Author Archives: trevorspear

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes was unchanged in January, remaining at a level of 47 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, released today. This means that following eight consecutive monthly … Continue reading →

Housing Starts End 2012 on a High Note NAHB The year 2012 was a promising one for housing. With consistent improvements in housing construction and prices, home building is once again contributing to economic growth. And the December housing starts … Continue reading →

That’s a good thought as we watch the housing market, once doomed to failure, turn into a more successful enterprise. A national online real estate site surveyed more than 100 professional forecasters — economists, real estate experts, and investment and … Continue reading →

New mortgage rules set to be unveiled Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will spell out how lenders must ensure that borrowers can repay their home loans. The rules, which go into effect next January, were designed to enhance … Continue reading →

A recent market study by Builder Homesite Inc. (BHI) concluded that “shoppers are reluctant to navigate the homebuying process on their own and intend to work with a Realtor. The vast majority (84 percent) intend to use a Realtor (when … Continue reading →

Private-sector employment increased by 215,000 from November to December, on a seasonally adjusted basis. (The estimated gain from October to November was revised up from the initial estimate of 118,000, to 148,000). Highlights Small businesses (1-49 employees) +25,000 Medium businesses … Continue reading →

… If you need some encouragement to follow the advice of the inventor of the automobile starter motor, look to last week’s November New Home Sales, UP 4.4% to a 377,000 annual rate, and now UP 15.3% versus a year ago. … Continue reading →

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 6.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. The Refinance Index increased 8 percent from the previous week and is at its highest level since … Continue reading →

Industrial production increased 1.1 percent in November after having fallen 0.7 percent in October. The gain in November is estimated to have largely resulted from a recovery in production for industries that had been negatively affected by Hurricane Sandy, which … Continue reading →

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.3 percent in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.8 percent before … Continue reading →