Category Archives: Real Estate

New Home Sales Dip, Still Stronger than Last Year

BY JANN SWANSON The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports a drop in applications for the purchase of newly constructed homes last month. Those applications fell by 3.9 percent compared to August although they remained 8.2 percent higher than they were the previous September. The change does not reflect any seasonal adjustment. The information comes from […]

BY JANN SWANSON It appears that, while Americans are generally upbeat about the economy, housing, and their own financial fortunes, they have a little difficulty maintaining those sentiments. Fannie Mae said today that its Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) reversed direction again in September, falling 0.3 point to 87.7. The downturn did not erase the […]

Upfront Home Costs Add Up – Especially if Downpayment is Included

BY JANN SWANSON Two Zillow subsidiaries are estimating it will cost the average U.S. homebuyer $40,000 to get in the door of their new home. Depending on where the home is located, according to a new analysis from RealEstate.com and Thumbtack, the number could be $26,641 (in Cleveland) or $202,834 (San Jose.) That headline number […]

IRS Slams Door on Property Tax Workarounds

Wed, Sep 26, 2018 BY JANN SWANSON One of the more contentious provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was a new ceiling on the SALT deduction. This is the amount taxpayers can deduct on federal tax returns for what is paid in state and local taxes including income, sales, and property […]

Commercial Real Estate Lending In Third Quarter Makes 2013 on Track To Successful Year

U.S. investment sales volume reached $76 billion in the third quarter of 2013, which is up 29% year after year, according to Jones Lang LaSalle New York Capital Markets. This is due to the rise in volume in office, retail and industrial real estate markets. So far, $65 billion in Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) have […]

Existing Home Sales Rise 6.5% in July

The National Association of REALTORS announced today that existing home sales during the month of July rose by 6.5% compared to June and also saw a 17.2% increase year over year. According to the NAR, existing home sales were up from a downwardly revised figure of 5.06 million in June to a seasonally adjusted annual […]

Shadow Inventory in July Falls by 30% Year over Year

Lender Processing Services recently previewed its latest Mortgage Monitor, revealing that, at the end of July, more than 4.5 million mortgages were still distressed (some more distressed than others). This indicates a massive reduction in pre-sale foreclosure inventory, also known as “shadow inventory.” The pre-sale inventory between June and July was down 2.82% to a […]

Pending Home Sales Dip in June as Mortgage Rates Rise

The National Association of REALTORS recently reported that the seasonally adjusted index for pending home sales was 110.9 in June, down 0.4% from a downwardly revised figure of 111.3 during the month of May — a six-year high. Since last year, home prices and mortgage rates have increased, suggesting that sales are beginning to slow […]