Home Builders Seeing More Sales Today; Fewer Sales Tomorrow

May 17, 2011

Home builder confidence can’t shake its range, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The group’s monthly Housing Market Index put May’s builder confidence reading at a level of 16.

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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : May 16, 2011

May 16, 2011

Mortgage markets worsened overall last week for the first time in 5 weeks.

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Rising Retail Sales Threaten Low Mortgage Rates

May 13, 2011

Thursday, the Census Bureau released the April Retail Sales report. Excluding cars and auto parts, retail receipts rose for the 10th straight month and, at $321 billion, reached an all-time high.

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Foreclosure Filings Fall To 40-Month Low

May 12, 2011

Based on data from foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings nationwide fell below 220,000 in April 2011, a 9 percent decrease from March and the lowest total in 40 months.

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Conforming ARMs From 2004-2006 Are Adjusting To 3 Percent

May 11, 2011

If you have an adjustable-rate mortgage that’s due to reset this season, don’t rush to refinance. For at least one more year, you can benefit from low rates and low payments. As for the next adjustment, though, that’s anyone’s guess.

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What To Fix Before You List

May 10, 2011

You want your home to “show nicely” relative to comparable properties, but you don’t want to invest big dollars that may never be recouped into upgrades or renovations. So what do you do?

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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : May 9, 2011

May 9, 2011

Mortgage markets improved last week on a bevy of economic and geopolitical news. Conforming mortgage rates improved, falling to their lowest levels of 2011.

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Foreclosures And Short Sales Distorting “Home Price Trackers”

May 6, 2011

The Federal Home Finance Agency data had home values down 1.6 percent nationwide in February, on average, marking the fourth straight month in which prices fell.

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Job Growth Returning To “Normal” Levels — A Bad Sign For Mortgage Rates

May 5, 2011

Be prepared for Friday morning. Mortgage rates and home affordability could worsen quickly. At 8:30 AM ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its April Non-Farm Payrolls report and momentum has been strong.

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How To Screen For A Good Home Contractor

May 4, 2011

In this 4-minute piece from NBC’s The Today Show, you learn tips for picking a good home contractor. The advice is mostly common sense, but definitely worth heeding.

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