Existing-home sales, or completed residential real estate transactions for properties including single-family homes, townhouses, condos and co-ops, showed a renewed decline last month. February’s number of existing-home sales dropped 9.6% to 4.88 million when compared to 5.4 million in January. Sales were down 2.8% year-over-year as well, from 5.02 million sales in February of 2010. […]
High End Homes Selling Quicker
While home sales across much of the country have languished in recent months, struggling to pick up speed, a recent report says homes on the higher end of the market are selling with renewed vigor. According to DataQuick Information Systems, the number of home sales worth more than $1 million increased in each of the […]
Home Affordability Remains High
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released the February 2011 edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard. The latest housing figures show increased existing home sales as home affordability remains high, but officials caution that the market remains fragile, as prices are unsettled. “In the […]
Real Estate News – March 2011
In this Issue:* 9 Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage Pending Existing Home Sales Fell In January IRS Easing Rules on Liens for Late Taxpayers (Please leave us a comment at the bottom of the newsletter.) 9 Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage With gasoline prices rising everywhere on a seemingly daily basis, we all […]
What the Housing Market Is Signaling Now
Home prices in most major metropolitan areas are starting to stabilize. A report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) showed that 78 markets in the U.S. experienced price gains in the fourth quarter of 2010 over the previous year. Existing-home sales were up as well, rising 15.4% to an annual rate of 4.8 million […]
Housing Affordability Driving Sales Increase
Low mortgage rates and home prices helped fuel a sharp increase in home sales during the month of December, according to the National Association of Realtors. The group says existing-home sales during the month took place at an annual rate of 5.28 million, which was up more than 12 percent from the previous month as […]
Foreclosures Increase in Cities Nationwide in 2010
Driven by continued high levels of unemployment across many parts of the country, data from RealtyTrac shows foreclosure activity increased in many cities during last year, despite the fact that many lenders halted their foreclosure process for part of the year. According to the report, foreclosures increased in 149 of the 206 largest cities in […]
Pending Sales of Existing Homes Rise 2%
The number of contracts signed for purchases of previously owned homes rose again in December, according to data released recently by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The trade group’s pending home sales index increased 2.0 percent compared to its November reading, which was revised downward. The index is based on contracts signed in December, […]
Sellers Drop Asking Prices on Fewer Homes in December
The number of price-reduced homes on the market in December 2010 fell by 7.7 percent from the previous month, according to a survey of 26 major U.S. markets conducted by the national real estate brokerage ZipRealty. Despite the month-to-month decline, the company says the number of homes with a reduced asking price remained high compared […]
Home Sales Post Another Gain
Sales of previously owned homes edged up in November, the third increase in four months after a dismal summer for home-buying. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), buyers bought homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.68 million. Even with the rise, this year is shaping up to be the worst for […]