National Association Of Realtors | M Squared Real Estate

Apr 29

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – April 29, 2013

April 29, 2013 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

Mortgage rates fell again last week and are again near record lows. According to Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage did achieve a record low of 2.61 percent as compared to 3.1 percent one year ago. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to 3.40 percent and near the record low of 3.31 percent. Low mortgage rates are helping homeowners with refinancing and are boosting housing markets as more buyers can qualify for mortgage loans. Home … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Consumer Confidence, Economy, Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Federal Open Market Committee, Financial News, Freddie Mac, Friday, mortgage rates, National Association of Realtors, U.S. Housing Market

Nov 30

Pending Home Sales Index Leaps To Multi-Year High

November 30, 2012 By Claire Welsh Leave a Comment

Homes were sold at a furious pace last month. According the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), the Pending Home Sales Index rose 5.2 percent in October, crossing the benchmark 100 reading, and moving to 104.8. It's a 5-point improvement from September's revised figure and the highest reading April 2010 -- the last month of that year's federal home buyer tax credit. October also marks the 18th consecutive month during which the index showed year-to-year gains. As a housing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: NAR, National Association of Realtors, October 2011, Pending Home Sales Index, PHSI, Real estate economics, Real estate pricing

Nov 23

More Bullish Data : Housing Starts Climb 3.6%

November 23, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie 1 Comment

According to a joint release from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Housing Starts rose 3.6% in October 2012, climbing to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized rate of 894,000 units. A "housing start" is a new home on which construction has started and the report gives buyers and sellers across DC yet one more reason to be optimistic for the 2013 housing market. Regionally, Housing Starts varied. The West and Midwest Regions posted gains between … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Census Bureau, Existing Home Sales, Housing Starts, Midwest Region, National Association of Realtors, New Year, Northeast Region, Single-family detached home, United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

Nov 16

Bank Repossessions Slip For 24th Consecutive Month

November 16, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie Leave a Comment

According to data from RealtyTrac, a national foreclosure-tracking firm, the number of foreclosure filings increased 3 percent in October as compared to September 2012, climbing to 186,455 U.S. properties. RealtyTrac defines a "foreclosure filing" as any foreclosure-related action including a Notice of Default, a Scheduled Auction, or a Bank Repossession. On average, 1 in every 706 U.S. homes had a foreclosure filing during the month of October. For the 24th consecutive month, the number … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Florida, foreclosure, Foreclosures, National Association of Realtors, New Jersey, New York, October, RealtyTrac, REO, United States

Oct 30

Pending Home Sales Index Suggests Housing Momentum Into 2013

October 30, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

The home resales is expected to finish the year with strength. Last month, for the fifth straight month, the Pending Home Sales Index hovered near its benchmark value of 100, registering 99.5 in September. The Pending Home Sales Index tracks homes under contract to sell, but not yet sold, and is published by the National Association of REALTORS®. The index is a relative one. It compares today's housing market activity to the housing market activity of 2001 -- the index's first year of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: NAR, National Association of Realtors, New Home Sales, Pending Home Sales Index, PHSI, Real estate economics, September, September 2011, U.S. Housing Market

Oct 24

Home Supplies Drop To Multi-Year Low

October 24, 2012 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

As the third quarter closed, home resales showed considerable momentum nationwide. The National Association of REALTORS® reports Existing Home Sales at 4.75 million units in September 2012 on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, an 11 percent increase from one year ago. An "existing home" is a home that's been previously occupied; a resale. The reading marks the second-highest tally of the year -- second only to August 2012 when 4.83 million homes were sold on a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Existing Home Sales, Existing Home Supply, foreclosure, NAR, National Association of Realtors, real estate, Real estate pricing, Sales, September, U.S. Housing Market, washington dc

Sep 25

Existing Home Sales Leap To 2-Year High

September 25, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie 1 Comment

The home resale market put forth another strong data set last week. Home sales prices are higher nationwide and sales volume has moved to a 2-year high. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 4.82 million "existing homes" sold on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis in August, representing a near 8 percent improvement from the month prior and a nine percent jump from August 2011. An existing home is a home which has been previously occupied. Home sales were unevenly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC, Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: August, dc, District of Columbia, Existing Home Sales, Existing Housing Supply, First-time buyer, Mortgage loan, NAR, National Association of Realtors, Percentage, real estate, Real estate pricing, Sales, washington dc

Sep 24

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : September 24, 2012

September 24, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

Mortgage markets improved for the second consecutive week last week as demand for U.S. mortgage-backed bonds remained high. A series of economic reports showed strength in housing and a stability in jobs. Wall Street looked past it, however, to send mortgage rates to their lowest levels in history. One week into the Federal Reserve's newest bond-buying program, the stimulus appears to be working. According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate slipped to 3.49% … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Federal Reserve System, Fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac, Housing Starts, Mortgage loan, National Association of Realtors, PCE, Point (mortgage), QE3, Wall Street

Sep 06

Case-Shiller Index Shows Huge Home Price Gain

September 6, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie Leave a Comment

Home prices continue to rise nationwide. According to the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller Index, home prices rose 6.9% between the first and second quarter of 2012, the largest quarter-to-quarter gain since the home-value tracker's 1987 inception and another signal that the housing market is in recovery. The private-sector metric's results are similar to what the government's Home Price Index showed for June, too -- values rising quickly. In addition, for the second straight month, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Case-Shiller Index, dc, District of Columbia, Home Price Index, Home Values, National Association of Realtors, real estate, Real estate economics, Real estate pricing, Standard & Poor, washington dc

Aug 29

New Home Sales Reach Multi-Year High

August 29, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie Leave a Comment

The market for newly-built homes remains strong. As reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, 372,000 new homes were sold in July on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis. A "new home" is a home that can be considered new construction. July's New Home Sales report highlights what today's buyers of new construction and the nation's home builders have witnessed for themselves already -- that the market for newly-built homes is improving in DC and nationwide. The number of new homes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Selling Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Builder Confidence, July, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, New Home Sales, New Home Supply, Real estate economics, Real estate pricing, United States, United States Department of Commerce