real estate
Housing Market Better Than It Looks
Home prices rose 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis in March, according to new numbers from the S&P/Case-Shiller index. But four cities showed worse results in March than they had in February, with Atlanta notably down 0.4% over …
U.S. Households Still Digging Out of Recession-Related Debt
After the recession, many Americans began cutting back and slowly chipping away at their household debt. Unfortunately, this noble effort seems to have tapered off, according to a new University of Michigan study. In fact, according to the study, one in every five households now owes more in credit cards, medical bills, student loans and …
Want to Buy a Foreclosure? Here’s What You Need to Know
Foreclosures are up in 26 of the 50 largest metro areas in the country, according to a quarterly report released by foreclosure site RealtyTrac.com. At the top of the list is Pittsburgh, where foreclosures are up 49% from the …
The American Dream Gets Another Facelift
The American Dream of home ownership has taken some hits in the recession. But it remains alive and well, though with some twists that will help shape the nature of the budding housing recovery.
When — and Where — the Housing Market Is Due for a Bounce
The real estate recovery is just around the corner. Well, that’s if you believe the new housing numbers out this week.
Mixed Bag of Housing Data Shows Recovery — Except in Areas with High Foreclosures
In housing, there may be a rising tide, but it isn’t lifting all boats. According to data released today by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, prices were up 0.3% in February from the month before on a seasonally adjusted basis. …
Need a Mortgage? Better Hope Your Credit Record Is Almost Perfect
Credit requirements for home loans have remained very restrictive even as banks are offering credit cards and car loans to riskier borrowers. This has been pretty well-documented, but until now, nobody had actually crunched the …
Foreclosures Are at a 4-Year Low, But That’s Not Necessarily Good News
Foreclosure filings fell in March to their lowest level in four years, according to real estate data provider Realty Trac. For the first time since July 2007, the nationwide number of filings fell under 200,000 — a 4% drop from …
7 Tax Breaks You Probably Overlooked
Most people know that they get tax breaks on their kids and on the mortgage interest they pay on their homes, but experts say many taxpayers leave a slew of other deductions and credits on the table that could potentially save …
Rental Vacancies Drop as Young People (Finally) Move Out
If you’re thinking that you can’t get ahead, you’re right. Rents, according to a Reuters story quoting Reis Inc., a firm that tracks real estate data, just posted their biggest jump in four years.
Housing Prices Fall to 2003 Levels, But Demand May Be Building
It’s now officially a lost decade for home prices. With the release of the January data for the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes, prices in a national composite dropped 3.8% from a year before, rolling back to …