Hardt Real Estate

07/03/2013

U.S. home prices jumped 12.2 percent in May from a year ago, the most in seven years. The increase suggests the housing recovery is strengthening.

06/12/2013

Demonstrating the power of rising home prices, the number of underwater homeowners has dropped below 10 million for the first time in more than at least three years.

Nationwide, 9.7 million, or 19.8% of homeowners with a mortgage, owed more on their homes than they were worth as of March, says market researcher CoreLogic.

That’s down from 12.1 million at the end of 2011, just as home price gains were kicking off in many markets.

All told, the nation’s negative equity decreased more than $50 billion to $580 billion as of March, down from $631 billion in December, CoreLogic says.

Rising home prices, up 12.1% in April year-over-year, have lifted 1.7 million home loan borrowers above water in the past year, the data show.

If prices continue to rise, more borrowers will likely list homes for sale. That will moderate price gains in many of the fast-appreciating markets, says Mark Fleming, CoreLogic chief economist.

06/12/2013

Rising mortgage rates are not yet jeopardizing housing affordability, according to a new report by Goldman Sachs that found affordability still far above past average levels.

“For a mortgage interest rate of 3.81 percent, the average homebuyer can afford to buy a house worth $279,000 – 45 percent above the current median sales price of existing homes,” according to the Goldman Sachs report. “Even if mortgage rates continue to increase from here, the median home will still be affordable to the median borrower, based on the conventional 25 percent debt-to-income threshold.”

Goldman Sachs researchers say that from 2014 to 2016, they expect housing prices will increase about 4 to 5 percent each year.

06/04/2013

Mortgage rates will continue to rise. They will probably be near 5 percent by this time next year, compared to the 3.5 percent average of the past 12 months...

05/31/2013

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages jumped this week to their highest levels in a year, signaling slightly higher costs for homebuyers. But rates still remain low by historical standards.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for the 30-year loan rose to 3.81 percent, up from 3.59 percent last week. That’s still not far from the 3.31 percent rate reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971.

05/30/2013

Interesting...this is what the typical home sold last year looked like. More information and details can be found in the 2013 Profile of Buyers' Home Features Preferences: http://www.realtor.org/reports/home-feature-preferences

05/28/2013

11 tips for creating a welcoming entry way: http://bit.ly/HLfb_FrontEntry

These quick and easy tips can make your front door shine.

05/28/2013

The Consumer Confidence Index is arguably the most important economic statistic released each month that most people ignore.
A positive index number means Americans are feeling secure in the economy and their ability to spend – and their spending feeds an increased rebound as they buy homes, furniture, cars and more. Upbeat attitudes are a precursor to other positive indicators, such as a rising home demand and selling prices.
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in April, increased again in May. The Index now stands at 76.2 (1985=100), up from 69.0 in April. The Present Situation Index increased to 66.7 from 61.0. The Expectations Index, which gauges attitudes about the future six months from now, improved to 82.4 from 74.3.

05/24/2013

See how your state compares to others.

FHFA price data shows that home prices across the United States rose 6.7 percent from the first quarter of 2012 to the first quarter of 2013. In 41 states and...

05/23/2013

50 acres of waterfront in Greenwich, Connecticut recently hit the market at $190 million, becoming the most expensive listing in the U.S. | http://bloom.bg/10M78gj

(Photo: Zillow)