Housing Data

Housing Data

• Mortgage rates edge up, but housing market is still slow

  NEW YORK - Record-low mortgage rates failed to pull the housing market out of its funk.

   

• Huge Block of Distressed Homes Goes Back on The Market in Mexico

  Los Angeles-based Lucent Capital will manage the sale of 2,000 single-family homes that have been divided into seven asset pools.

   

• Obama's tax-break plan unlikely to provide quick fix for economy, jobs

  WASHINGTON - Even if they were enacted soon, President Barack Obama's proposed tax breaks for businesses would hardly be a quick fix to rejuvenate hiring or the economy, analysts say.

   

• Talkin' 'bout my generation -- Consumers at opposite ends of age spectrum are strong advocates of green living, moms in the middle are practical

  WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - When it comes to their approaches to green living, the youngest and oldest consumers are advocacy- oriented, while Gen X and Gen Y moms are more likely to take action and adopt green habits for their households, according to analysis compiled from J.D. Power Tribe...

   

• Who Are the Current Home Buyers?

  BUILDER commissioned a market research firm to zero in on who the active buyers are and what they want in a home.

   

• Excel Homes Battles the Elements in "Extreme Makeover's" Biggest Project Yet

  Decision to combine modular and stick-built construction had its plusses and minuses.

   

• Rural Contractor Opens Offices Supporting Its Homebuilding Ambitions

  Rinehimer Construction shares space with an architect, landscaper, and furniture supplier.

   

• Job Gains Lead to Housing Gains

  Housing will recover where jobs recover.

   

• Builders Need to Provide All Types of Housing

  As the homeownership rate falls and the population continues to grow, Americans will need housing of all types.

   

• Data shows jobless claims drop, retail sales rise

  WASHINGTON - A weak economy got a little lift Thursday with new data suggesting companies aren't pursuing mass layoffs and stores are a little busier.

   

• July unemployment up in about half of US cities

  WASHINGTON - The unemployment rate rose in nearly half of the nation's 372 largest metro areas in July, as the pace of hiring slowed from earlier this year.

   

• Pending Homes Sales Rose Unexpectedly in July

  But National Association of Realtors’ chief economist thinks homes sales will remain soft for “months ahead.”

   

• Fed officials discussed further stimulus steps

  WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve officials signaled at their August meeting that they would consider going beyond a modest program to purchase government debt if necessary to boost the economy.

   

• Americans' economic confidence ticks up slightly

  NEW YORK - Americans' confidence in the economy improved slightly in August from July, but they're still roughly as gloomy as a year ago.

   

• Existing-Home Prices Rose in June

  The S&P/Case-Shiller Indices show a 3.6% gain compared to the same month a year ago.

   

• Bernanke: Fed will take action if economy falters

  JACKSON, Wyo. - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the Fed will consider making another large-scale purchase of securities if the slowing economy were to deteriorate significantly and signs of deflation were to flare.

   

• Tips on getting a condo sold in a down local market

  Aug. 27--Though inventory levels have dropped a bit in recent months, it's still tough to sell a condominium in Dane County.

   

• Maryland mortgage woes ease in second quarter

  Aug. 27--Fewer Maryland homeowners were behind on their mortgages or on the brink of foreclosure this spring, a welcome improvement but one that faces strong headwinds from an uncertain economy.

   

• Scarcity of jobs puts more at risk of foreclosure

  WASHINGTON - The jobs crisis is putting more Americans at risk of losing their homes.

   

• Sales of New Homes Slide 12.4% in July to Record Low

  Analyst Carl E. Reichardt: ‘It seems clear that demand for all forms of housing in July was extremely weak.’