WASHINGTON — Americans bought more new homes in April, the latest signal that the U.S. housing market is steadily improving. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that sales increased 3.3 percent in April from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 343,000.
Real Estate
April housing numbers released by the National Association of Realtors were, wait for it … good. Spring is traditionally a busy season for home sales, but the real estate market has been in such a slump for the past couple of years that “ordinary” good news comes as something of a surprise.
WASHINGTON — Americans bought more previously owned homes in April, a hopeful sign that the weak housing market is gradually improving. The National Association of Realtors says home sales rose 3.4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.62 million.
LOS ANGELES — National foreclosure trends took a positive turn in April, as the number of homes seized by banks declined and fewer properties entered into the foreclosure process. But state-level data point to potentially more home repossessions ahead in Florida and many of the 25 other states where courts are required to sign off [...]
WASHINGTON — Maybe the U.S. economy’s strength this winter wasn’t just weather-related after all. Home construction is near a three-year high. And factory output has risen in three of the year’s first four months.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. builders started work on more homes and apartments last month and requested more permits to build single-family homes. The increases suggest the battered housing market is healing. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that builders broke ground in April at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 717,000 homes. That’s a 2.6 percent [...]
A new, fifty-page analysis from The Demand Institute suggests that home prices will begin to rise later this year.
WASHINGTON — U.S. mortgage giant Fannie Mae made money in the first three months of the year and is not seeking additional federal aid. It’s the first time the company has reported a net income gain since it was taken over by the government during the 2008 financial crisis. Fannie on Wednesday reported that it [...]
(LOS ANGELES) — Homeowners with a Bank of America mortgage have good reason to check their mailbox. The lender said Tuesday it has begun mailing out letters to customers who may qualify to have their home loans reduced as part of a multistate settlement over alleged foreclosure abuses.
Updated at 1:30 p.m. There’s a sizable portion of the American public that’s against bailing out underwater American homeowners under any circumstances. That sentiment was most eloquently summed up by CNBC’s Rick Santelli in 2009. His fiery speech on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade is credited with spurring the Tea Party movement [...]
