Two consecutive solid monthly gains for builder confidence, spurred in part by easing mortgage rates, signal that the housing market may be turning a corner even as builders continue to contend with high construction costs and building material supply chain logjams.
Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in February rose seven points to 42, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This is the strongest reading since September of last year.
With the largest monthly increase for builder sentiment s... Read more

Your dream of owning a home in Elk Grove will no longer be a dream. With many loan programs for the first time investors on the Elk Grove homes for sale and all necessary information present on the internet, you can easily buy your dream home. With the right information and money in hand, your investment becomes easy. But it is essential that you handle your finances correctly. Here are a few steps to help you properly manage your money.

• Your credit score and credit grade will play an important role in determining the mortgage and interest rates that you are eligible to. So to begin... Read more

The earth is now prone to global warming. As a result there are drastic climatic changes and environmentalists are expressing concern over the earth’s future. Are you willing to contribute whatever little possible from your side to help protect the environment? Then you can consider making your home green. A green home is the current trend in Sac Town that demonstrates dedication to the environmental concern and protection. The evolving technology has the most effective products that make green homes vigorous for the environment and the individual.

So what is a green home? How is it... Read more

July 22 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. home prices had the smallest annual drop in 10 months, signaling the free fall of property values is abating in the three-year housing slump at the center of a global recession.

Prices declined 5.6 percent in May from a year earlier and rose 0.9 from April, the Federal Housing Finance Agency in Washington said today. Economists expected a 0.2 percent drop for the month, according to the median of 16 estimates in a Bloomberg survey.

“We saw a rebound of home prices in some parts of the country in part because the share of distressed sales dipped,”... Read more

"We’re in a slow, but definite recovery mode"

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/real_estate/archives/2009/06/were-in-a-slow.html?mi_atom=Home%20Front


So says Alexis McGee, president of Fair Oaks-based Foreclosures.com, which tracks the nation’s foreclosure markets for real estate investors. Here’s McGee’s new national roundup:


SACRAMENTO, Calif. -While President Obama, Congress, and the American people debate financial regulatory reform, foreclosures continue to mount as embattled housing markets bump along the bottom. ... Read more

The Associated Press reported Monday that the number of homebuyers in the country, who purchased previously owned homes posted a monthly jump - the largest in nearly eight years. Hopefully, this provides a significant sign that the housing market Is showing some recovery.

According to The National Association of Realtors (NAR), the seasonally adjusted index of sales contracts signed in April surged 6.7 percent to 90.3. This far exceeded forecasts by analysts, and represents the largest jump since October 2001, when pending sales rose 9.2 percent.

The news is encouraging, an... Read more

Home Front: European media want close-ups of capital-area housing crash

By Jim Wasserman
jwasserman@sacbee.com


http://www.sacbee.com/736/story/1883525.html

Europeans are making Sacramento a regular stop on media expeditions to the housing crisis that has been pounding their banks.

This year, Home Front has received inquiries from a Swiss newspaper, a German magazine, a Dutch television show and most recently a German public TV program about finding places that reveal California’s housing crash and the people who have endured it.

Kno... Read more

Index: Price declines leveling

Inman News

http://www.inman.com/news/2009/05/22/index-price-declines-leveling

The price per square foot of homes improved from February to March in 11 of 25 metro areas tracked, real estate analytics and data company Radar Logic reported this week.

The composite price-per-square-foot index for the 25 metro areas fell 0.3 percent on a month-over-month basis in both February and March, which is less than the 1.2 percent and 0.9 percent declines in February and March 2008.

Radar Logic noted in an announcement that the pr... Read more

Home Front: First-time buyers reap reward of median price in Sacramento County

Jim Wasserman
jwasserman@sacbee.com

http://www.sacbee.com/business/story/1863568.html

For all the pain and trouble associated with this housing bust, one thing is clear: It’s getting better and better for first-time buyers.

And few places beat Sacramento, according to a new report from the California Association of Realtors.

CAR says 80 percent of Sacramento County first-timers could afford a median-priced entry-level home in the first quarter of 2009.
Read more

Part 2: Nuts and bolts of mortgage modification
By Jack Guttentag, Monday, May 11, 2009.

Inman News

http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/jackguttentag/loan-mod-go-it-alone

Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1.

Last week, I went over the steps involved in getting a loan modified. This article examines which, if any of these steps, may require a borrower to seek help.

The bottom line is that many, perhaps most, borrowers can handle it all themselves, but some may need an assist here or there. And some ma... Read more

Join "Operation Easter
Calls for the Troops"
Share Easter — Help Our Troops
Call Their Loved Ones This Holiday

Send a Calling Card to Our Heroes!
More than 178,000 American troops are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

These brave men and women continue to risk their lives to protect us and our country.

We are proud of our armed services personnel.

We also know that this year our troops will celebrate Easter and Passover at their dangerous posts — far from home, but close to our h... Read more

Obama: Aid 9 million homeowners Wide-ranging $75 billion plan will use government money to subsidize rates and insure servicers against falling home prices.

By Tami Luhby, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: February 18, 2009: 10:05 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- President Obama is
unveiling a $75 billion multi-pronged plan Wednesday that seeks to help up to 9 million borrowers suffering from falling home prices and unaffordable monthly payments. The long-awaited foreclosure fix marks a sharp departure from the Bush administration, which relied mainly on havin... Read more