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Who is Ed DeMarco? What is the FHFA? Even though it did not come entirely unexpected, the day has finally arrived. President Obama has decided to nominate Mel Watt instead of Ed DeMarco as the Director of the FHFA (Federal Housing Finance Administration). Most people have never heard of the FHFA, nor Mr. DeMarco. Who cares? Why should one care? You should actually all care. The real estate market has officially entered a new chapter. Analysts, economists, investors and homeowners, throw away everything you thought you knew about real estate and start all over. I would like to get right...

Home prices are rising at levels not seen since the real estate boom, but American homeownership remains on the decline. The two trends underscore the nature of the housing rebound: Gains in pricing have been driven significantly by investors, leaving many would-be buyers behind. Prices are rising because of strong demand, a lack of supply and a sharp recovery in the hardest-hit markets. The number of foreclosed homes coming to market has also dropped dramatically. But because lending standards remain tight, the everyday home shopper is often losing out to investors able to pay cash. "What we are seeing right...

It is often said that Britain and America are “two nations divided by a common language”. They are also two nations divided by Central Banks: The Federal Reserve and the Bank of England. As a consequence, the US and UK housing bubbles and recovery are similar (although the US bubble was worse). April 2 (Bloomberg) — U.K. mortgage approvals fell more than economists forecast in February, underlining what Nationwide Building Society has said is an “uncertain” market. Lenders granted 51,653 mortgages, the least since September, compared with a revised 54,187 in January, the Bank of England said today in London....

U.S. House Prices About To Soar... Don't Wait A Moment Longer! Housing-Market / US HousingMarch 21, 2013 - 09:56 AM GMT By: DailyWealth Steve Sjuggerud writes: "We're only one year into this recovery..." Doug Yearley said on Bloomberg TV yesterday morning. "Remember, we had seven of the worst years in housing that this country has ever seen. This recovery, we believe, should be a lot longer than just one or two years." Yearley is the CEO of Toll Brothers, a nationwide homebuilder. When asked if he thought the strength in housing could continue, he didn't mince words... "We feel really...

Home sales are slowly climbing back, thanks to investor demand, improving consumer confidence in housing, and the surprising return of former homeowners who once walked away from their commitments. These so-called, "strategic defaulters," some of them investors and some owner-occupants, are coming back to the market, despite damaged credit, and apparently the market is welcoming them back. (snip) Crashing home prices and sketchy mortgage products caused millions of Americans to default on their loans and eventually lose their homes. For some, it was a tragic fight to the end to keep their single investment; for others it was a conscious...

PHOENIX (AP) — Some leaders in Arizona's homebuilding industry are concerned about a potential labor shortage following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold part of the state's controversial immigration law known as SB1070. The bill's passage two years ago led thousands of illegal immigrants to pack up and leave. That was when the housing market had crashed, but now the market is recovering. The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the provision in the law that allows police to try to determine the immigration status of people they stop or arrest if they have a reasonable suspicion that they're in the...

I have heard that the government has started selling lots of foreclosed homes to government approved real estate management firms or property liquidators. 1. Where is more information on this process? 2. Who is getting to bid on lots of homes, how do we find out who is awarded the properties? 3. What are the long term ramifications of this?

While the city of Desert Hot Springs continues to faithfully support one of its largest developers, D.R. Horton, the company’s lenders are growing less willing to prop up the housing industry giant. And at least one supplier to the nation’s number one homebuilder says late payments by D.R. Horton contributed to it having to file bankruptcy. D.R. Horton, a Texas-based builder, said on Tuesday its credit line with Wachovia Corp has been reduced to $1.65 billion after renegotiating the facility for the fifth time since 2005. The company had to renegotiate yet again because it couldn't meet its obligations under...