Most Recent in News economics

Nearly Half Must Return Homebuyer Tax Credit To IRS
on September 18,2010

Approximately 1.8 million taxpayers claimed a total of almost $12.5 billion in first-time homebuyer credits in 2009. More than 950,000 taxpayers will be required to repay the credits.

Major Bank Analysts Bearish on Housing Recovery
on September 18,2010

Analysts have lowered estimates for a recovery in the housing market between next year and 2014.

New Plan Gives Government First Dibs On Foreclosures
on September 18,2010

A new program allows government agencies and their partners to have exclusive purchase rights on foreclosed homes before families, investors and the rest of the private market is allowed to bid....

Freddie Mac estimates home sales to fall another 23 percent in 3Q
on September 18,2010

In its September economic outlook, Freddie Mac expects third quarter new and existing home sales to reach an annualized rate of 4 million, a possible 20.7% decline from last year and 23% drop from...

U.S. Home Prices Face Three-Year Drop as Supply Gains
on September 18,2010

The slide in U.S. home prices may have another three years to go as sellers add as many as 12 million more properties to the market. Shadow inventory is preventing prices from bottoming after a 28...

Indices Mauled
on July 31,2006
Margot Crabtree reports on the declining housing market, fluctuating Product Manufacturers Index and the potential economic fallout -- inflation.
Materials Costs Skyrocket
on June 30,2006
There's no relief in sight for remodeling firms that have been hit hard by the increased cost of building materials, says economist Ken Simonson. Simonson, chief economist for the Associated...
Remodeling Expenditures Drop
on April 30,2006
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies says the estimated recent growth of homeowner remodeling spending has eased substantially but still remains near its long-term rate of 5 percent.
Indices Finish Quarter in the Black
on March 31,2006
Despite rising oil prices and a drop in consumer spending and income, indices closed in positive terrain for the month ending March 31, 2006. The Builders' Index added 12.32 points, or 0.98...
Indices Slide into Negative Terrain
on January 31,2006
Some negative news including predictions of a sustained decline in the housing market in 2006 slowed the markets in December. The anticipated so-called Santa Claus rally never materialized, but other...
Manufacturers Up, Builders Down
on November 30,2005
A Halloween rally wasn't enough to bring the major indices into positive terrain for the session ending October 31, 2005. Consumer spending rose 0.5 percent after a drop in the previous month....
Land Acquisition and Development Finance Part 3
on September 30,2005
In last month's article, we discussed the process of finding land to develop as well as how to conduct the preliminary investigation and financial analysis. This article will discuss tying up the...
Mixed Close for Building and National Markets
on August 01,2005
The month and June quarter ended mixed as markets reacted to the expected quarter point hike by the Federal Reserve. The ninth increase in a year left Wall Street hoping for an easing in the hikes in...
Stocks Crawl to End First Quarter
on May 31,2005
Wall Street ended a sluggish quarter on March 31, 2005, the close of our trading session, sagging on stellar oil prices. Investment firm Goldman Sachs predicted a sharp jump in energy prices, and...
Second Home Purchases for Investment are on the Rise
on March 31,2005
A National Association of Realtors' (NAR) study of second home purchases recently revealed a wave of new speculators in the real estate market. With investment home sales making up 23% of the...
Home Ownership Gaps Signal Untapped Minority Market
on March 31,2005
Recent research at the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California shows persistent racial gaps in U.S. home ownership rates. However, that bad news has a good side: there...
2005 Forecast Sunny, Not Record-breaking
on February 28,2005

Predicting the Future is tricky business. Last year, housing experts uniformly predicted that home building would come off its hot streak, but record results proved them wrong. Now they agree that...

The Road to Referrals
on November 30,2004
Superior customer service is the number one way remodelers can (and should) differentiate themselves from inferior competition. In the ongoing battle for customers' trust and — ultimately...
Zero-Energy Homes is Latest Option
on November 30,2004
San Francisco Bay area's Ponderosa Homes showcases its Zero-Energy home — one of the home builder's newest options — at The Classics at Ironwood in Pleasanton, Calif., through an...
49 Home Sales In One Day
on November 30,2004
Crosswinds Communities, headquartered in the Detroit area, recently enjoyed huge success with a lottery that resulted in 49 home sales in one day in its 727-acre, award-winning master-planned...