Posts with tag jobs

Chris O'Brien became a part-time real estate agent for Re/Max in Doylestown, Pa. about 18 months ago because the economy had him feeling a little uncertain in his full-time sales position in the health care field. Now O'Brien is up against backlash from full-time agents, who have recently released ad campaigns and internet... Continue Reading »

Minnesota homeowner Matt Kreger refinanced his $168,000 mortgage into a 4.75 percent 30-year fixed-rate three weeks ago, to get out of a 5-year, interest-only ARM with a 5.7 percent rate, which was set to change at the end of September. Borrowers such as Kreger were part of a push before Labor Day to close on the... Continue Reading »

Could a double dip in the housing market be on the way? That's what influential banking analyst Meredith Whitney told CNBC's Squawk Box yesterday. And while the news is not all gloom and doom, Whitney -- one of Wall Street's best-known bears -- sees what she calls some "scary" behaviors by consumers that will continue to... Continue Reading »

Hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs and filed for unemployment last week. Officials processed claims at a seasonally-adjusted rate of 484,000 a week, up 24,000 from the week before, according to the Department of Labor. The rise in initial unemployment claims was the second in a row. Economists were surprised... Continue Reading »

Peace in our time! Mission accomplished! Unemployment down! The unemployment rate unexpectedly dipped below 10 percent in January, to 9.7 percent, according to the Labor Department. And stock markets rallied on the news. A jobless rate below 10 percent is certainly good for morale -- and for real estate. But hold the... Continue Reading »