As an appraiser and investor, I have always stated that a residence, to be truly considered an investment, must rent for at least 1 percent of its market value each month.  I can recall in 1990 traveling in a shuttle van in Oahu, Hawaii, with… Read more

Existing home sales statistics for February 2013 were just released by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), and the housing recovery is now close enough to reach a normal level of sales activity within the next 12 months. Existing home sales, on a seasonally adjusted… Read more

The National Association of Realtors® release on December 2012 housing sales and related data again illuminates the path of recovery of U.S. housing markets. While many would focus on the improving home prices, the story once again is how few homes are currently available for… Read more

As housing markets continue to recover, the story to be told is how quickly the supply of homes for sales is shrinking. And as inventory contracts, homes sell quicker and prices rise. That is exactly what is happening in many parts of the country. Realtor.com… Read more

It’s all about jobs. Trulia’s Chief Economist Jed Kolko analyzed multiple data sources to arrive at the 10 healthiest residential markets for 2013 in the U.S. Kolko focused on “solid fundamentals,” as reported by MarketWatch which separates these markets from others. Data sources and focus… Read more

The story behind the November 2012 existing home sales data is that the number of months of inventory was less than five months – the lowest since the market peaked in September 2005. Real estate economists generally contend that six months of inventory of existing… Read more

Homeownership in the U.S. is good for everyone—correct? And the more people that own homes, the better—correct? Not necessarily so, conclude some individuals. Many would argue that the Federal government’s push to increase homeownership rates from 2004 through 2007 via subprime lending with little or… Read more

Knight Frank offers both residential and commercial real estate property brokerage and rental services in 43 countries, and reports research on 55 countries. AOL Real Estate analyzed housing value changes in the Knight Frank research pool, and reported those top markets based on increase in… Read more

The stagnant economy and massive liquidity actions from the Federal Reserve have driven interest rates to record lows. Freddie Mac, which has tracked residential mortgage loan rates since 1971, reported 30-year fixed loans this week at 3.31 percent while 15 year rates were 2.63 percent…. Read more

Housing continues to make a comeback following the real estate depression of 2007 through 2011. Job growth (albeit tepid), rising rents and population growth are the trifecta to increased sales and prices. October 2012 saw a Seasonally-Adjusted Annualized Sales Rate (SAAR) of 4.79 million existing… Read more