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What HARP 2.0 Means for Homeowners

The government touted its Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) as a way to get the crumbling housing market on the road to a quick recovery and provide much-needed relief to struggling homeowners. Launched in March 2009, HAMP was supposed to help millions of homeowners get out from mortgages that were worth more than the house – but to date, critics say it has fallen short of expectations. Now the government has refined the program, known as HARP 2.0, in an effort to assist the millions that need a lower mortgage bill.

Read more at What HARP 2.0 Means for Homeowners.

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What’s Selling – and What’s Not – in West Bridgewater MA in January 2012

On average, homes for sale in West Bridgewater MA in January 2012 are on the market for 89 days before they are sold. However, homes in some price ranges are taking a longer time to sell as compared to homes in other price ranges.

The absorption rate is the ability of the real estate market to absorb or sell all of the houses for sale in a given amount of time. That means it’s the rate at which available homes are sold in a specific real estate market during a given time period. In other words, the figure shows how many months it will take to exhaust the supply of homes on the market if no other homes were listed for sale.

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The Trend in Home Prices in West Bridgewater MA in January 2012 – Improving, or…?

Prices of single family homes in West Bridgewater MA in January 2012 on average have been falling in recent months! Home prices in January 2012 on average are up 12.6% compared to January 2011, and they are down 6.4% since July of 2011. It’s important to note that on average, home sales prices in West Bridgewater have remained fairly level over the past 2.5 years.

However, the average listing price of single family homes for sale in West Bridgewater MA in January 2012 is $285,140, up 13.6% from a month ago. Compare this to the current median sales price of $275,000 – where half of sales are above this amount and half below it.

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Home Prices at Lowest Point in More Than 10 Years

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Home prices fell to their lowest point in more than a decade in January, but that helped to lift the pace of home sales, according to a report from an industry trade group.

The National Association of Realtors reported that the median home price in January fell 2% from December to $154,700. That’s the lowest price reading since November of 2001, before the run-up in home prices that became known as the housing bubble.

The median price is the point at which half of homes are sold for a higher price, and half are sold at a lower price.

Read more at Home prices at lowest point in more than 10 years.

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What’s Selling – and What’s Not – in East Bridgewater MA in January 2012

On average, homes for sale in East Bridgewater MA in January 2012 are on the market for 156 days before they are sold. However, homes in some price ranges don’t take as long to sell as compared to homes other price ranges.

The absorption rate is the ability of the real estate market to absorb or sell all of the houses for sale in a given amount of time. That means it’s the rate at which available homes are sold in a specific real estate market during a given time period. In other words, the figure shows how many months it will take to exhaust the supply of homes on the market if no other homes were listed for sale.

Read the rest of this entry »

What’s Selling – and What’s Not – in Bridgewater MA in January 2012

On average, homes for sale in Bridgewater MA in January 2012 are on the market for 112 days before they are sold. However, homes in some price ranges don’t take as long to sell as compared to homes other price ranges.

The absorption rate is the ability of the real estate market to absorb or sell all of the houses for sale in a given amount of time. That means it’s the rate at which available homes are sold in a specific real estate market during a given time period. In other words, the figure shows how many months it will take to exhaust the supply of homes on the market if no other homes were listed for sale.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Trend in Home Prices in East Bridgewater MA in January 2012 – Improving, or…?

Prices of single family homes in East Bridgewater MA in January 2012 on average have been rising in recent months! Home prices in January 2012 on average are up 17.4% compared to January 2011, and they are up 18.1% since July of 2011.

The average listing price of single family homes for sale in East Bridgewater MA in January 2012 is $321,150, up 22.3% from a month ago. Compare this to the current median sales price of $290,000 – where half of sales are above this amount and half below it.

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The Trend in Home Prices in Bridgewater MA in January 2012 – Improving, or…?

Prices of single family homes in Bridgewater MA in January 2012 on average have been rising in recent months! While home prices in January 2012 on average are down 7.9% compared to January 2011, and they are up 4.4% since July of 2012.

The average listing price of single family homes for sale in Bridgewater MA in January 2012 is $273,746, up 4.3% from a month ago. Compare this to the current median sales price of $275,000 – where half of sales are above this amount and half below it.

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Chase Donates Inventory Homes to Wounded Vets

Chase announced it will donate at least 100 homes it owns to wounded military veterans as part of a program operated by a national nonprofit group known as Operation Homefront.

Eligible military families must be on active duty, not currently own a home, and be financially capable of taking on home ownership. Spouses of military members killed in action will also be considered for the program.

Read more at Chase Donates Inventory Homes to Wounded Vets.

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Builders Devise Tactics to Discredit Foreclosure Sales

Homebuilders are switching tactics and confronting head-on one of their biggest nemeses: foreclosed houses that not only lure buyers away with deeply discounted prices, but also simultaneously depress the appraisal values of newly built homes.

At a packed session at the International Builders’ Show expo in Orlando, Fla., this month, consultants and builders said that with gluts of foreclosures in major markets around the country — and more forecast to arrive in the next two years — the time has come to …

Read more at Builders devise tactics to discredit foreclosure sales.

Housing Affordability Reaches New Records

Nationwide housing affordability, as measured by the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), rose to a record level during the fourth quarter of 2011, while prospective home buyers continued to feel the constraints of tighter credit standards and a soft economy.

HOI data released today indicated that 75.9 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the fourth quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,200, the highest percentage recorded in the 20-year history of the index.

Read more at Housing Affordability Reaches Record Level as Tight Credit Conditions Impede Housing Market.

Home Buying: Most Affordable in Decades

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Buying a home is now more affordable than it has been in the last twenty years.

Thanks to continued declines in home prices and rock-bottom mortgage rates, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index hit a record level of affordability.

Read more at Home buying: Most affordable in decades.

Rate on 30-Year Mortgage Stays at Record 3.87%

WASHINGTON – The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage held steady at a record low for a third straight week, offering more incentive to those looking to buy a home or refinance.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year home loan was unchanged at 3.87%. That’s the lowest level since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage was also unchanged at 3.16%. That’s up from a record low of 3.14% reached two weeks ago.

Read more at Rate on 30-year mortgage stays at record 3.87%.

How to Fight a Low Appraisal

When it comes to selling a home or refinancing a mortgage, the appraisal process can make or break the deal.

“The appraisal is pretty much the lynchpin of any transaction in real estate these days,” says Michael Corbett, Trulia’s real estate expert and author. “Over the years there’s been so much acceleration in pricing and a huge drop in pricing that knowing the value is almost an art form.”

Read more at How to Fight a Low Appraisal.

Want a Date? Buy a Home

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — When it comes to dating, homeownership can be the ultimate aphrodisiac.

In a survey of 1,000 single people, more than a third of women and 18% of men said they would much rather date a homeowner than a renter.

Read more at Want a date? Buy a home.

Cash is King
Downtown Boston seeing more such deals

Cash buyers grabbed a record 50.8 percent of transactions in Boston’s downtown residential market in the past three weeks, according to data from the Suffolk Registry of Deeds.

While cash activity is usually associated with troubled markets in the United States, the downtown Hub market is seeing many of these cash transactions occur in a stable environment for owner-occupant homes at a variety of price points.

Read more at Cash is king.

Fannie Mae Survey Shows Americans Expect Home Prices to Improve

A majority of Americans believe mortgage rates will remain steady over the next year, while home price expectations in January improved for the fourth consecutive month in a row, Fannie Mae said in its consumer sentiment report.

The government-sponsored enterprise interviews 1,000 Americans each month to gauge consumer expectations about housing and the overall economy.

A majority of respondents expect home prices to …

Read more at Fannie Mae survey shows Americans expect home prices to improve.

Refinancing Activity Surges 7.5% on Low Interest Rates

Mortgage applications soared nearly 10% this past week as record low interest rates lifted refinancing activity, an industry trade group said Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, which measures loan application volume through the market composite index, said loan volume increased 7.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis from a week earlier.

Read more at Refinancing activity surges 7.5% on low interest rates.

For Renters, Market Likely to Get Pricier

Rising demand and a tightening supply is forcing both commercial and residential rents upward, and signs point to an increase in prices continuing over the next few years.

For one, office construction starts have been at their lowest level in more than 50 years, and on record. The lower starts means that there will be fewer spaces for businesses to rent, which will likely give landlords the upper hand in pushing rents even higher.

Residential renters can also expect an increase.

Read more at For Renters, Market Likely to Get Pricier.

Will the Real Estate Market Heat Up This Spring?

Predicting the housing market‘s fortunes in 2012 on the eve of the spring selling season is like guessing which direction an amoeba in a petri dish will move.

To be sure, most observers aren’t anticipating soaring growth. Strict mortgage lending and wary consumers still challenge the market. The thrum of foreclosures could rise this year and keep a lid on home prices. State attorneys general face a Friday deadline this week to decide whether to join a potential $25 billion settlement with five big banks over alleged foreclosure abuses.

But some experts point to reasons for cautious optimism …

Read more at Real Estate A Buy Or Bust This Spring Selling Season?


Lew Corcoran
Licensed Real Estate Agent
- REO Asset Professional
- Certified Short Sale Guide

Best Choice Real Estate
133 Turnpike St.
PO Box 3
South Easton, MA 02375

Phone: (800) 984-3341

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