Kevin Hawkins's (kevinhawkins) Blog

A good first impression is the way to start a great relationship. A negative first impression can often be overcome, but why give yourself the extra work? Statistics from psychological studies show what to do to make a first impression that will last. 1. Watch what you wear. First impressions are...

This is a week full of popular topics, starting with March New Home Sales, forecast to be up a bit from February. Thursday's Pending Home Sales for March will give us an idea of existing home closings a couple of months out, expected to be up a tad too. Wednesday, it's the Fed's FOMC rate decisio...

Bond prices drifted slightly higher for the week, as the market figured that all the federal government belt tightening would slow economic growth. This helps bonds and the price of the FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended the week up .05, closing at $98.20. National average rates for conforming mortgag...

In a four-day week of trading, investors sent stock prices back in the right direction (UP!), as all three major indexes posted gains. This happened in spite of some negative items that could have easily pulled things the opposite way. The biggest bit of bad news came Monday when Standard & Poor'...

The secret to success in business? Give terrific value, treat your customers well and watch your expenses. Experts say to focus on these three things and everything else will take care of itself. From my weekly enewsletter for real estate pros, INSIDE LENDING, for the week of April 25, 2011

The housing recovery isn't yet a success, but last week gave us a few good reasons to keep plugging along. First came March Housing Starts, bursting UP 7.2% to a 549,000 unit annual rate. February starts were also revised UP 6.9%. Then we found out new Building Permits surged 11.2% in March to a ...

Economists are sticking to their guns about no hike in the Fed Funds Rate for the near term. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same. Current Fed Funds Rate: 0%-0.25% After FOMC meeting on: Consensus Apr 27 0%-0.25% Jun 22 0%-0.25% Aug 9...

 Date Time (ET) Release For Consensus Prior Impact MApr 25 10:00 New Home Sales Mar 280K 250K Moderate TuApr 26 10:00 Consumer Confidence Apr 64.4 63.4 Moderate WApr 27 08:30 Durable Goods Orders Mar 1.9% -0.6% Moderate WApr 27 10:30 Crude Inventories 4/23 NA -2.322M Moderate WApr 27 12:30 FOMC ...

Today the HUD and the Census Bureau reported that Housing Starts were up 7.2% in March and Building Permits were up 11.2%, both above the revised Feb. 2011 numbers. The news release from the joint agencies can be found at: http://www.census.gov/const/newresconst.pdf My favorite financial blog dis...

HOMES STARTED, HOMES PERMITTED, HOMES SOLD...This week looks at a good part of the housing market. March Housing Starts on Tuesday are expected to be up nicely, the same as Building Permits, which show planned starts a month or two out. Wednesday's Existing Home Sales should report the annual rat...