Thursday, October 1, 2009

Sales Exisitng Homes Rise Sharply in August

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pending sales of existing U.S. homes rose sharply in August, for a seventh consecutive month of gains, reaching the highest since March 2007, data from a real estate trade group showed on Thursday.

The National Association of Realtors Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed, was up 6.4 percent to 103.8, the longest consecutive month-on-month gain in the history of the series, which began in 2001.

posted by Stephen at 7:34 AM

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

US Home Prices Rise

The market value of U.S. homes in 20 major cities rose by 1.6% in July compared with June, the third monthly increase in a row, according to the Case-Shiller home price index released September 29, 2009 by Standard & Poor's. In July, prices rose in 18 of 20 cities. The figures indicate a "stabilization in national real estate values," said David Blitzer of S&P.

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posted by Stephen at 9:04 AM

Friday, September 25, 2009

August Home Sales Up Slightly, Home Inventory Down

US sales of new homes flattened out in August after four months of strong increases, the Commerce Department estimated Friday. Sales of new homes rose 0.7% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 429,000. Sales were down 3.4% from a year earlier, and are up 30% from the low in January. The median sales price fell a record 9.5% from July to August. Inventories of unsold homes continued to fall in August, dropping 3% to 262,000, the fewest in 17 years.

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posted by Stephen at 3:10 PM

Friday, September 11, 2009

First Time Home Buyers - Alert

If you are a first-time home buyer looking to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit this year, you need to get on your horse. The credit is set to expire Nov. 30, and with closings taking up to 12 weeks in parts of the country you'll need to get a contract signed post haste if you're going to sneak in under the wire.

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posted by Stephen at 12:33 PM

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Pending Home Sales Index Up

The National Association of Realtors said the pending home sales index, which tracks contract activity, increased for the sixth straight month by 3.2% to 97.6 in July -- its highest level since June 2007.

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posted by Stephen at 10:47 AM

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Single-Family Home Prices - Second Consecutive Increase

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The prices of single-family homes in 20 major cities rose a not-seasonally adjusted 1.4% in June, the second increase in a row after falling every month for three years, according to the Case-Shiller home-price index released Tuesday by Standard & Poor's.

Prices rose in 18 of the 20 cities in June. Only Detroit and Las Vegas saw prices falling in June from May. In the past year, prices are down in all 20 cities.

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posted by Stephen at 12:07 PM

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Lower Fixed Mortgage Rates

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 5.22 percent in July from 5.42 percent in June; the rate was 6.43 percent in July 2008.

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posted by Stephen at 7:31 AM