Has the housing market bottomed out?  Will housing prices continue to rise? What does this mean for interest rates

Has the housing market bottomed out?  Will housing prices continue to rise? What does this mean for interest rates

Like most, I have been surprised at the recent upward movement in prices.  Did we just experience the shortest housing cycle ever?  Are housing prices going to continue their recent upward swing?  Why are housing prices now moving higher after a very shallow decline...
New Senate bill, predatory investing, to curb corporate investors from buying up single-family homes

New Senate bill, predatory investing, to curb corporate investors from buying up single-family homes

Lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at curtailing investor activity in the housing market that they say is driving up home prices. The Stop Predatory Investing Act is targeting single family investors.  What is in the newly proposed bill and how will this impact...
Rising Rates increase Distressed Homeowners. Regulators have a fix.

Rising Rates increase Distressed Homeowners. Regulators have a fix.

I always cringe when I see a press release that “regulators” have a solution!  FHA has yet another new proposal that sounds great on the surface, but as typical misses some very important items that will cost taxpayers millions or considerably more as government...
New government rule radically changes appraisals

New government rule radically changes appraisals

Big changes are ahead for automated appraisals.  The government feels that automated models show bias in valuation so they have proposed a new rule that will radically alter appraisals.  Unfortunately, the new rules will have some large unintended consequences for...
64% living paycheck to paycheck; what is the real estate impact?

64% living paycheck to paycheck; what is the real estate impact?

  The share of Americans who say they live paycheck-to-paycheck climbed last year, and most of the new arrivals in that category were among the country’s higher earners (greater than 100k), a new study shows.  Furthermore 24% had issues paying their bills in...
US bank lending slumps by most on record; The fed now predicts a big change

US bank lending slumps by most on record; The fed now predicts a big change

US bank lending contracted by the most on record in the last two weeks of March, indicating a tightening of credit conditions in the wake of several high-profile bank collapses.  Why the sharp pullback in lending?  What does this mean for commercial and residential...