housing market

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As Ariz. Housing Heads South, Kidnappers Move In

Failing housing market leaves homes abandoned for kidnappers to use

(Newser) - Gangs of kidnappers preying on illegal Mexicans immigrants or drug rivals are turning Phoenix into the kidnap capital of the US, reports the Wall Street Journal. In one raid, 30 shivering, half-naked smuggled immigrants were discovered in an abandoned home. They had been shaken down for thousands of dollars. The...

Celebs Headed for Foreclosure

Jacko, Canseco, Ed McMahon fight for roofs over their heads

(Newser) - Even the famous aren't immune to foreclosure, as these celebrities, listed in Forbes, prove:
  • Xzibit: A pimped ride hasn’t been enough to pay the bills on his $536,000 Woodland Hills, Calif., home.
  • Jose Canseco: The ex-ballplayer, who penned a book on big-league steroids, stands to lose his $2.
...

Housing Market Woes Hit Home for Geithner

Treasury secretary can't sell, stuck renting out his NY home

(Newser) - Housing market troubles are getting personal for Tim Geithner, the AP reports. The Treasury secretary bought his five-bedroom suburban New York Tudor for $1.6 million in 2004; after moving to Washington, he tried to sell it for $1.635 million. The price later dropped to $1.575 million, but...

Home-Sale Index Skyrockets, Boosting Recovery Hopes

(Newser) - Pending sales of existing US homes soared in April, posting their largest jump since October 2001. Combined with a 3.2% jump in March, the 6.7% increase in April—far more than the forecast 0.5%—suggests a longer-term upward trend, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dipping prices, low...

'F@$%! I Wish I'd Refinanced My House'

With mortgage rates rising, homeowners regret not acting sooner

(Newser) - Many homeowners are kicking themselves for not refinancing sooner now that mortgage rates are climbing, ABC News reports. “I was going to save $325 a month, and that covers all kind of things, from gas to groceries,” lamented one. “$325 is a lot of money.” And...

Mortgage Rates Hit 3-Month High

Housing and consumer-spending rebound hopes endangered

(Newser) - Mortgage rates jumped to a three-month high yesterday, putting hopes for a rebound in the housing market and consumer spending at risk, the Wall Street Journal reports. The average 30-year fixed rate hit 5.44% from 5.29% the day before and 5.03% Tuesday. The rates make it tougher...

Dow Up 196 on Confidence Data
 Dow Up 196 on Confidence Data 
MARKETS
May 26, 2009 3:11 PM CDT

Dow Up 196 on Confidence Data

(Newser) - A positive report on consumer confidence gave stocks a boost today, despite poor numbers from the housing sector, the Wall Street Journal reports; financials and construction-related stocks jumped as much as 5%. Home prices, however, were down 19.1% from the first quarter of 2008. The Dow gained 196.17...

Stocks Down on Housing Data
 Stocks Down on 
 Housing Data 
MARKET Open
May 26, 2009 8:48 AM CDT

Stocks Down on Housing Data

(Newser) - A bad Case-Shiller number helped push stocks lower at the open, with the Dow down 37 points, and the Nasdaq and S&P down 0.4% and 0.5% respectively. Home prices fell more than 10% year-over-year in 15 of the 20 major metropolitan areas monitored by the Case-Shiller index,...

New Foreclosure Legislation May Not Be Enough

Congressional aid to homeowners may need overhaul, not 'patches'

(Newser) - Congress’ Hope for Homeowners plan was aimed at fighting the foreclosure epidemic, and it’s been a success for exactly one person. Now, lawmakers have put “patches” on the legislation—but some worry the fixes aren’t going to do the job, ProPublica reports. Instead, it needs “some...

Investors Storm Housing Market

Aim to take advantage of current low prices

(Newser) - Investors are snatching up cheap houses, hoping to turn a profit when the market picks up, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some are foraging far and wide for potential purchases; others are locals who know the ins and outs of the area market. Investors often make all-cash offers, helping them...

Foreclosure Crisis Wallops Minority Neighborhoods

Lenders accused of 'redlining' black neighborhoods for subprime loans

(Newser) - The national foreclosure crisis is battering minority neighborhoods with disproportionate force, the New York Times reports. Few areas in the New York region have been untouched by the crisis, but 85% of the worst-hit neighborhoods have a majority of black and Latino homeowners. Experts blame the trend on subprime lenders'...

1 in 5 Homeowners Underwater
 1 in 5 Homeowners Underwater 
May 6, 2009 7:09 AM CDT

1 in 5 Homeowners Underwater

Negative equity spikes to 21.9% as prices keep dropping

(Newser) - More than one in five American homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, according to a new study. The increase in negative equity has been accompanied by new signs that first-time buyers are taking advantage of lower prices in the housing market. But as prices continue...

In Market Hit Early, Signs of a Recovery
In Market Hit Early, Signs of
a Recovery
ANALYSIS
May 5, 2009 8:53 AM CDT

In Market Hit Early, Signs of a Recovery

Some see bottom, others 'fool's gold' in Sacramento real estate

(Newser) - In Sacramento, one of the first US cities to see the housing market crumble, there are glimmers of recovery, the New York Times reports. Sales have jumped 45% from last year, and investors and first-time buyers are on the prowl. “It’s fragile, and it could easily be fleeting,...

Faux Owners Dress Up Luxury Homes for Sale

Rewards await those who can make an empty house look like a million dollars lives there

(Newser) - The slump at the top of the property market has been a bonus for people who can make a mansion look like a happy home but can't afford one of their own, reports the Wall Street Journal. Realtors stuck with empty luxury homes have been seeking the services of resident...

March New Home Sales Down 0.6%
March New Home Sales Down 0.6%
Apr 24, 2009 11:09 AM CDT

March New Home Sales Down 0.6%

But that's good news: Numbers are actually better than expected

(Newser) - New US home sales dipped slightly last month but still beat expectations as builders start to see long-awaited encouraging signs about the housing market—including a dip in the inventory of new homes for sale. Sales fell 0.6% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 356,000,...

Existing Home Sales Tumble 3% in March

(Newser) - First-time homebuyers looking for bargains snapped up about half of all US homes sold last month, but the spring selling season got off to a lackluster start, with sales falling more than expected from February levels. Home sales fell 3% to an annual rate of 4.57 million in March...

New Home Construction Down 11% in March

Slow pace projects that market dive hasn't run its course

(Newser) - Housing construction plunged to the second-lowest level on record last month, providing a sobering sign that the worst housing slump in decades has not ended. Construction of new homes dropped by nearly 11% , the second-lowest construction pace in records that go back 50 years. The decline was worse than economists...

Foreclosures Draw Eager Buyers, but Banks Drag Feet

Red tape and bureaucracy hinder efforts to buy repo'd properties

(Newser) - Bargain hunters are turning to foreclosed homes for deals, but many are finding that buying repossessed properties from banks is a bureaucratic nightmare, the Washington Post reports. Though the housing market cannot stabilize until the unprecedented volume of foreclosures is sold off, banks are sluggish to act and fraught with...

Banks Launch Mortgage Refinancing Program

(Newser) - The country’s top lenders are slowly implementing the Obama administration’s plan to help otherwise ineligible borrowers to refinance their mortgages at the current bargain-basement rates, the Wall Street Journal reports. The program is open to those with mortgages owned by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae who are current...

Crashed Market Opens Doors for New Homeowners

Foreclosed homes affordable to middle-class families

(Newser) - Since the real estate market collapsed, buying a home has become possible for middle-class families for whom it was previously out of reach, the New York Times reports. Taina Goldman, a Miami nurse, recently paid $187,000 for a house worth $370,000 three years ago. And she’s not...

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