Nationwide housing production gained 2.6 percent from an upwardly revised pace in March to hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 717,000 units in April, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). This modest gain was seen in both the single- and multifamily sectors, which registered growth of 2.3 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.Click to continue

Mortgage applications increased 9.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 11, 2012. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 9.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 8.7 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 13 percent from the previous week.Click to continue

Pro Teck Valuation Services' May HomeValueForecast.com Update explores important housing indicators, such as the number of home sales and months of remaining inventory (MRI) and their impact on home prices nationwide and in select markets. May's HomeValueForecast.com demonstrates that many metro areas hardest hit by price declines may be recovering due to increasing home sales and reduced inventories of homes. Also, the U.S. housing market is stabilizing according to leading MRI indicators.Click to continue

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) composite quarterly Housing Affordability Index (HAI) rose to a record high of 205.9 in the first quarter of 2012, based on the relationship between median home price, median family income and average mortgage interest rate. The higher the index, the greater the household purchasing power. This is the first time the quarterly index broke the 200 mark; recordkeeping began in 1970.Click to continue

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes gained five points in May from a downwardly revised reading in the previous month to reach a level of 29 on the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), the HMI's strongest reading since May of 2007.Click to continue

The income and business of Realtors is growing after many years of decline, according to the 2012 National Association of Realtors Member Profile. The study’s results are representative of the nation’s Realtors, who are members of NAR. Realtors account for about half of the two million active real estate licensees in the U.S., as NAR members subscribe to the association's Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, commit to continuing education and have access to professional resources to better serve the needs of clients.  Click to continue

At a time when consensus is hard to find in Washington, members of Congress, advocates for senior citizens, and representatives of financial services companies all agreed that reverse mortgages are an important tool in providing a better life for seniors, during a hearing conducted by the House Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity titled, "“Oversight of the Federal Housing Administration’s Reverse Mortgage Program for Seniors."Click to continue

Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS) has announced that its LPS Applied Analytics division updated its home price index (LPS HPI) with residential sales concluded during February 2012. "Our HPI shows an increase in seasonally adjusted prices this month for the first time since March 2010, and for only the third time in five years,” said Raj Dosaj, vice president of LPS Applied Analytics. “There have been signs of price declines slowing for a few months now, and our estimates for next month are flat to slightly positive.Click to continue

Freddie Mac has released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), showing 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) averaging 3.83 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending May 10, 2012, down from last week when it averaged 3.84 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.63 percent. The 30-year FRM has averaged below four percent all but one week since Dec. 8, 2011, helping to keep homebuyer affordability high.Click to continue

Builder confidence in the 55+ housing market for single-family homes had a significant increase in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period a year ago, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI). The HMI increased 10 points to 27, and although 27 is relatively low for an index that lies on a scale of 0 to 100, it is nevertheless the highest reading since the inception of the index in 2008.Click to continue