1.Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
“Mortgage applications increased 5.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 2, 2014.”
2.Americans Shut Out of Housing as FHA Fees Jump: Mortgages
“After two months of looking for a home to buy, Brittani Kaufman walked into a townhouse under construction in Glen Burnie, Maryland, in April. “
3.Is it better to remodel or buy a bigger home?
“When Dave Payne married last December, he and his wife Jeannette decided to renovate the home she was already living in for over a decade in Winter Haven, Fla., thinking it would be cheaper than moving to another house. They spent $3,000 updating the 1987 interior with new paint, curtains, plugs, switches and repairing the sprinkler system. “
4.Toughest markets for renters looking to buy
“It’s not easy for first-time home buyers to make a purchase, thanks to stringent mortgage underwriting standards and tight inventory among lower-priced homes, said Steve Brown, president of the National Association of Realtors.”
5.How do major investors view the real estate market?
“A new quarterly report for gauging the real estate market, “The United Realty/Zogby Real Estate Confidence Index,” was released today.”
6.Real Estate Market Across the Board Looks Stellar for Texas
“Prudential Texas Properties reports all sectors of the real estate market have proven to be successful in 2013 and are projected to have great years in 2014, as the Fort Worth residential real estate market is already showing its muscles at the start of the spring season.”
7.A look into a housing inflexion point: 6 charts highlighting a dysfunctional housing market. Living at home into old age not promising for a resurgence in housing.
“You would think that with all the surefire bets in housing that people would be dialing up their realtors and heading out every weekend to make those lustful multiple offers presented in PowerPoint format on properties.”
8.Build or buy: There is no right answer
“With both new construction and existing sales on the rise across the country, the question for many potential homeowners has become whether to build new or buy an existing home. Realtors say there are benefits to both and the choice really depends on the individual’s needs.”
9.How To Measure Wall Street Reform
“Is Wall Street reform impacting the mortgage system? If we’re to believe the American Enterprise Institute’s International Center On Housing Risk, the answer is plainly no.”
10.Home prices continue their upward trek in March
“Home prices continued their steady climb upward in March and are helping crimp home sales in this year’s spring buying season, according to a report from analytics firm CoreLogic.”
11.Reverse Mortgages—Avoid a Reversal of Fortune
“If you are in your sixties, and own your home, you have likely heard about reverse mortgages—or will soon.”
12.Home buyers want new, but won’t pay for it
“A new survey finds that more than 40 percent of home buyers would prefer to buy new homes despite the ever-growing premium for a newly built home in the wake of a weak winter for residential sales and construction.”