Jeffrey Samuels's Blog

  The National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped two points to 55 from September's revised reading of 57. Builder concerns over labor costs and availability and economic uncertainty related to the federal government shutdown were noted as factors contributing to...

  You might love your furry friends, but are their pet odors turning off potential buyers when you are trying to sell your home? Many cat and dog owners are around their animal companions so often that they become immune to the smell and don't notice it in their home, so you might not even realiz...

Home values are rising in many U.S. markets. The S&P/Case-Shiller Index has home values up 1.2 percent as compared to last year, and the government's Home Price Index shows an increase of 3.7 percent. This has been partially evidenced by rising median home sales prices nationwide. Versus last yea...

In July, the third time this year, the Pending Home Sales Index crossed its benchmark value of 100, moving to 101.7.  A "pending home sale" is a home under contract to sell, but not yet sold. Data for the index is collected by the National Association of REALTORS® and published monthly. The rise ...

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 buy...

Eariler this week, the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its 2-day meeting which ended August 1, 2012. Since the release, mortgage rates have dropped. The Fed Minutes are released on a schedule, three weeks after the FOMC adjourns from one of its 8 scheduled meetings of the year. The Fed ...

Home resales climbed 2% last month as the housing market continues its measured, steady recovery. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, Existing Home Sales rose to 4.47 million units in July on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis. An "existing home" is a home that cannot be clas...

Mortgage rates have been on steady decline since the start of 2012 as uncertainty for the future of the Eurozone and questions about the soundness of the U.S. economy have led investors into mortgage bonds in droves, lowering the 30-year fixed rate mortgage to its lowest point in history. But it...

The market for newly-built homes remains strong. As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, July featured 502,000 single-family housing startsnationwide on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, marking the fourth straight month during which single-family starts posted north of one-half million. Th...

Foreclosure pipelines are re-filling nationwide. According to data fromRealtyTrac, a national foreclosure-tracking firm, the number of foreclosure filings dipped below 192,000 in July 2012, a 3 percent decrease from the month prior. RealtyTrac defines a "foreclosure filing" as any foreclosure-rel...