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Home Value News Archive
RISMEDIA, March 23, 2011—(MCT)—The frightening images of Japan's tsunami wiping out homes, roads and entire cities are vivid reminders that a natural disaster can strike at any time.
And whether it's an earthquake, a wildfire or flooding, being covered against severe damage to your home or business is essential.
Across the United States, flooding is the No. 1 natural disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
RISMEDIA, March 21, 2011—Generation X—young families and adults ages 31 to 45—are likely to lead the home-buying recovery as it gets underway, according to real estate experts who spoke at an educational webinar produced by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in partnership with Builder magazine.
These potential home buyers are most likely to think it's a good time to get off the fence—and have strong opinions about the design features their new homes will include.
RISMEDIA, March 19, 2011—(MCT)—Bill Schramm and Bethany Siwicki scoured property listings for three months before agreeing to see a home in Round Lake Beach, even though its online pictures didn't look promising.
"It looked like a piñata blew up in there," Schramm said. Every room was a different color, and the only way to tell the carpet once had been white was looking at the furniture marks.
RISMEDIA, March 19, 2011—Nationwide housing starts and issuance of permits for new housing construction both posted disappointing declines in February 2011 as concerns about a growing number of factors caused builders to pull back on production of new homes, according to
RISMEDIA, March 10, 2011—RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger told a gathering of more than 5,000 real estate agents that the worst of the housing crisis has passed. At the annual convention of the global real estate franchisor, Liniger said that the industry must continue
RISMEDIA, March 10, 2011—A recent study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that while consumer hesitation on home buying is waning, the recent housing downturn has changed what Americans are looking for in their next home.
The survey research on consumer preferences, which is presented annually at the NAHB International Builders’ Show, suggests that the severity of the recession has left an indelible mark on prospective home buyers, who have shifted their perspective on the housing they want and need.
RISMEDIA, March 8, 2011—Housing recovery may seem like a mirage in the desert of record foreclosures and steep unemployment, but history indicates that a more balanced market is in our future.
Real estate has always been and always will be cyclical. Recent numbers—namely gains in existing- and new-home sales, increasing activity among investors, upticks in housing starts and ongoing efforts to streamline short sales—offer a much-needed reminder that this downturn, too, shall pass.
RISMEDIA, March 4, 2011—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released the February 2011 edition of the Obama Administration's Housing Scorecard. The latest housing figures show increased existing home sales as home affordability remains high, but officials caution that the market remains fragile, as prices are unsettled.
RISMEDIA, March 3, 2011—Everyone knows that The Great Recession has taken its toll on the housing market. Foreclosures have been at historical highs and we have all heard the personal and devastating stories of displaced homeowners. But there is a corollary in the rental market that gets less attention: Job loss and financial devastation don’t discriminate and renters have been severely impacted by the economic downturn, too. This has led to shifts in renter behavior as well as the delicate supply-demand balance in the rental market.
RISMEDIA, March 2, 2011—This week’s headlines from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® include: updated 2011 Code of Ethics products are now available; $50 off an AHS® Home Warranty FlexPlan®; and Good Neighbor Awards are now accepting applications.
RISMEDIA, March 2, 2011—Pending home sales eased moderately in January 2011for the second straight month, but remain 20.6% above the cyclical low last June, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator,
RISMEDIA, February 28, 2011—(MCT)—Sales of new U.S. homes fell in January 2011, almost completely retracing the strong gain seen in December, the Commerce Department recently estimated.
Sales dropped 12.6% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 284,000. Economists had been expecting a pace of 300,000.
For December, sales were up a revised 15.7% to a 325,000 level, compared with the previous estimate of a 17.5% rise to 329,000.
RISMEDIA, February 25, 2011—Florida's existing home and existing condo sales rose in January 2011, according to the latest housing data released by Florida REALTORS®. According to the data, existing home sales increased 14% last month with a total of 12,151 homes sold
RISMEDIA, February 24, 2011—The uptrend in existing-home sales continues, with January 2011 sales rising for the third consecutive month with a pace that is now above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 2.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.36 million in January from a downwardly revised 5.22 million in December, and are 5.3% above the 5.09 million level in January 2010. This is the first time in seven months that sales activity was higher than a year earlier.
RISMEDIA, February 23, 2011—For the first time in six months, home sales in the 54 U.S. markets surveyed in the RE/MAX National Housing Report are greater than one year ago. The year-to-year sales difference has been improving for three consecutive months. In January 2011 it
