Archive for February, 2012
As Home Prices Fall Further, Is It Time to Buy?
Housing appears to be rated a “buy” these days, especially among investors, who see a ripe and rising rental market and big potential for income. But is it the right time yet for so-called “organic” buyers to get in?
2,500 Government Foreclosures Up for Bulk Sale
Barely six hours after billionaire investor Warren Buffett said that if he could he’d like to buy “a couple of hundred thousand single family homes”, the regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac put about 2500 of theirs up for sale.
Homebuilders Say Market Positives Trump High Gas Prices
Sales of newly built homes are still stumbling along at historically low levels, but builders claim they are beginning to see the light at the end of a very long tunnel. Sales may not be surging back, but in some of the better local economies, buyer interest is.
Housing’s Dilemma: There’s Not Enough To Buy
Non-distressed sellers are making up less and less of the overall housing market. That does not a healthy housing market make. Without good, move-up homes available, the market cannot see real price appreciation.
Will Gas Prices be the Spoiler in Housing Recovery?
As I was driving back toward DC, I noticed the price of gas (for the cheap stuff) was $3.75 a gallon. Ouch. That can’t be good for sales. Some of the potential buyers I spoke with worried about the drive time, but hadn’t seem to give gas prices as much thought.
Fewer Foreclosures Could Mean Lower Home Prices
For years now we have been harping on how distressed home sales put downward pressure on home prices all around them. The logical assumption would then be that as foreclosures ease, organic home prices will rebound. But what if the current, unique state of the housing market turns that assumption on its head?
Increase Traffic on Housing Websites, Does it Mean New Hope for Housing?
Is the U.S. economy in a full-tilt housing recovery? Diana on the record with Lindsey Piegza, FTN Financial, and CNBC's Rick Santelli.
Foreclosures on the Rise Again
After a year-long reprieve from rising foreclosures, the numbers are going up again.
Home Builder Confidence Surges Amid Big Headwinds
Home builders are more confident about their market today than they have been in over four years.
Mortgage Settlement Saves FHA From Bailout
If you look deep inside the 2013 federal budget released today, it looks as if the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is asking for a cash bailout for the first time its 78-year history.
