Feel Good Again About Your Pricey House

Washington DC, San Fran, Atlanta see biggest gains

(AP) - Home prices in major US cities have risen for the first time in eight months, boosted by an annual flurry of spring buyers. Prices rose in 13 of the 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home-price index, according to the April report released today. Washington, DC, saw the biggest price increases, followed by San Francisco, Atlanta, and Seattle. The index, which covers metro areas that include about 50% of US households, rose 0.7%. It marked the first increase since July. The index measures sales of select homes in those cities compared with prices in January 2000 and provides a three-month average price. The April data is the latest available. More»

Housing market gloom is over-hyped

(NEWSER) - Has the housing crisis scared you out of the market? Too bad, because there are still many good reasons to buy, writes Brett Arends in the Wall Street Journal . A few points to consider before hopping on the first train to rents-ville:

• You could get a deal: Prices are down—way down. "This is a buyer's market," Arends writes, especially if you're willing to play hardball. Could prices drop more? Sure. But that "doesn't really matter so much in the long haul."
• You'll save on taxes: Usually, "the breaks are more valuable the more you earn, and the bigger your mortgage," Arends says. So run the numbers—you could save on income, real estate, and capital gains taxes.

Economy picking up, but not enough that inflation is a worry

(AP) - The Federal Reserve says the recession is easing, but that the economy likely will remain weak and keep a lid on inflation. Against this backdrop, the Fed held a key bank lending rate at a record low of between 0% and 0.25%, and pledged again to keep it there for "an extended period" to help brace activity going forward. More»

Won't form majority until 2050s; security, economy take toll

(NEWSER) - Immigration laws and the recession have slowed the growth of America’s immigrant populations, delaying the date when minorities will become the majority by as much as 10 years, the AP reports. Estimates had pointed to 2042, but it now could be another decade as growth slowed from 4% in 2001 to 3.2% last year among Hispanics, while Asian growth dropped from 3.7% to 2.5%. More»

But that's good news: Numbers are actually better than expected

(AP) - New US home sales dipped slightly last month but still beat expectations as builders start to see long-awaited encouraging signs about the housing market—including a dip in the inventory of new homes for sale. Sales fell 0.6% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 356,000, the Commerce Department said today. More»