The second quarter results of the Remodeling Market Index (RMI) slipped under pressure from a softening labor market, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), dropping two points to 45. The downward adjustment comes after the RMI reached 48 twice in 2011, the highest reading since 2006.
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With the publication of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) final rules in the recent Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officially implemented the Obama Administration’s groundbreaking strategy to preserve tens of thousands of units of public and assisted housing.
RAD allows public housing …
In owning a vacation house , whether you’re a skier who loves the mountain slopes of Colorado or Utah, a lover of the beaches of Southern California and Florida, or a potential retiree seeking to escape the snow-laden Northeast for the wide open, sunny lands of Arizona or South Texas, …
View MoreMortgage rates moved lower once again, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate setting a new record low of 3.78 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.43 discount and origination points.
The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate inched downward …
Historically low interest rates, combined with proprietary and government loan modification programs, have helped reduce the number of homeowners in distress, according to the recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Primary Mortgage Servicer Satisfaction Study(SM).
According to the study, 7 percent of homeowners indicate their loan status …
Refinance volume is continuing to rise with more underwater borrowers refinancing through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) than ever before. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) latest Refinance Report, HARP loans represented 20 percent of total refinance volume in May, the largest increase since the program was …
Qualified entities interested in purchasing pools of severely distressed loans formerly insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) can now submit applications for the Distressed Asset Stabilization Program, an expansion of an FHA disposition program that sells pools of defaulted mortgages headed for foreclosure and provides the opportunity for …
Freddie Mac’s U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook for July shows that while the construction industry continues to struggle on the jobs front, data suggests this sector is ready to get back to work.
Important highlights from the report include:
Your monthly mortgage loan payment may be fixed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to lower it, notes consumer finance advocate Sarah Tann.
Tann, a frequent contributor to consumer finance publications, suggests the top five ways you may be able to lower your monthly payment:
• …
The Hilton Head area home sales is soaring and is significantly better than it was a year ago.
"Sales of homes, condominiums and villas in June were up more than 60 percent over June 2011 and are up about 23 percent overall year to date."
"June's surge …