My Sound Property

LEARNING CENTER
QUICKSEARCH

Today's Top Real Estate News ARCHIVE

Local, Regional, National, International

New Search Engine Optimization Technology Ready to Revolutionize Real Estate Industry Online
Mortgage Rate Falls To All-Time Record Low

Written by: Austin Kilgore - Freddie Mac and Bankrate are both reporting that US mortgage rates are lower than ever. The news following a sharp fall-off in home sales — particularly for new construction. Average rates for 15 and 30-year Fixed Rate Mortgages continued their decline this week, while only conventional 1-year Adjustable Rate Mortgages failed to hit a new low.
Rest of the Story

5 Harsh Truths About Low Mortgage Rates

NuWire Investor: Written by: Carmen Nobel - Contrary to popular belief, good credit, sufficient income and a pre-approval letter, still may not be enough for buyers to get a good loan rate, or even final approval on a mortgage loan. With lenders tightening credit requirements, refinancing or getting a preferred interest rate on a mortgage loan in today’s economic climate is tough.
Rest of the Story

President Approves $1.5 Billion To Be Distributed To Distressed Homeowners

NuWire Investor: Written by: Diana Golobay - Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada are among the states that will receive funds from the Obama administration’s newest program to provide foreclosure prevention relief to underwater borrowers. The Hardest Hit Fund provides states with funds that will enable them to establish state-specific borrower aid programs.
Rest of the Story

President Approves $1.5 Billion To Be Distributed To Distressed Homeowners

NuWire Investor: Written by: Diana Golobay - Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada are among the states that will receive funds from the Obama administration’s newest program to provide foreclosure prevention relief to underwater borrowers. The Hardest Hit Fund provides states with funds that will enable them to establish state-specific borrower aid programs.
Rest of the Story

Housing Market Already Feeling The Impact Of The BP Oil Spill

NuWire Investor: Written by: Property Wire - The nation's fledgling economic and housing recovery is feeling the impact of the BP catastrophe in the Gulf, hurting tourism and property values in states like Florida. With no end yet in sight to the crisis, development has stalled on vacation homes and even primary residences as the spill closes in on the Florida coast.
Rest of the Story

The Legislative Labyrinth of HB 2791

NuWire Investor: Written by: Cali Zimmerman - When House Bill 2791 went into effect June 12, many members of Washington state’s real estate community launched into a furor. Though the Bill’s intentions were to protect struggling homeowners from foreclosure rescue scams, many say its rush through the legislative process left it filled with holes and vague definitions that are more likely to hurt the real estate market than help it.
Rest of the Story

Closing Deadline For Tax Credit To Be Moved Back To September

NuWire Investor: Written by: Diana Golobay - The Senate has approved an extension to the closing deadline for homebuyers seeking to claim the tax credit. The extension would allow an estimated backlog of 180,000 first time buyers sufficient time to close on their transactions.
Rest of the Story

Countries Continue To Disinvest From The US Dollar

NuWire Investor: Written by: Charles Goyette - With the US dollar continuing its steady decline, the idea of a shift away from the “dollar standard” in the future is a very real possibility. While US officials continue to vocalize their support and faith in the dollar and its future strength, the long-term prognosis for the US dollar remaining the global standard for pricing remains uncertain.
Rest of the Story

Low Interest And Fuel Costs Are Providing Relief For US Consumers

NuWire Investor: Written by: Jacob Gaffney - Affordable mortgage rates should help the nation's economy avoid a double-dip by freeing up consumer spending money, according to Morgan Stanley. Although mounting European debt and a weak Euro could have global reverberations, a stronger dollar indicates improved fundamentals in the US.
Rest of the Story

Home Construction Numbers Reverse Course In May

NuWire Investor: Written by: Austin Kilgore - The 10 percent drop in May housing starts ended a 4 month run, with the decline expected to continue on the back of lower issuance of new housing permits. A sharp 17 percent decrease in single family home numbers implies that the housing market could slip further, without the boost of the homebuyer tax credit, and in spite of low mortgage rates.
Rest of the Story

New record property seizures in US as experts warn that foreclosure nightmare is not over yet

Property Wire - Last month foreclosures exceeded April's record-setting pace, with skyrocketing bank seizures and millions more in the pipeline. The market has been spared a bigger blow, since most foreclosure filings don't wind up as REO properties according to RealtyTrac, yet the REO inventory is at a record high.
Rest of the Story

Less Than Half Of Foreclosed Homes Had Negative Equit

NU Wire Investor - Written by:Jon Prior - Despite the characterization of homeowners abandoning mortgages to escape negative equity, RealtyTrac finds a strong correlation between job loss and foreclosure. While RealtyTrac's foreclosure data finds underwater properties in the minority, the crisis is likely to continue into 2012 due to the multitude of factors triggering default.
Rest of the Story

Forecasts For International Real Estate Markets In Second Half Of 2010

NU Wire Investor - The global property market is moving in a positive direction, however, not all markets are on the upswing and investors should be careful to consider economic, political and other factors before buying into any market. While Latin America and the US overall offer strong upside potential, markets in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia have markets that are both up and down. See the following article from...
Rest of the Story

30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Hits Record Low; Current 30-Year Fixed Rate Is 4.58 Percent

RISMEDIA, June 14, 2010 - The 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is currently 4.58%, down nine basis points from 4.67% at this same time last week. This is the lowest rate recorded since Zillow Mortgage Marketplace launched in April 2008. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate peaked Friday at 4.75% and fell the same day to below 4.7% before decreasing slowly through the weekend into today.
Rest of the Story

REI BarCamp Provides Blueprint for Successful Real Estate Investing

RISMEDIA, June 10, 2010 - Real Estate Radio USA, a leading real estate multi-media company, is introducing a nationwide free training program, REI BarCamp, for individuals who would like to break free from the chains of what many have deemed a bad economy.
Rest of the Story

U.S. Housing Prices Turn Positive in April

RISMEDIA, June 9, 2010 - Integrated Asset Services, LLC (IAS), a leader in default management and residential collateral valuations, has released the latest IAS360 House Price Index (HPI). Based upon the timeliest and most granular data available in the industry, the benchmark for national house prices gained 0.9% in April.
Rest of the Story

Fannie Mae adds Speed Bump Prior to Funding Your Mortgage

Rhonda Porter on 06 2, 2010 - Effective on loan applications taken on June 1, 2010 or later, Fannie Mae is requiring lenders to confirm that undisclosed liabilities are not present prior to funding a transaction as part of their Loan Quality Initiative (LQI).Currently a credit report is pulled and is valid for a specific amount of time–as long as the transaction closes prior to the expiration of the credit report, it typically is not repulled.
Rest of the Story

Short Sales: Look What a Year Can Do

RISMEDIA, June 8, 2010 - Just a year ago, when preforeclosure and foreclosure properties were entering the market in unimaginable numbers, many real estate agents were estimating six to 10 months at best to complete a short sale. Now, some are beginning to see closings in as few as 10 weeks. That's good news for sellers, the housing market and the U.S. economy.

Rest of the Story

Pending Home Sales Surge Continues

RISMEDIA, June 7, 2010 - Pending home sales have risen for three consecutive months, reflecting the broad impact of the home buyer tax credit and favorable housing affordability conditions, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Rest of the Story

New Search Engine Optimization Technology Ready to Revolutionize Real Estate Industry Online

RISMEDIA, June 4, 2010 - The real estate industry has seen a huge number of changes over the past 20 years with the advent of pagers, cell phones and the Internet, and a new one coming out now for search engine optimization will do the same thing with how agents market themselves online in 2010 and beyond...
Rest of the Story

Second Homeownership and Interest in Vacation Rentals Continue to Remain Strong through Economic Recession

RISMEDIA, June 4, 2010 - Second homeowners who rent their homes to travelers, on average, generate more than $35,000 in rental income each year, according to HomeAway, one of the world's leading online vacation rental marketplaces which recently released its quarterly "HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report."
Rest of the Story