Dec 24th 2010 8:00AM
Looking back on 2010, the year in real estate was, in a word, terrible. Property values continued to fall, foreclosures rose, and even the lowest interest rates in 50 years seemed to have little positive effect on the property market. For U. S. real estate, 2010 was the year of failed government intervention where nothing... Continue Reading »
Mar 4th 2010 9:30AM
The economy is strengthening in most parts of the U.S. -- but the recovery isn't translating into new jobs, according to the Beige Book report released today by the Federal Reserve. That doesn't bode well for the housing market, since long term unemployment is one of the top reasons homeowners are still losing their homes... Continue Reading »
Jan 25th 2010 1:29PM
Home-buyers have been enjoying rock-bottom mortgage interest rates. But several key factors threaten to disrupt the low rates, as well as the budding housing recovery. It has the makings of a perfect storm: The Federal Reserve may stop propping up the marketplace at the end of March. The home buyer tax credit ends April... Continue Reading »
Jan 5th 2010 11:30AM
Weak regulations for Wall Street, not low interest rates, caused the housing bubble, according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. In a speech to the annual meeting of the American Economic Association on January 3, Bernanke delivered a highly technical defense of the Fed's handling of events leading up to the... Continue Reading »
Dec 22nd 2009 11:10AM
Yesterday, Housing Watch's Brett Widness and Ana Maria Sencovici went head-to-head in a debate about the value of the standard 6 percent commission for real estate agents (or 3-and-3 for the common situation in which both buyer and seller retain an agent, and the two split the commission). Let's bring in a referee:... Continue Reading »
