Home Resales See Small Surprise Rise

Sales of existing properties down 20.7% over last year

(NEWSER) - Existing-home sales fell for the eighth consecutive month in October, hitting record lows in a survey of realtors. Resales dropped to an annual rate of 4.97 million, down 1.2% from September, despite a huge 5.1% drop in median price. “Price declines are part of the healing process,” an economist told CNN, “but we have a lot of healing to do.” More»

Treasury secretary can't sell, stuck renting out his NY home

(NEWSER) - Housing market troubles are getting personal for Tim Geithner, the AP reports. The Treasury secretary bought his five-bedroom suburban New York Tudor for $1.6 million in 2004; after moving to Washington, he tried to sell it for $1.635 million. The price later dropped to $1.575 million, but it still didn’t sell. In May he began renting it out for $7,500 a month—likely less than his mortgage payment. More»

Unloading homes quickly while maintaining value, Fannie walks tightrope

(NEWSER) - It’s no secret that for US homeowners, it’s not a seller’s market. But imagine having 65,000 properties to sell. That’s the task ahead of Fannie Mae, NPR reports, as its volume of repossessed homes grows by the day. The guarantor of a third of all loans, Fannie is charged with foreclosing, renovating, valuing, and unloading this massive inventory into the worst housing market in decades. More»

(NEWSER) - If you’ve been waiting for a housing recovery, keep waiting. This March-June, the season when most homes are typically bought and sold, promises to be the worst since the bubble burst in 2006, the New York Times reports. Some 19 million homes—nearly one of every seven nationwide—are vacant, but only 6 million are currently for sale, meaning prices, already down 50% in recent years, are in for a crushing wave of supply. More»

'People loved comedies during the Depression, too,' producer says

(NEWSER) - Home shows are becoming the heavyweights of reality television, even as the housing market continues to plummet, the New York Times reports. HGTV and TLC have million-plus nightly audiences as shows that provide step-by-step guidance to potential homesellers and buyers appeal to viewers weary of past hits that traded on big bucks through real-estate speculation. More»