Monthly Archives: June 2012
Home Prices Up, New-Home Sales Surging
The Mortgage Corner Sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 7.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369,000 units in May, according to newly released data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. Why are new-home sales important? … Continue reading
Builder Confidence Highest Since 2007
The Mortgage Corner Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes gained one point in June from a slightly revised level in the previous month to rest at 29 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing … Continue reading
Why Our Declining Safety Net?
Popular Economics Weekly Why are the fears of a declining social safety net for social security and Medicare increasing? Barron’s Gene Epstein recently warned of dire consequences for future generations as some 78 million baby boomers begin to retire. . … Continue reading
Housing Recovery Has Begun
The Mortgage Corner This may be the brashest of predictions. Can residential real estate prices actually be recovering? Yes, as housing inventories decline. The National Association of Realtors just reported on the national level, inventory of for-sale single family homes, … Continue reading
What Do the Latest Jobs Numbers Mean?
Financial FAQs The May employment report showed the economy slowing, but pundits may be jumping to conclusions. For though the unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent in May from 8.1 percent the prior month, that was because 642,000 more began … Continue reading
What to Do With Lowest Mortgage Rates in History?
The Mortgage Corner Mortgage rates are the lowest since the Mortgage Bankers Association survey began in the 1970s, at 3.91 percent for the conforming 30-year fixed rate, but actually lower with many lenders. I am seeing rates as low as … Continue reading
What Happened to the Bush Tax Cuts?
Popular Economics Weekly The debt ceiling debate is about to begin again, and House Speaker Boehner has said he will continue to press for more tax cuts without raising additional revenues, reviving the possibility of more budget gridlock and credit … Continue reading
