ThinkstockThe great recession is still fresh for millions of Americans. So what is the public supposed to think when they see huge year-over-year gains in housing prices in some markets for more than just one…
The economy is improving, banks are beginning to ease standards for lending, and mortgage rates are near their record lows. These factors are making it easier for Americans to wade into the real estate…
ThinkstockJust over 13 million U.S. mortgage loans are currently underwater, meaning that homeowners owe more on the mortgages than the property is worth. The number is shrinking, but homeowners with negative home equity face…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Census Bureau this morning released data on new single-family home sales for April. Sales rose 2.3% month-over-month, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 454,000, from an upwardly revised March sales figure…
ThinkstockThe Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) reported this morning that U.S. home prices rose 1.9% sequentially in the first quarter of 2013. Compared to the first quarter of 2012, the house price index gained…
ThinkstockThe National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of existing home sales in April rose 0.6% to 4.97 million, from an upwardly revised total of 4.94 million in March.…
ThinkstockLowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) reported first-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The home improvement retailer posted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.49 and $13.1 billion in revenues. In the same…
ThinkstockThe Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications this morning, noting a drop of 9.8% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index following a decline of 7.3% for the previous…
ThinkstockToll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) reported secondquarter fiscal 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The luxury homebuilder reported quarterly diluted earnings per share (EPS) $0.14 on revenues of $516 million. In the same…
ThinkstockThe Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) reported first-quarter 2013 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.83 and $19.1 billion in revenues before markets opened this morning. In the same period a year ago, the…
ThinkstockThe country’s two largest home improvement chains, The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) and Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) report earnings tomorrow and Wednesday, respectively. The late season wintry weather is likely to weigh…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported this morning that new housing starts in April fell to an annual seasonally adjusted rate of 853,000, a decrease of 16.5%…
ThinkstockThe National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo housing market index rose by 3 points from a downwardly revised 41 in April to 44 in May. A January reading of 47 was the highest…
ThinkstockThe Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications this morning, noting a drop of 7.3% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index, following a rise of 7% for the previous…
ThinkstockIn its May MarketPulse report, residential property research and services firm CoreLogic Inc. (NYSE: CLGX) identifies the trends it sees in the U.S. economy and in the U.S. real estate market. The company notes…