Monthly Archives: May 2009

Home affordability improved again Wednesday after the government reported worse-than-expected results for April’s Retail Sales report. Mortgage rates edged lower for the third consecutive day. The impetus for the rate rally this week may be a long-awaited stock market correction. … Continue reading →

For the second month in a row, the country’s foreclosure activity was dominated by a small number of states. As shown by the latest stats from RealtyTrac.com, more than half of the country’s foreclosure actions from April were concentrated in … Continue reading →

After a series of increases starting April 30, mortgage rates finally took a dip Monday. It was a welcome surprise for home buyers that went under contract over the weekend. Same for homeowners looking to pull the refinance trigger. Versus … Continue reading →

Mortgage markets hit their worst levels since March last week, sending mortgage rates higher for the second week in a row. Today’s conforming mortgage rates are much higher than from the registered low point of April 30, 2009. There are … Continue reading →

The economy shed 539,000 jobs in April, raising the 6-month total to nearly 4 million jobs lost. And while the April data may look bad, it’s actually 10% better than what was expected. As a result, it’s turning into a … Continue reading →

The retail price of gasoline is rising nationwide, now up 30 percent since the New Year. It’s a similar run-up to what we’ve seen for retail gas prices in each of the last 5 Spring Seasons. For people trying to … Continue reading →

Both mortgage guidelines and the economy have tightened since 2006, bringing more attention to “joint homeowners” — non-spousal partners that buy and share a home as roommates. The practice is not new, but, anecdotally, co-purchasing is becoming more common. In … Continue reading →

For the second consecutive month, the number of homes under contract to sell increased — further evidence that housing markets may have already bottomed. As reported by an industry trade association, the Pending Home Sales Index rose by 3-plus percent … Continue reading →

Mortgage markets faced a broad sell-off last week, sparked by the Federal Reserve and consumer sentiment. This caused mortgage rates to spike from Wednesday to Friday and it caused the “lowest rates of all-time” to seem like an opportunity lost. … Continue reading →

The Case-Shiller Index is a popular reporting tool for the nation’s home prices. Each month, researchers measure home values in 20 large cities, compile their findings, and then publish them to the public. The Case-Shiller Index is not a perfect … Continue reading →