Housing Rebound Unlikely in '09

Prices set to fall even further

(NEWSER) - The latest census figures on the housing market make for grim reading for homeowners. Some 18.4 million homes are vacant—11% of the nation's housing supply—and home ownership rates are dropping rapidly, CNBC reports. Prices are down year-over-year in all 28 major metropolitan areas tracked by the Wall Street Journal , and conditions look set to get even worse. More»

July numbers up .6% from June, but demand weakening

(AP) - Home prices rose in July for the fourth straight month, but many cities are bracing for declines in the year ahead. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased 0.6% in July from June and 3.2% from a year ago. Twelve cities showed monthly price gains. However, seven cities showed month-over-month declines and the gains in many cities were weaker from the previous month as the boost from government tax credits for homebuyers fades. More»

Nearly every major city gets a boost

(AP) - US home prices rose for the third straight month in August, data released today showed, a key sign for a broad and sustained housing recovery. The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 major cities climbed 1% from July to a seasonally adjusted reading of 144.5. While prices are down 11.4% from August a year ago, the annual declines have slowed since February. More»

(NEWSER) - New home sales jumped 11% in June, the biggest gain in eight years, the Commerce Department announced today, as the supply fell to its lowest level in more than a decade. With mortgage rates and prices staggeringly low—the median home price fell 12%—buyers came out of the woodwork. Sales increased to a 384,000 annual pace, topping estimates, which had ranged from 335,000 to 377,000, Bloomberg reports. 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»