December new-home sales dip, ending year on low note

December saw sales of newly constructed homes recede monthly 0.4%, a disappointing end to the year after low rates propelled months of initially strong reports. The slight decrease put December’s seasonally adjusted annual rate at 694,000, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. While that figure remains 23.0% above December … [Read more...]

Inventory crunch squeezes out first-time homebuyers

Existing-home sales have flagged this year, despite a booming economy and fierce competition among buyers. The reason isn’t a mystery, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). First-time homebuyers have been locked out the housing market to a large degree. A critical shortage of entry-level listings has translated into lower sales of homes priced under $250,000, the pool of … [Read more...]

Is the Real Estate market about to take off or collapse?

Business Insider - The real-estate market is one of the most important parts of the American economy. And there's a lot of disagreement about where it's going next. Housing is one of the largest sources of wealth for Americans, it drives other parts of the economy such as consumer spending, and the credit given out for mortgages keeps many financial institutions profitable. Given the … [Read more...]

Home Loans Enter Uncertain Era

Wall Street Journal –  “ The remaking of U.S. politics also is likely to upend the nation’s mortgage market. There are two reasons why: Interest Rates and Regulation. Changes in these areas could affect the course of the housing recovery, the availability of credit to borrowers and the extent to which lenders are willing to take on new risk. It may also affect the current structure of the Mortgage … [Read more...]

The Housing Cycle: Market by Market

Where are we in the housing cycle? This, by far, is the question we get asked the most. It’s often framed with the metaphor of a nine-inning baseball game: What inning are we in? This question implies that markets move in unison, driven by similar factors. In reality, every market has its own unique set of industry influences, supply impediments (or lack thereof), and demographic drivers. While … [Read more...]

Real Estate Cycle: Where Are We Now?

Real estate prices, as with most financial markets, tend to follow a pattern. For the purpose of this article, we’ll call this pattern “The Real Estate Cycle.” There are many theories out there about The Real Estate Cycle, but the one I like best is called “The Great 18-Year Real Estate Cycle.” Back in the 30’s a real estate economist named Homer Hoyt discovered that real estate prices seemed to … [Read more...]

Need To Sell Your House NOW? We Buy Houses!

How to Sell Your House ‘As Is’ at a Fair Price on the Date of Your Choice If you want to sell your house in the fastest, easiest, and most convenient manner, read this important message. You may discover the perfect solution because we buy many houses throughout the Savannah Region. Selling a house is usually an expensive and complicated process. That’s why real estate agents make thousands … [Read more...]

How To Buy a New Home Without Bank Qualifying or a Large Down Payment

Stop wasting your money on rent... or living in a house which doesn’t meet your needs. Discover how to move into a better home now! Some people are tenants by choice. But most people would prefer to enjoy all the benefits of owning a home if at all possible. It can be the single most important investment you ever make. A lot of people's personal wealth is made up mostly from equity they've built … [Read more...]

The Great Housing Recession Continues

By Thomas F. Cooley and Peter Rupert (Read Article HERE) A kind of silly debate has broken out among economists over whether our recent downturn deserves the label "The Great Recession." We'll leave it to others to sort this out. But we would argue that the downturn in the housing sector is pretty "great"--far worse than in past recessions. Periodically in this column we have presented a … [Read more...]