WASHINGTON — New single-family home sales rose unexpectedly in April to notch their second straight month of gains and prices increased, offering some hope for the stagnant housing market.
Marion Skubi
Significant Declines Seen in Late-Stage Delinquencies and Foreclosures
From RealTrends.com: Industry data released Thursday shows a sharp drop in the percentage of home loans 90 or more days past due or in foreclosure — signs of a mortgage market that is on the mend, according to officials at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).
National Housing Starts Fell 10.6% in April
Housing starts declined another 10.6% in April, according to Commerce Department data, reversing the gains of the prior month and coming in well below most analysts’ estimates. On a seasonally adjusted basis, starts fell to 523,000 last month down from a revised 585,000 for March and nearly 24% lower than 687,000 a year earlier.
Mortgage Interest Rates Drop on Shaky Employment Numbers
Mortgage interest rates fell for the fourth consecutive week as a sudden spike in unemployment for the week ending April 30 riled the certainty of consumers, according to reports compiled by Freddie Mac and Bankrate. Since a nearly 10% jump in jobless claims, the situation improved last week, with initial jobless claims falling 9.2% for … Read more
Signs of Financial Healing Remain Elusive at GSEs in First Quarter
From RealTrends.com: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac showed few signs of financial improvement in the first quarter and more evidence of their fragility and reliance on home prices, analysts said. Still, Freddie reported a profit in the quarter and did not request any funds from the Treasury Department for just the fourth time since it … Read more
April 2011
April 2011 Sales YTD Avg List Price Avg Sale Price 2010 Sales Value of the Month Las Campanas 18 1,246,106 1,087,216 8 Northwest County 40 767,998 723,877 25 Northeast City 42 805,626 730,935 48 Tesuque 4 3,681,000 2,794,250 1 Santa Fe City 229 439,317 408,209 239 Santa Fe County (includes city) 397 523,163 478,833 393 Go … Read more
Pending Home Sales Rise Again in March
Washington, DC, April 28, 2011
March saw another increase in pending home sales, with contract activity rising unevenly in six of the past nine months, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Santa Fe Multiple Listing Service Releases New Local Market Reports
(Santa Fe, NM – April 19, 2011) Nine out of eighteen or one half of the Santa Fe Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service areas saw an increase in housing sales during the 1st Quarter 2011. Eleven of eighteen areas noted an uptick in median price and a decrease in new listings.
Existing-Home Sales Rise in March
Washington, DC, April 20, 2011 Sales of existing-home sales rose in March, continuing an uneven recovery that began after sales bottomed last July, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 3.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.10 million in March from an upwardly revised 4.92 million in February, but are 6.3 percent below the 5.44 million pace in March 2010. Sales were at elevated levels from March through June of 2010 in response to the home buyer tax credit.
Mortgage Rates Inch Up, Remain Below 5%: Freddie Mac
Mortgage rates inched up this past week, but still remain below the 5% threshold as the market approaches home-buying season, Freddie Mac said Thursday. The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 4.91% from 4.87% the previous week, but lower than last year’s rate of 5.07%. The 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage climbed to 4.13% from 4.1% and remains … Read more