|
|
Home prices rose 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis in March, according to new numbers from the S&P/Case-Shiller index. But four cities showed worse results in March than they had in February, with Atlanta notably down 0.4% over the previous month and Detroit down 2.1%. Still, there are reasons to be optimistic.
April housing numbers released by the National Association of Realtors were, wait for it … good. Spring is traditionally a busy season for home sales, but the real estate market has been in such a slump for the past couple of years that “ordinary” good news comes as something of a surprise.
You can still take advantage of low prices in most places around the country, and mortgage rates are at once-in-a-lifetime record lows: 30- and 15-year fixed mortgages are around 4% and 3%, respectively.
Is there a “woman tax”? By some account, women pay over $1,300 more annually than men for everything from deodorant to sneakers to health care. They’re not the only group that pays a premium, though. Men are charged thousands more than women in auto insurance over their lifetimes, and there are indications that African-Americans and [...]
The American Dream of home ownership has taken some hits in the recession. But it remains alive and well, though with some twists that will help shape the nature of the budding housing recovery.
The real estate recovery is just around the corner. Well, that’s if you believe the new housing numbers out this week.
According to data released today by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, prices in February were up 0.4% compared to a year ago, marking a pronounced turn in the market. The numbers would seem positive if it weren’t for the fact that the S&P/Case-Shiller index, the other major housing price report, came out an hour before and was lousy.
We’ve been hearing “720 is the new 680″ for a couple of years now. As it turns out, that’s wrong. Even a credit score of 720 isn’t necessarily good enough anymore.
In recent months, car sales have been booming at the same time that consumers have been paying more per vehicle. Because demand for cars is high, it would seem like a safe assumption that people need new wheels because we’re all driving more nowadays. Actually, the opposite is true.
Foreclosure filings fell in March to their lowest level in four years, but a closer look at the data reveals a complicated housing market, one that is still likely to get worse before genuine, long-lasting improvements take place.
Take my timeshare, please! People have joked for years that timeshares are horrible investments, and yet some people have just kept on paying good money for them. Given the abundance of timeshares now offered for sale for just $1—or nothing whatsoever—perhaps the message will finally sink in.
