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Nearly 100 house markets improving
The list of housing markets showing measurable improvement expanded by 29 metros in February for a total of 98 entries on the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI). With the latest addition of Miami, the list now includes seven Florida cities: Cape Coral, Deltona, Jacksonville, Miami, North Port, Punta Gorda and Tampa. Thirty-six states have at least one metro area that’s improving. The index lists metropolitan areas that have shown improvement in housing permits, employment and house prices for...
read moreRate on 30-year FRM falls to record 3.87%
Rate on 30-year FRM falls to record 3.87% The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell this week to a record low, the ninth time that has happened in the last year. Even with the cheapest rates in history, the housing market remains depressed. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.87 percent this week. That’s below the previous record of 3.88 hit two weeks ago. The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.14 percent, also a record low. Records for mortgage rates date back to the...
read moreCore Logic releases 2011 home price stats
Core Logic released its December Home Price Index (HPI) report. Including distressed sales, home prices in the U.S. decreased 4.7 percent in 2011 compared with December 2010. Florida, however, fared a bit better than the national average with a price decline of only 3.3 percent. According to Core Logic, 2011 was the fifth consecutive year for a decrease in the HPI.
read moreFla. consumer confidence surges upward in January
Consumer confidence among Floridians surged in January, up seven points to 77 from a revised December reading of 70, marking a steady rise in optimism, according to the University of Florida’s monthly survey. Four of the five categories measured by the survey found increased optimism. One category that asks survey takers if they’re better off financially than they were a year ago rose four points to 60, its highest level since March 2008 when the U.S. economy began to falter. Expectations that their personal finances will improve by this...
read moreInterest rates will stay low, low, low
WASHINGTON – Jan. 26, 2011 – Consumers and businesses can brace for another two years of exceptionally low interest rates after the Federal Reserve said Wednesday it is likely to keep its rates below 1 percent until late 2014 because of the economy’s continued weakness. The decision means the era of historically low rates on loans – and savings – that the Fed kicked off at the peak of the financial crisis in late 2008 will run longer unless the economy improves faster than Fed policymakers predict. The Fed said unemployment would...
read moreAre cash buyers driving down home prices?
Are cash buyers driving down home prices? Cash buyers are sending home values down much lower than they otherwise would be, suggests a new survey by Campbell Inside Mortgage Finance, which polled more than 2,500 real estate agents nationwide. In its December Housing Pulse Tracking Survey, the company found that investors accounted for one out of three real estate transactions last month, and about 74 percent of those purchases by investors were made using all cash. “Investors have an over-sized command on the market since their ability to...
read moreJan. 20, 2012 Florida’s home, condo sales end 2011 higher
Fla.’s home, condo sales end 2011 higher Home sales rose 8%, condos 15%. Fla. home, condo median price in Dec. up 1%, 4% respectively. National sales up 5%. Jan. 20, 2012 – At the close of 2011, Florida’s existing home and condominium markets reported higher sales compared to the previous year, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. It was the third consecutive year for statewide home and condo sales activity to end the year on a positive upswing – higher year-over-year sales also were reported at the...
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