Business Outlook | RISMedia

Short Sale Approval and Valuation Issues Continue to Impact Housing Market

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have implemented policies to expedite the short sales process, including new resources to help determine property values, according to panelists at a property valuation forum during the REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Short sales continue to represent a significant portion of the real estate market. According to the National Association of REALTORS® short sales accounted for 9 percent of transactions during the first quarter of 2013. The short sale process can be frustrating for home buyers, sellers and REALTORS® given that approvals are often complex,

HUD and Census Bureau Announce New Construction Activity in April

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2013:

April realtor.com® Report Shows Housing Recovery Accelerating

Realtor.com®, a leader in online real estate operated by Move, Inc., released its April data showing that the U.S. housing market is on its way to a broad-based recovery, an accelerated trend since March. The home-buying season shifted into high gear last month as inventory and home list prices on realtor.com® increased by 4.12 percent and 2.63 percent, month over month, respectively. As of April, homes are on the market nationwide approximately 81 days—a decrease of nearly 11 percent since April 2012—highlighting that while new homes are entering the market they are not available for long.

FNC Index: U.S. Home Prices Up 0.4 Percent in March

The latest FNC Residential Price Index™ (RPI) shows the U.S. housing market continued to recover, recording in March the 13th consecutive price increase. In recent months, the ongoing housing recovery has maintained

Builder Confidence Improves in May

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes improved three points to a 44 reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for May, released recently. This gain, from a downwardly revised 41 in April, reflected improvement in all three index components – current sales conditions, sales expectations and traffic of prospective buyers. “Builders are noting an increased sense of urgency among potential buyers as a result of thinning inventories of homes for sale, continuing affordable mortgage rates and strengthening local economies,” notes National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Rick Judson,

REALTORS® Bring Public Policy Priorities to Capitol Hill

REALTORS® from across the nation will be meeting with regulators, lawmakers and industry leaders in Washington this week to address critical real estate issues affecting individuals, communities, and the nation as the REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo begins. More than 9,000 REALTORS® and guests are expected to attend the meetings, which will run here through May 18. “REALTORS® are leading advocates for homeownership and private property rights, and want to ensure that their point-of-view on important housing and investment issues is heard at all levels of government,” says National Association of REALTORS® President Gary Thomas.

Freddie Mac Announces Immediate Availability of Streamlined Modification for Delinquent Borrowers

Freddie Mac recently announced it is making its new Streamlined Modification program immediately available to all eligible borrowers nationwide in order to expedite financial relief for potentially thousands of distressed families. Freddie Mac's Streamlined Modification program had originally been scheduled to start on July 1, 2013. The recent announcement extends to the entire country Freddie Mac's decision to make the Streamlined Modification immediately available to eligible Hurricane Sandy victims.

Drastic Drop in Mass. Foreclosure Activity in March

Regional Spotlight—A significant decline in Massachusetts foreclosures during the month of March indicates the foreclosure crisis is over, according to an article in Monday's issue of Banker & Tradesman. Lenders filed 284 petitions to foreclose in March, an 82 percent decrease from 1,621 in March 2012, according to data from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. A total of 2,080 petitions to foreclose have been filed in Massachusetts during the first quarter, a 52 percent decrease from 4,348 in the first quarter of last year. Petitions to foreclose represent the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts.

About RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network® (RREIN)

RISMedia launched RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network® (RREIN) in 2010 in an effort to combat the consumer perception of “brokerage sameness” and identify those real estate firms most committed to serving the needs of today’s consumers. Today RREIN has grown into an elite network of the nation’s leading real estate ...

Monday Morning Mobile: Is It Finally Here?

Is it finally here? Can we trust that the official break has happened and we are not going to have to… Break out the winter clothes again?

New Mortgage Rules for Balloon, Rural Lenders Would Limit Access to Credit in Rural Areas

Many residents in rural America would have reduced access to mortgage credit despite accommodations included in new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) mortgage rules, according to survey results released recently by the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA). ICBA’s Community Bank Qualified Mortgage Survey found that provisions for balloon-payment mortgage loans and rural community banks in the CFPB’s ability-to-repay and qualified mortgage regulations need to go further to adequately protect the customers of many Main Street community bank lenders.

Clear Capital: April’s Stable Home Prices Reflect the New Normal

Clear Capital®, a provider of data and solutions for real estate asset valuation and collateral risk assessment, has released its Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report with data through April 2013. Using a broad array of public and proprietary data sources, the HDI Market Report publishes the most granular home data and analysis earlier than nearly any other index provider in the industry.

D.C. Area Real Estate Firm Launches Home Search with ‘Search By School’ Technology

CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty has announced that it has released its third generation Redwood Home Search on c21redwood.com, expanding the reach of its “Search By School” technology throughout the D.C. area.

Power Brokers Strategies for ‘New Age’ of Real Estate

RISMedia Midyear Forum Set for May 16 in D.C. From inventory shortages to a changing investor landscape, the real estate playing field has changed, and success moving forward means staying in step and remaining relevant to today’s consumers. Leading brokers from across the nation will address this topic during RISMedia’s Power Broker Forum at NAR Midyear, where they will delve into the right strategies and best practices for the current marketplace. Entitled “Power Broker Strategies: Remaining Relevant in the New Age of Real Estate,” the Forum will take place on Thursday, May 16, from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

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