May 31, 2011 Robert Shiller, an economics professor at Yale University and co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index, talks about the outlook for home prices. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values in 20 cities fell 3.6 percent from March 2010, the biggest year-over-year decline since November 2009, the group said today in New York. At …
Monthly Archive
for: ‘May, 2011’
Case-Shiller home-price index hits new low
Is now the time to buy? An index of home prices in the nation’s largest American cities plumbed new depths in March, pushing past a low set during the worst of the Great Recession. The ominous new drop for the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index of 20 cities, a key measure that is closely watched by …
Mortgage Rate Falls Again to Set a 2011 Low
Home-mortgage interest rates fell last week to the lowest point of 2011 amid signs of a slowing economy, according to the latest survey from Freddie Mac. “U.S. house prices indexes may be nearing a bottom soon,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft said, pointing to slower price declines in recent months and a reduction in …
Pending Home Sales Drop
Pending home sales fell in April with regional variations following increases in February and March, with unusual weather and economic softness adding to ongoing problems that are hobbling a recovery, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, dropped 11.6 percent to 81.9 in …
Fixed Mortgage Rates Continue To Find New Lows
MCLEAN, Va., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which shows slower economic activity pushing fixed-rate mortgages slightly lower for the sixth consecutive week. The 30-year averaged 4.60 percent; the 15-year averaged 3.78 percent, marking new lows for 2011. News Facts 30-year …
Top 10 Deal Breakers & How To Avoid Them
Your buyers have found the home of their dreams, started packing their stuff and have mentally moved in when suddenly a challenge arises that could put a serious wrench in the home buying process. In today’s market, finding the home is only the start of a transaction that can have many stumbling blocks along the …
Eighty-five percent of home buyers find photos very useful on websites
According to the “2010 Home Buyer and Seller Profile” visuals of properties for sale are increasingly useful to buyers as more buyers use the Internet in their search process. Eighty-five percent of home buyers found photos very useful on websites. In addition, eighty-three percent of buyers found detailed information about the property very useful when …
Lawsuit Accuses Trump University of Falling Short
Real estate mogul Donald Trump created Trump University promising students they’d learn the “insider” secrets of real estate and become his “next apprentice.” But a few former students are saying Trump’s courses fell short and were filled with “infomercials” disguised as educational classes that took advantage of people in “troubled economic times,” according to a …
Price vs time: Measuring your motivation
Pick a price, any price for your home. Now wait. Eventually, someday, someone will probably be willing to pay you that price. The question is – Do you have the time or the desire to wait for that to happen or would you rather sell your home now for a reduced amount of money? Welcome …
What Celebrities Desire in Homes
Celebrities often have slightly different priorities when shopping for a home than the average home buyer. Here are a few top items often found on their priority list when home-shopping, according to the Zillow Blog. Privacy. Most often a top priority, celebrities usually want a gated, secured home. “It’s a huge issue,” says Jade Mills, …
Home starts and sales running at half speed: Standards and Poor’s
Friday, May 6th, 2011, 9:56 am tandard & Poor’s expects about 320,000 new home sales and 470,000 housing starts this year — about half the historical average. James Fielding, a senior housing director at S&P, made that assessment in a video posted on the ratings agency website. This performance is running at half the historical …
