Housing Market
All Reports
May 7, 2015
Profits are weakening, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might be even more fiscally fragile today than they were in 2008. That means a ripple in the housing market could leave taxpayers on the hook for another bailout. For that we can blame Congress and the White House, which never got around to fixing the companies after the mortgage meltdown. That indifference could cost us as much as $157.3 billion for a second bailout if the economy goes really south.
May 5, 2015
Bidding wars gained steam as the spring home-buying season got under way, with 61 percent of offers written by Redfin agents facing competition from other buyers in March. That’s up from 57 percent in February, but down slightly from 63 percent in March 2014.
April 29, 2015
Homeownership fell to its lowest level since 1989, to 63.8 percent. The last time it was this low, gas cost less than $1 a gallon, Paula Abdul was topping the charts and mortgage interest rates were above 10 percent. Millennials like Sara Stevens, 28, might be one reason the rate is so low.
April 23, 2015
New home sales in March were far below what most economists expected, reaching a pace of 481,000 a year instead of the anticipated 515,000, the Commerce Department reported. While newly built houses and condominiums make up less than 10 percent of the overall market, they’re important.
April 23, 2015
As of March 31, nearly 70 percent of houses on the market were stale, meaning they’ve languished unsold for more than a month. A home that’s been sitting for 30 days is more likely to be overpriced, in need of renovation or to have other problems that prevent it from selling.
