Pending Home Sales Holding In Stable Range WASHINGTON, December 09, 2008 Pending home sales eased against a deteriorating economic backdrop but remain in a stable range, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index,¹ a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in October, slipped 0.7 percent to 88.9 from an upwardly […]
St. Louis Ranks number 3 in the Best Cities To Buy a Home
According to Forbes Magazine financially St Louis ranked number 3 of the 40 largest metropolitan areas based on appreciation, rental levels and vacancy rates. Here are the top ten. 1. Houston 2. Austin, Texas 3. St. Louis 4. Philadelphia 5. San Antonio, Texas 6. Dallas 7. Charlotte, N.C. 8. San Francisco 9. Jacksonville, Fla. 10. Atlanta Forbes magazine Maurna Desmond article
The Risks and Rewards of a Short Sale
A “Short Sale” is when the sale of the property does not net the seller enough funds to pay the full mortgage and the mortgage company discounts the note. These properties are often nearing foreclosure and the mortgage company would rather discount the mortgage than go through the costly and time consuming process to foreclose. […]
Buying Power for First-Time Homebuyers
If you are in the market or considering a purchasing your first home you should consider the economic factors and market conditions. Forecasters are telling us that mortgage rates will continue to fall slightly before stabilizing. We hear regularly that the housing market is at or near the bottom and a turn around is likely […]
Fed Slashes Rates
Daily Real Estate News | March 17, 2008 In an effort to boost market liquidity, the Federal Reserve lowered the discount rate to 3.25 percent from 3.5 percent and launched a new lending program through which money will be moved from securities dealers to the securitization markets. The effort — the latest attempt to stabilize […]
Tap Today’s Housing Opportunity
Daily Real Estate News | March 13, 2008 Falling home prices spell opportunity for buyers, even if they already own a home and don’t want to be a landlord. Here are three smart ways to invest in today’s housing market. Trade up. Now’s the time to buy a larger home in a better neighborhood at […]
Latest Housing Forecast from National Association of REALTORS
Flat Existing-Home Sales Likely Before Gradual Recovery WASHINGTON, March 06, 2008 – The volume of existing-home sales is expected to hold steady through late spring, with a gradual recovery during the second half of the year as the mortgage situation improves in high-cost areas, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®. […]
Foreclosures Dip But Remain High
Daily Real Estate News | March 13, 2008 Foreclosures in February were down 4 percent from January, but the rate of foreclosures remain high year-over-year. The February rate was up 57 percent from February 2007. “The year-over-year increase this February was significantly higher than the 19 percent year-over-year increase in February 2007, indicating we have […]
Housing Market Ready to Rebound?
Daily Real Estate News | February 25, 2008 Is housing about to enjoy a spring thaw or will it remain in the deep freeze? Some observers are optimistic. “I think this is the best buyer’s market that has existed in a decade, maybe longer,” says Russell Shaw, in his 30th year with John Hall & […]
Don’t Fear Falling Prices
Daily Real Estate News | February 22, 2008 Source: Reuters News, Lynn Adler (02/21/08) Yale Professor Robert Shiller, whose Case-Shiller 20-city home price index has become an industry standard, says people shouldn’t fear gradually falling home prices. “There’s nothing troubling about a gradual correction of home prices. If we keep our incomes at the current […]