1.Stocks soar on last day of choppy quarter
“The Dow rose more than 120 points, while the S&P 500 is now within spitting distance of its all-time high. The Nasdaq jumped 1%. “
2.Stocks rise sharply as quarter ends
“Stocks rose broadly in late-morning trading Monday as the market headed for its fifth straight quarterly gain. Dow member Johnson & Johnson rose on news that it was selling a diagnostics business. “
3.4 reasons the Fed won’t raise interest rates anytime soon
“Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said early Monday that the economy and the job market are still ailing and that they will need “extraordinary” assistance from the central bank in the form of low interest rates “for some time.”
4.Home Sales in U.S. Poised to Surge With Spring: Mortgages
“Donna Cicerone and her husband Paul want to put their three-bedroom home in Milton, Massachusetts, on the market. First, they have to find a house to buy. “
5.10 things your real-estate agent won’t tell you; What buyers and sellers should know about that 6% commission
“U.S. home prices have rebounded to mid-2004 levels, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller home price survey, and though monthly gains are slowing, this spring — traditionally the prime home-buying season — looks to be a sellers’ market. “
6.Real estate’s red-hot category: Apartments
“A lull in the single-family housing recovery this winter made for a surprise comeback in a sector thought to be overbuilt and overblown: multifamily real estate investment trusts (REITs). “
7.In California buying is about timing and speculation: Since 2000 the California housing market has experienced more dramatic booms and busts courtesy of speculation, investors, and new financial products.
“California’s housing market is a boom and bust machine tuned to attract the masses. Timing matters in a state where speculation is rampant. Since 2005 California home owners have received over 2,000,000+ foreclosure notices. Of course this goes into the graveyard of foreclosure information that we seem to forget each time the market booms. “
8.Housing Prices: Up Or Down? How To Understand Today’s Case-Shiller Data
“Today S&P/Case-Shiller released its monthly housing data report, the leading measure of home prices across the nation. Immediately, reporters posted dozens of stories about January’s numbers–with oddly contradictory headlines.”
9.Is American Real Estate Out Of The Woods?
“For some time virtually all markers have pointed to an improving US real estate picture and yet there remains an undercurrent of unease. So are we out of the financial woods?”
10.The Five Biggest Turn-offs For Homebuyers
“A lot of sellers don’t listen to their real estate agents, so we’ll tell you what your agent wants to say, but can’t say to you and this is it – your agent can’t get you the price you want unless your home is in pristine move-in condition.”