Latest Real Estate News
Home repairs: Which jobs come first?
Fri Feb 3 2012 2:27 AM
Lean times call for budgetary triage. But while you should clearly opt for orthodontics before Disneyland, the choice is tougher when it comes to home maintenance.
Finally, a foreclosure settlement (Maybe)
Fri Feb 3 2012 2:21 AM
States have until late Monday to agree to the latest draft deal aimed at relieving homeowners struggling with mortgages bigger than their home's value.
Mortgage rates hit another new low
Thu Feb 2 2012 10:40 AM
Just one day after President Obama detailed a proposal to enable millions of homeowners to refinance to record-low mortgage rates, those rates notched another record.
Mortgage probe unveiled as foreclosure talks loom
Thu Feb 2 2012 9:35 AM
President Obama's latest probe into the mortgage meltdown will have more power than past efforts, and federal officials say it won't derail a possible $20 billion settlement for underwater and foreclosed homeowners.
Obama proposes new home loan refinancing plan
Wed Feb 1 2012 11:28 AM
The Obama administration on Wednesday detailed its latest plan to help millions of homeowners refinance their mortgages to today's historically-low rates.
Wed Feb 1 2012 7:18 AM
Investors are racing into REITs that promise higher yields than equity REITs. But be forewarned, the higher yields of these other types of real estate vehicles come with very real risks.
Wed Feb 1 2012 7:15 AM
You'd think that investors would be leery of companies that own and manage commercial real estate. Vacancy rates remain elevated in office buildings and shopping centers. Except for apartment buildings, rents really haven't grown at all in four years. And given the possibility that the global economy may retrench yet again, things could still get worse before they get better.
Become your kid's mortgage lender
Wed Feb 1 2012 2:40 AM
Between slumping prices and low mortgage rates, it's a good time to look for real estate bargains. But thanks to tightened lending standards, legions of young would-be homebuyers aren't exactly in a position to take advantage of the opportunity. That's where their parents come in: One in three first-time buyers received either a gift or a loan from their families to help buy a home in 2011, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Home prices post steep decline
Tue Jan 31 2012 2:26 PM
Home prices posted a steep, month-over-month drop in November, falling 1.3%, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city report. Prices fell in 19 of the 20 cities the index covers.
Obama expands foreclosure prevention program
Mon Jan 30 2012 9:09 AM
The Obama administration is taking another swing at improving its main foreclosure prevention program.
New-home sales hit a record low
Thu Jan 26 2012 10:27 AM
Just 302,000 new homes were sold in 2011, 6.2% below 2010 and the lowest number of annual sales since the government started tracking home sales in 1963.
Foreclosures made up 20% of home sales in 3Q
Thu Jan 26 2012 2:40 AM
Sales of homes in foreclosure comprised 20% of all U.S. residential sales during the third quarter, according to RealtyTrac.
Mortgage crimes are focus of new task force
Wed Jan 25 2012 11:27 AM
A new special task force to investigate and prosecute those responsible for bad mortgages during the housing boom will be part of President Obama's 2012 agenda.
Has Obama's housing policy failed?
Tue Jan 24 2012 2:23 AM
President Obama is expected to once again offer ways to help the beleaguered housing market in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
Housing: The one bailout America could really use
Tue Jan 17 2012 4:20 PM
Laurie Goodman is an apolitical number cruncher who has spent most of her 28-year career out of the public view, studying the minutiae of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) for big investment banks. She's long been a star among Wall Street insiders, however. She holds the record for the most top rankings for fixed-in-come research from the trade bible Institutional Investor.