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Apr 25

New Home Sales Revised Higher In February; Slip 7% In March

New Home Sales

Sales of new homes ticked lower in March, unexpectedly. Based on Census Bureau data, the number of new, single-family homes sold in March slipped 7 percent from February -- the largest one-month drop in more than a year. On a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, buyers in DC and nationwide purchased 328,000 newly-built homes last month. The decrease in sales from February to March can be attributed, in part, though, to a massive upward revision in February's figures. Last month, the … [Read more...]

Dec 30

Pending Home Sales Index Rises Back Above 100

Pending Home Sales District of Columbia

Low home prices and mortgage rates have combined to push home affordability to record levels nationwide. Home buyers are taking advantage. The Pending Home Sales Index rose 7 percent in November to rise to its highest level since April 2010, the last month of last year's home buyer tax credit program. The Pending Home Sales Index is published monthly by the National Association of REALTORS®. It measures homes under contract nationwide, but not yet "sold". In this way, the Pending Home … [Read more...]

Dec 23

Pay Your Mortgage Early, Boost Your 2011 Federal Income Tax Deductions

Time is running out to boost to your 2011 federal tax refund. All you have to do is make your January 2012 mortgage payment while it's still December. It's a simple tax strategy that works because of how mortgage interest is paid, and of how the U.S. tax code is written. Different from rent which is paid for the month ahead (i.e. "you're paying January's rent"), mortgage payments are made only after mortgage interest has accrued (i.e. "you're paying for money you've already borrowed from … [Read more...]

Dec 22

Home Supplies Fall To 7.0 Months Nationwide; Buyer Demand Strong

Existing Home Supply November 2011

Home resales moved to a 10-month high in November, the latest in a series of strong showings from the housing sector. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, November's Existing Home Sales rose to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized 4.42 million units nationwide --  a 4 percent climb from October 2011. An "existing home" is a home that has been previously occupied and cannot be categorized as new construction. Home buyers and sellers throughout DC should take note of … [Read more...]

Dec 13

A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (December 13, 2011 Edition)

Tuesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. The vote was nearly unanimous for the second straight month. Just one FOMC member dissented in the vote, favoring additional policy stimulus beyond what the Federal Reserve currently provides. In its press release, the Federal Reserve sais that the the U.S. economy is improving, noting that since its November 2011 meeting, the economy has been … [Read more...]