Market Watch: Jan 7, 2010
Mortgage rates dropped this week, an about face after weeks of creeping up, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgage rates, released on Thursday. [
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WSJ: Jan 7, 2010
Apartment vacancies hit a 30-year high in the fourth quarter, and rents fell as landlords scrambled to retain existing tenants and attract new ones. [READ MORE]
U.S. may prop up housing further via Fannie, Freddie
Market Watch: Dec 28, 2009
The government's decision to provide unlimited support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac probably presages more aggressive action to prop up the U.S. housing market. [
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30-year mortgage jumps back over 5%
Market Watch: Dec 24, 2009
Mortgage rates rose for a third straight week as the 30-year loan climbed back above the 5% level for the first time since Oct. 29, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
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Banks take back few foreclosures
Inside Bay Area: Nov 12, 2009
In a trend that began a few months ago, more Bay Area homeowners in October received a foreclosure notice compared with a year ago while foreclosed homes taken back by banks declined in response to the rollout of loan modification programs. [
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Small Signs of Optimism
NY Times: Nov 12, 2009
If you live in the Bay Area, you hardly need reminding that you pay more for your home than most people. The region has the dubious honor of ranking No. 1 nationally in median home value, median monthly mortgage costs and median gross rent. [READ MORE]
Just 5 percent of Americans planning to buy house within a year
boston.com: Nov 11, 2009
Just one in 20 Americans say they plan to buy a home within the next year, and they are most likely to be 34 years old or younger and living in the South or West, according to a survey released yesterday. [READ MORE]
Default notices rising in upper echelon ZIPs
SFGate: Nov 8, 2009
Mortgage distress is rising in affluent areas around the Bay Area, according to a Chronicle analysis of foreclosure notices. [READ MORE]
White House developing new program to help homeowners
Market Watch: Oct 22, 2009
Expecting millions of foreclosures, the Obama administration is developing an alternative program to help troubled homeowners avoid losing their home, beyond a mortgage modification program the White House launched in March, according to a key Treasury official on Thursday. [READ MORE]
Foreclosures fade from spring peak
SF Gate: Oct 21, 2009
Mortgage distress in California and the Bay Area is still rising compared with a year ago, although it is down from peak levels, according to a real estate report released Tuesday. [READ MORE]
Big condo, retail project may be coming to downtown Walnut Creek
Contra Costa Times: Oct 18, 2009
n aging eight-story monolith would be demolished and replaced by a sprawling shopping mecca with upstairs condominiums, if a proposed downtown project is approved. The project dubbed The Village @ 1500 Newell Avenue is slowly moving through the city's approval process. If approved, it would be just a few blocks from the proposed site for a Neiman Marcus store that has divided the city the past year.
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Santa Clara County home sales up, prices down — market still unsettled
Mercury News: Oct 16, 2009
Home sales in Santa Clara County jumped 17 percent in September over a year ago as homebuyers locked in low mortgage rates and made an eleventh-hour grab for a federal tax credit set to expire next month. [
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San Francisco area home sales post gains in Sept
Reuters: Oct 15, 2009
Home sales in the San Francisco region rose 4.8 percent in September from August and 8.4 percent from a year earlier as buyers seized low mortgage interest rates and rushed purchases with a tax credit due to expire in November, MDA DataQuick said on Thursday. [
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Condos a bright spot in another tough month for Marin home sales
Contra Costa Times: Oct 15, 2009
Sales of condominiums was the only sector of the local real estate market showing strength last month as Marin bucked an upward trend in home sales elsewhere in the Bay Area. [READ MORE]
Where Were the Biggest Discounts in August?
Redfin: Oct 10, 2009
Let’s check in on our stats to find out where buyers are currently getting the biggest discounts off asking price. If you are a potential buyer, this will help you to know which neighborhoods may be softer in terms of sale price discounts off list price, and help you know where to look for potential bargains. [READ MORE]
