Archive for January, 2009

Housing Starts Crash, Worst Outlook in Five Decades

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

December wasn't just a bad month for the U.S. housing market, it was the worst month seen yet in the ongoing recession. Plans for constructing new homes were already at a record low in November, and in December those plans simply crashed. Over the...(read more)

House Prices Continue to Contract in November, Says FHFA

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

U.S. house prices continued to decline in November, according to data from the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) , which recorded a 1.8% drop for the month. The decline was worse than economists' expectations for a 1.2% decline, and follows...(read more)

Housing Starts and Building Permits Set New Record Lows

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

The housing sector continued to show weakness in December with housing starts and building permits sinking to new record lows. Housing starts fell to an annualized pace of 550k, representing a month-over-month decrease of 15.5%, according to data released...(read more)

Preview: Housing Starts & Permits to Fall Beyond Record Low

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

The only major economic data to be released for the United States this week is the housing starts and permits report from the Commerce Department. Unfortunately, the news is likely to be grim, suggesting that problems in the housing sector continue to...(read more)

NAHB Builder Confidence Hits New Record Low in January

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

Confidence amongst homebuilders fell to a new all-time low in January, according to a report issued by Wells Fargo and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) on Wednesday. The housing market index dropped to a reading of 8 in January, following...(read more)

Treasury Secretary-Designate Geithner Calls for ‘Serious Reform’

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

In prepared remarks that Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner will deliver before the Senate Finance Committee, he said the ongoing crisis requires a forceful reaction on the part of government. While defending the positive impact of the TARP...(read more)

New President Looks in Vain for Head of Treasury

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

President Barack Obama is inheriting the worst recession in decades and it's possible that in his first few days -- and potentially weeks -- he won't have a Treasury Secretary to guide fiscal policy. Obama's Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy...(read more)

Getting Started with REO

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

A number of our readers from the brokerage arm of real estate have asked how they might become involved in marketing bank owned real estate (REOs), that is, properties seized by the banks for non-payment of the mortgage. We have spent a lot of time researching...(read more)

Obamania: Presidential Inauguration Offers Nothing New for Markets

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

There's a major contrast between the chaotic optimism in Washington, D.C. and the pessimism in financial markets . Record crowds are filling the streets in the nation's capitol, but judging by the first hour of trading, it almost appears markets...(read more)

Foreclosures Climb 81% in 2008, Says RealtyTrac Report

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Home foreclosure activity increased dramatically in 2008 compared to the previous year, according to RealtyTrac's 2008 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. There were 3,157,806 foreclosure filings - default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions...(read more)