National News

Real Estate Loses Big Investors, Gains Confidence

Institutional investors leaving real estate, but Americans still confident housing is a good investment In the immediate wake of the economic downturn, the housing market took a plunge that was devastating for homeowners but ideal for the opportunistic. In the years

Pending Home Sales Fall, Suggesting Market Slowdown

Contract signings declined for the first time in 2015, according to new research Pending home sales declined 1.8 percent from May to June, according to new analysis from the National Association of Realtors. Although the Pending Home Sales Index,

Boston Home Prices Lead the Nation in Latest Case-Shiller

Home prices were positive for the Boston housing market in May’s Case-Shiller Home prices in the Boston housing market rose 1.5 percent from April to May, and 2.2 percent from May 2014, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices

Possible Raise for Jumbo Loans Cap

With rising home prices pushing more loans out of conforming range and into jumbo range, could the jumbo loan cap increase? With the national median home price at a historic high, the Federal Housing Finance Agency has begun to reach

New Home Sales Rise to Best Level Since 2008

The news for new home sales was much better than the Census Bureau’s report led on Sales of new homes in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 482,000, a 21.2 percent year-to-date increase from 2014 that

Existing-Home Prices Reach All-Time High

This June, median home prices and existing-home sales turn the market around According to a new report by the National Association of Realtors, the combined effect of rising demand and limited supply have helped raise the national median sales

Like-Kind Exchanges In Legislative Crosshairs

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

5 Revealing New Construction Trends in 2015

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 Want to Buy – but Can They?

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 Posts Largest Foreclosure Increase in Nation

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

Foreign Homebuyers Discouraged by Strong Dollar

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

Top 10 Dangers Facing MLS System

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

Realtor.com Tests New Feature to Address Big Complaint

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

Global Economic Turmoil Halts U.S. Mortgage Rate Increases

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

Fannie Mae Boasts Strong Market for June, but is it too Good to be True?

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 Apps Drop Nearly Five Percent

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

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