58th Annual Traditional SPANISH MARKET-This Weekend!

spanish marketSanta Fe, NM – With the generous support of the Qwest Foundation, the rich Hispanic culture of northern New Mexico will be celebrated at the 58th Traditional Spanish Market, Saturday and Sunday, July 25 & 26, 2009 on the Santa Fe Plaza. A popular event for residents and visitors alike, Spanish Market features handmade traditional arts by over 200 local Hispanic artists as well as continuous live music and dance, art demonstrations and regional foods. A separate youth exhibition area also features the work of some 100 emerging artists. The Market provides a unique opportunity for visitors to enjoy a taste of New Mexico’s vibrant Spanish culture, both past and present. Admission is free.

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Home Prices Up 1.6 Percent

Hinting at another small victory for the housing market, Denver-based Integrated Asset Services, LLC (IAS) has reported a gain in national home prices of 1.6 percent during the month of May. The company released its IAS360 House Price Index (HPI) recently, which showed an increase in property values in all four U.S. census regions.

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Santa Fe Honored Again

Travel and Leisure Magazine just named Santa Fe the #5 best city in the United States and Canada for travel experience. Rounding out the top five are:

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Signs of Life in Jumbo Lending

Big banks compete with credit unions, community banks

Jumbo lending is staging a comeback of sorts, with major lenders once again buying the oversize mortgages from other lenders or allowing independent mortgage brokers to originate loans for them.

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Pending Home Sales Up For 4th Straight Month

Home sales continued their modest upward swing in May, according to a closely watched industry report that rose for the fourth straight month for the first time in nearly 5 years. The Pending Home Sales Index, reported Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), rose 0.1% during the month. The index was up 6.7% … Read more

Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey

mortgageRISMEDIA, June 25, 2009-The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 19, 2009.  The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 548.2, an increase of 6.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis from 514.4 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 6.0% compared with the previous week and increased 17.2% compared with the same week one year earlier.

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