According to the January Case-Schiller Index, values are down 3.1% from last year, retreating to the same levels from Summer 2003. As a buyer or seller in today’s market, though, don’t read too much into it. The Case-Shiller Index is far too flawed to be the final word in housing.
Monthly Archive: March 2011
Mar 29
Pending Home Sales Rebound; Suggest Brighter Spring For Housing
February’s Pending Home Sales Index rebound breaks a 2-month losing streak, and reverses recent downward momentum in housing.
Mar 28
Mortgage Rates for Boise Idaho This Week: March 28, 2011
Mortgage markets worsened last week as nuclear meltdown concerns eased across Japan, and the war within Libya moved closer to a potential finish.
Mar 25
15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgages Look Cheap Compared To Comparable 30-Year Fixeds
If you’ve ever explored the idea of using a 15-year fixed rate mortgage for your home, the math is in your favor today. Talk to your loan officer before rates start rising.
Mar 24
New Home Sales Fall To All-Time, Recorded Low. Maybe.
Sales of newly-built homes plunged 17 percent to an seasonally-adjusted, annualized 250,000 units in February, and the supply of new homes rose to 8.9 months in February — a 1.5 month jump from January. But there’s more to the story.
Mar 23
10 U.S. Cities With The Steepest Rent Increases (2010)
The average apartment vacancy rate is 6.6% nationwide, down from 8.0% last year, and the number of occupied apartments rose by more during Q4 2010 than during any comparable period of the last 10 years. It’s a major reason why rents are up 2.3%.
Mar 22
Existing Home Sales Unexpectedly Drop In February
Existing Home Sales fell 10 percent last month, according to a report from the National Association of REALTORS®.
Mar 21
Mortgage Rates for Boise Idaho This Week: March 21, 2011
Last week marked the 5th straight week through which mortgage rates improved. It’s the longest such streak since August 2010 and, this week, rates may run lower again. You may not want to gamble on it, though.
Mar 18
Good News For Sellers — Housing Starts Plummet In February
Home prices are based on supply and demand and overall home supply looks headed for a fall. Sellers are poised to regain negotiation leverage.
Mar 17
Homebuilders Expect More Sales Volume This Year
According to the monthly Housing Market Index as published by the National Association of Homebuilders, after 4 straight months of reading 16, March homebuilder confidence ticked 1 point higher to 17. It’s the highest confidence reading in 10 months.