National News

Despite Downgrade, FHFA Assures Consistency

Despite the nation’s credit downgrade, the Federal Housing Finance Agency assured investors that securities issued by the Treasury and other government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) are still

Federal Housing Finance Agency Requests Bailout

After losing $8.7 billion in the first quarter, Fannie Mae has reported a loss of $5.2 billion in the second quarter. Fannie Mae still owes the Treasury $104.8 billion, but now the Federal Housing Finance Agency is requesting another

CIVIX Sues Trulia Over Patent

Earlier this year, CIVIX-DDI, LLC sued Realtor.com and subsequently the Multiple Listing Services by way of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The suit with Realtor.com named CIVIX’s patent on ““systems and methods for remotely accessing a selected group

FHA Sells Record Number of REO But Lowers Ceiling on Loan Limits

Earlier this year, Federal Housing Association (FHA) seemed to be in a steep hole when it came to the REO inventory. However, a recent report shows that FHA has sold a record number of REO in June, breaking the

Mortgage Application Volume Up 7.1 Percent

The Market Composite Index shows that the measure of mortgage loan application volume has increased 7.1 percent this week, while similar numbers have moved up and down. According to Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly applications survey for the week ending

Green-Certified Homes Are Sold For More Green

Although our recent Green issue seemed to show green-certified homes aren’t a big priority for homebuyers, a new study shows that green-certified homes are worth more than homes which aren’t certified. One analysis from the Earth Advantage Institute found

Deal Reached Regarding Debt Ceiling; NAR, NAHB Comment

After weeks of debate over the debt ceiling, Sunday night the compromise deal was agreed upon and the emergency legislation passed in the Senate this morning, 74 to

Higher Mortgage Payments May Harm Recovery

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act have paved the way for an increase in the required down payment for mortgages, however, many analysts and industry professionals are criticizing this

Do Higher-Priced Listings Deserve More Detail?

LeapRE looked at the length of descriptions for listings for properties closed in 2011 and the average sales price by bracket. What LeapRE found was a correlation between length of description and final sale price. In the MLS, the

RE/MAX, Prudential and Century 21 Top Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study

According to Agent Genius, seller satisfaction rose 4.9 percent with brokerages since 2010, but buyer satisfaction dropped slightly, as tracked by J.D. Power and Associates’ fourth annual Home Buyer/Seller

RealtyTrac Discovers Lower Foreclosure Activity in 84 Percent of Metro Areas

RealtyTrac’s Midyear 2011 Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report studied 211 metropolitan areas, finding that foreclosure activity through June dropped on a year-over-year basis in 84 percent, or 178, of the areas. In addition, the report found that the top ten

PHSI Continues Steady Climb in Midwest and South, but Closings Still Dropping

This June, NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index rose 2.4 percent to 90.9 – an increase over last month as well as a 19.8 percent increase over June 2010, according to Calculated Risk. However, Fannie Mae is skeptical as to

Realtors’ Suggestions for Saving the Housing Market

The National Association of Realtors, along with everyone else, would like to save the housing market. According to the Chicago Tribune, these are their ideas for fixing the industry (which differ from ours): creating safe mortgage financing for qualified

Average Home Equity Down, Wealth Gap Widens

Home equity decreased across all racial groups in 2009: whites’ average home equity fell to $95,000; in 2005, a white’s home equity was $115,364 on average; blacks’ home equity fell to $59,000 in 2009, creating an equity loss of

Despite Varying Forecasts, Experts Agree on 2011-2012 Home Sale Increases

Everyone has a different outlook on the housing market, but where you get your information from can also alter your opinion for better or worse. The truth is, nobody is entirely sure what will happen to home sales or

Chicago’s Case-Shiller Index Inches up From April to May- Prices Increase with Buyer Demand

According to the most recent Case-Shiller indices, Chicago experienced a 1.7 percent (non-seasonally adjusted) monthly increase from April to an index of 112.01 in May, but a -8.1 percent drop since last May, following a 0.4 percent drop from

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