Monthly Archives: February 2012
NAR Collaborates with U.S. Treasury on Short Sale ‘Help for Homeowners’
A new National Association of REALTORS® collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasury will help REALTORS® better assist homeowners who are struggling to sell their homes in a short sale. REALTORS® who attend upcoming Making Home Affordable “Help for … Continue reading
Let’s Shake on It
The handshake gesture has been used by many cultures over the years and is depicted in Greek carving dating from the 5th century BC. The handshake is traditionally used by people around the planet as a gesture of greeting, departure, … Continue reading
Housing Bright Spot: Pending Home Sales Rise, Market on Uptrend
Pending home sales are on an upward trend, which has been uneven but meaningful since reaching a cyclical low last April, and are well above a year ago, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Pending Home Sales Index, … Continue reading
NAR Collaborates with U.S. Treasury on Short Sale ‘Help for Homeowners’
A new National Association of REALTORS® collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Treasury will help REALTORS® better assist homeowners who are struggling to sell their homes in a short sale. REALTORS® who attend upcoming Making Home Affordable “Help for … Continue reading
More Previous Homeowners are Looking to Rent in 2012
Increasingly more people are looking to renting as an affordable, flexible lifestyle option, causing apartment vacancies to fall to their lowest point in 10 years. Reis reported that the apartment vacancy rate dropped to 5.2 percent in Q4 of 2011, … Continue reading
The Real Estate Book Releases Android App to Reach More Home Shoppers On the Go
Finding a new place to live just became easier for consumers—who can now browse homes on their smartphones. The Real Estate Book recently launched an additional mobile tool—a free Android app to make looking through photos, maps, and more information … Continue reading
Deadline to Request Mortgage Review Extended to July 31
People seeking a review of their mortgage foreclosures under the Federal banking agencies’ Independent Foreclosure Review now have until July 31, 2012, to submit their requests. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Board of Governors … Continue reading
Existing-Home Sales Rise Again in January, Inventory Down
Existing-home sales rose in January, marking three gains in the past four months, while inventories continued to improve, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, … Continue reading
CAP Proposes Plan to Put Americans Back to Work
Recently, as lawmakers continue to debate infrastructure bills, a new report released by the Center for American Progress proposes a plan to enable significant progress in bringing America’s infrastructure up to par. In addition to proposing a new level of … Continue reading
Housing Expected to Add to GDP for First Time in 7 Years
The 2012 outlook is improving modestly from a disappointing 2011. Economic growth picked up in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 2.8 percent and is expected to come in at 2.3 percent for 2012, up from 1.6 percent growth for … Continue reading