Housing Recovery Has Been Slight and Erratic

For all the talk of post-recession recovery, rising prices, and a brisk sellers’ market, barely a third of homes in the U.S. have values surpassing their pre-crash peaks. But even that recovery is far from even, according to a report released by Trulia Wednesday morning.

Trulia’s chief economist, Ralph McLaughlin, wrote that only 34.2 percent of homes nationally have seen their values surpass 2006 numbers. But that percentage belies wildly uneven pockets of recovery. Of large U.S. metros, some, such as Denver, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Dallas, have seen more than 90 percent of homes recover fully and surpass 2006 peaks. But then there are metros like Las Vegas and Tucson,  where fewer than 3 percent of…

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Fed Nixes Interest Rate Hike in May Meeting

After a two-day meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee has opted to keep the federal funds interest rate as-is—a surprise to many, given the widely held assumption that not one, but two more rate hikes were on the agenda for 2017.

According to the Federal Reserve, the improving labor market, moderate job gains, a lower unemployment rate, and steady inflation all factored into the Committee’s decision.

A statement from the Federal Reserve said: “In view of realized and expected labor market conditions and inflation, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3/4 to 1 percent. The stance of monetary policy remains accommodative, thereby supporting some further…

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Follow these budgeting tips, from couponing to changing your cellular plan, to cut household expenses without completely disrupting your daily life.

The key to saving money is knowing where to trim your budget.

Paying bills is never fun, but it’s even less exciting when monthly expenses leave you eating noodles for the last few days before every payday. But you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice the lifestyle you want to live in an apartment or home you love. In fact, eliminating unnecessary household expenses is easier than you think.

Whether you’re living those big-city dreams in a studio apartment in San Francisco, CA, or moving into a single family home in Austin, TX, read on to find out how to eliminate or reduce monthly…

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Delinquency Rates, Foreclosures Dip to Historic Lows

The national delinquency rate has hit its lowest point in 11 years, according to the First Look report issued by Black Knight Financial Services on Friday. The rate dropped 14 percent from February to March and 11 percent over the year, hitting 3.62 percent.

The First Look report, which offers a quick glance at month-end mortgage performance stats across the nation, also showed that total non-current inventory—that is, all inventory under foreclosure or 30 or more days delinquent—also hit a historic low, dipping under 2.3 million for the first time in 11 years. Overall inventory of loans in active foreclosure dropped below 450,000, the first time it’s done so in a decade.

Prepay speeds jumped…

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Builder optimism turns into new home construction

Low mortgage rates and high buyer demand are keeping single-family housing starts in the stratosphere.

In March, construction started on single-family homes at an impressive annual rate of 821,000.

That's up 9% since last year.

Home builder optimism is turning into action. A recent report shows home builders are confident about the future. The result: more applications for permits and more home construction started.

Housing starts have been fueled by rising rents, cheap mortgage rates, and an abundance of low- and no-downpayment mortgages.

FHA loans are gaining in popularity, as are other government-backed loans like the USDA home loan and VA.

The math for "Should I rent or…

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Discover Which Home Loan is Best for You


No Bad Options: Decide Among The Many Good Mortgage Products Available Today

There is no "right" answer to the question, "Which loan type is best?"

In fact, the best answer is, "it depends".

No two home buyers are alike, so the best loan program for one buyer is likely unsuitable -- or plain unavailable -- to another.

That's why today's home buyer is fortunate enough to have access to multiple programs. It's up to the buyer and his or her lending adviser to make the right call based on these and other questions:

  • Which loan has the lowest monthly payment?
  • What option requires the least amount upfront?
  • What will cost me less over time?
  • Which loan type is suitable for my credit score?
    • …

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How long does it take to get pre-approved for a mortgage?

how long does it take to get a mortgage pre-approval

Your Mortgage: How Long Does It Take To Get Pre-Approved?

Everyone knows they are supposed to get pre-approved for home loans before they go house shopping. It's one of those annoying pieces of advice you can't escape, like "wear sunscreen," "wash your hands before eating," and "you can't jump a Yaris over 15 hay bales just because someone did it on the Internet."

Groan. You have to do it. But how long will it take to get pre-approved for your home loan so you can get to the fun part?

Pre-Approve Yourself First

Probably not as long as you think. This first step takes about eight seconds.

When you begin considering a home purchase, you go through a few steps. And one of those…

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Get Ready to Grow: 6 Tips for Planning Your Spring Garden

Keep that spring fever momentum all year long with these gardening tips.

Spring fever got you dreaming of lush gardens and sunshine? Despite what you might see on TV, beautiful landscapes don’t happen overnight. Weeds will invade your beds and need to be pulled. The mulch will break down and require replacing. And your attention span will no doubt move on to shinier things long enough for your garden to fall into disrepair.

Your spring fever may be temporary, but if you get to know your garden’s unique conditions and choose the right plants, you’ll ensure that both the garden — and your enthusiasm for it — will last for a lifetime.

Invest in your soil

To get the dirt on your dirt,…

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