National News
Lawmakers threaten to end like-kind exchange tax provisions, but some say the cost would be too great There’s a contingent of lawmakers and government officials lobbying to alter the face of like-kind exchanges, with some hoping to outright repeal the
According to Census Bureau calculations, June was one of the best months of new construction in some time…but the truth is more complicated Building permits rose 7.4 percent monthly and 30 percent year-over-year in June, according to the latest construction
First-time homeowners set sights high First-time homebuyers are still facing a tough road to homeownership, but it’s one that they are willing to overcome, according to a new study released by TD Bank. The survey, which polled 1,002 consumers
Boston’s foreclosure market has grown considerably in last year, according to RealtyTrac In the first half of 2015, foreclosure activity in the Boston metropolitan area jumped 29 percent from the same time period last year, according to RealtyTrac’s Mid-Year 2015 U.S. Foreclosure
Throughout the first four months of 2015, home sales in the U.S. were the best they’ve been in eight years. Helped by a one-half percentage drop in fixed mortgage rates, home sales from January to April this year surpassed
MLS faces 10 big problems with no easy answers Commissioned to the Swanepoel | T3 Group, The National Assocation of Realtors’ recent “Danger Report” analyzes the industry from multiple vantage points, including agents, brokers and associations. The intent behind this
New realtor.com feature to test increased agent responsiveness, impact on leads A lack of responsiveness from agents has always been a chief complaint among buyers and sellers. In an effort to address customers’ complaints and provide brokerages with better lead
U.S. mortgage rates were increasing at steady clip in 2015 until global economic events intervened The economic turmoil in Greece and China could possibly benefit U.S. homebuyers. That cause and effect was the chief finding in Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage
Is strong market prediction too bold to make? Fannie Mae released their June National Housing Survey results with an overall conclusion that a strong market was shaping up for the summer. However, when looking at the specific year-over-year data, the results are more
Mortgage applications decreased 4.7 percent last week, according to the data from the latest Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey. The Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage loan application volume, dipped 4.7 percent. Similarly, the Refinance Index decreased 5 percent
What details in latest jobs report bear the most significance for housing? The nation’s unemployment rate fell from 5.5 to 5.3 percent in June, while the overall economy added 223,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor
Over the last year, distressed home sales have become far less prominent in Massachusetts’ housing market Distressed sales throughout Massachusetts comprised 13.1 percent of all home sales in May, an increase from the 12.2 percent market share of a year ago, according to RealtyTrac’s
Residential construction spending may be up in 2015, but some areas performing better than others Residential construction spending was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $359.5 billion in May, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census
Recession technically over, but challenges remain for housing market Six years ago, the recession officially ended. However, 41 percent of Americans still think the housing crisis is happening, and a new study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University has
Home prices positive in latest Case-Shiller, but are there signs of a slow down? Home prices in the Boston area posted lukewarm gains in Standard & Poor’s latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, rising 0.3 percent from March to April and 1.8 percent from April
Construction is down in the market’s lower end, and economists say they know why The construction industry continues to make strides bringing more new homes to the market, a Census Bureau report on housing permits recently showed. But while