulia.com might help guide your decision. A Rent:Buy ratio is calculated using the median list prices compared to the median rent prices on two-bedrom apartments, condos...