Topic: National Association of REALTORS

Home sales rise in September, but a housing glut and concerns remain

Home sales are still below the rate of a year ago, as is the median price. Concerns persist that foreclosures and the slow economy threaten even lower values.

Stock prices climb amid pledge to balance trade

Stock prices rise, but dollar falls to a 15-year low against the Japanese yen.

Recession officially over: Somebody tell the unemployed.

Unemployment lasts longer than ever before, home values keep declining, foreclosures abound and people are growing poorer. This is the rebound?

NY Times contemplates letting the housing market correct itself

A recent New York Times article raises the possibility that government intervention may have done all it can, and that the market must be left alone.

Low mortgage rates go lower. Better days ahead for housing market?

Low mortgage rates fell still more this week – to the lowest level ever in four decades of tracking. Also, the number of pending home sales posted a rise for the month of July.

Too much mortgage debt? Here, have another loan.

You don't need to worry about the recovery. Because there isn't one.

Home sales down. But six cities defy housing gloom.

Home sales plunged in July and housing prices may dip again. But in six metropolitan areas, the housing picture is far brighter: Home values are rising and median prices are already well ahead of their peak during the housing bubble. What allowed these metro areas to beat the downturn in home sales prices? Two are state capitols. Five have lower-than-average unemployment. All of them had undervalued real estate, even at the height of the housing boom, says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR). When mortgage rates fell, "they had room to grow" and home sales rose. Is your city on the list? Click on the right arrow to see each metro area:

Record plunge for home sales could weigh heavily on economic recovery

Home sales fell 27 percent between June and July. The news suggests that working through a glut of unsold homes and foreclosed properties may take longer than some economists predicted.

John Boehner speech falls victim to latest in spin: the 'prebuttal'

John Boehner, House Republican leader, hadn't even delivered his speech on the economy Tuesday morning before Democrats had attacked with a 'prebuttal' – responding to a news event before it happens.

Mortgage rates at record lows: Refinances are up. Sales are not.

Mortgage rates at 4.4 percent could bring new wave of refinancing, easing some strain on family budgets. Low rates also make homebuying more attractive. The catch: All this is if you qualify.

Home sales that are pending dropped in June

Home sales, at the current time, are affected by a large number of unsold existing homes.

International buyers: Are they buoying the US housing market?

International sales for US residential properties saw a slight uptick this year over last.

Economic recovery awaits the housing market

The housing market hasn’t yet been corrected: there are still millions of homeowners who paid too much and whose houses are now worth less than what they owed. It’s a matter of time until they default or their debt is restructured.

New home sales plunge to record low

New home sales fall to an annual rate of 300,000, the lowest level since at least 1963.

Homebuyer tax credits illegally claimed by prison inmates?

Homebuyer tax credits, according to a government investigator, were illegally claimed by hundreds of US prison inmates.

Home sales report for May could signal economic downturn

Home sales report for last month showed a drop in sales of previously occupied homes, despite government tax credits.

After the housing crisis home flippers cash in on foreclosures

After the housing crisis, real estate wholesalers are finding investors for foreclosures and distressed homes, who fix them up. But are low-income buyers shut out?

Elmira, N.Y.: unlikely darling of the housing market

Elmira, N.Y., escaped the housing market turmoil that spread throughout the rest of the US during the recession. How'd they do it?

The homebuyer tax credit land rush

Homebuyer Tax Credit II will drive more than 2 million home sales this year. How many of those contracts are going to go up in smoke?

Builders gear up to build more houses

Existing home sales drop as boost from first-time-buyer credit wans

The effect of the government-sponsored surge in homes priced mostly under $250,000 is waning. 

Existing home sales: Are US home prices set to fall again?

After a brief run-up, prices of new and existing homes are falling again.

Great deals in real estate: Why they won't last

Federal subsidies, low interest rates, and falling home prices have made real estate seem like a good deal recently. But that might not be the case for long.

Home sales rise in November, driven by tax break

Existing home sales rose 7.4 percent in November, largely due to first-time home buyers taking advantage of a tax break before it expired. That may mean the housing market recovery is not robust, some experts say.

Home values rise in 30 cities: Is your city one of them?

New survey shows 30 cities saw home prices rise in the third quarter.