1.Stocks: The sell-off saga continues
“Investors looking for a ray of hope from the banking sector will need to keep looking.”
2.Fannie Mae Selling to Investors Backpedals on Homebuyers
“Fannie Mae (FNMA) is selling more of its foreclosed properties to investors as prices rise, limiting homebuyers’ access to cheap housing.”
3.Are rising rates good for banks – and you?
“There’s a silver lining to rising mortgage rates, which have crept up over the past year. It’s now easier to get a mortgage — and it won’t likely take as long to close the loan, either.”
4.Rise in wholesale prices may signal strengthening economy
“WASHINGTON – The prices companies receive for their goods and services jumped in March led by gains for food, clothing, jewelry and chemicals. “
5.Mortgage rates fall but big banks doing less: Here’s why
“As investors flee the stock market and rush to the relative safety of bonds, consumers are seeing at least one benefit: Lower mortgage rates. The average rate on the 30-year fixed conforming loan ($417,000 or less) dropped from 4.5 percent to 4.375 percent for most borrowers and as low as 4.25 percent for those with the highest credit scores, according to Mortgage News Daily. “
6.How the economy stacks up: 2014 vs. 2007
“The number of people applying for new unemployment benefits has fallen to the lowest level since mid-2007, shortly before the Great Recession began.”
7.Why big data matters to agents and the buyers and sellers they serve
“What kind of insights can be developed by applying technology to massive amounts of data? How about an app that would let an agent see how their “social heat map” compares to other agents in their market, and recommend specific actions they can take to improve their social score? Those are the kinds of products that Software Incubator CEO Matt Kumar says his company is helping startups develop.”
8.Countertops 101: Today’s Kitchen Trends
“Granite is still the big dog in kitchen countertops, and the No. 1 most requested material when it comes to kitchen remodels.”
9.Back to the city: Re-urbanization movement brings opportunities
“Over the past few years, economic and demographic trends have led to what’s known as reurbanization—the movement of residents from the suburbs back to urban areas. Because much of this activity involves developing communities that had previously been neglected, it’s providing opportunities for commercial real estate firms. “