The National Association of REALTORS® released its Existing Home Sales report for March on Monday. Sales dipped from February’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.95 million to 4.92 million existing homes sold in March, a decrease of 0.6 percent month-to-month. This reading was lower than Wall
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04/24/2013
The number of homes for sale in Orange County last week fell to their second-lowest level in numbers dating back nearly nine years.As of March 14, 3,183 Orange County homes were listed for sale in the MLS. A year earlier, Orange County had 7,000 homes for sale. The average in figures dating back
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03/25/2013
These days the media is full of headlines about housing taking the lead in the economic recovery. That's true, but the single minded emphasis on for-sale housing is misleading, when it seems to suggest that not much is happening in other real estate sectors.That's not true, because the apartment
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03/25/2013
The number of renters is on the rise in Orange County, but the number of rentals to choose from isn't keeping up with the rising demand. Orange County renters increased by 15.2 percent from 2005 to 2011. But rental homes in that period increased by just 11.4 percent.As a result, vacancies have dr
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03/25/2013
When it comes to housing data, sometimes you have to look past the headlines. December’s Housing Starts data offers a terrific illustration of why. Each month, the Census Bureau tallies Housing Starts for the month prior. A “housing start” is a home on which construction has started. The Housing
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01/20/2012
Mortgage markets improved last week, pushing mortgage rates in California lower for the second straight week. Conforming fixed and adjustable-rate mortgage cut new, all-time lows, and FHA mortgage rates did the same. In a holiday-shortened trading week, stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data a
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01/09/2012
Tuesday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled lender instructions for the government’s revamped HARP program, kick-starting a potential refinance frenzy across California and nationwide. HARP stands for Home Affordable Refinance Program. The updated program is meant to give “underwater homeowners”
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11/23/2011
After a brief return to lower, pre-2009 levels, FHA loan limits have been restored. As signed into law last Friday, maximum FHA loan limits are — once again — as high as $729,750. The move creates additional mortgage financing possibilities in more than 650 U.S. counties, and promises to increase
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11/23/2011
The housing market continues to signal that a broad rebound is underway. In October, despite sparse home inventory, the number of properties sold increased 1.4% nationwide. According to data from the National Association of REALTORS®, on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, October Existing H
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11/23/2011
For the first time in a year, homeowners with adjusting mortgages are facing rising mortgage rates. The interest rate by which many adjustable-rate mortgages adjust has climbed to its highest level since September 2010, and looks poised to reach higher. This is because of the formula by which
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09/13/2011