For the second consecutive month, U.S. consumer confidence is plunging. July’s official reading is its lowest since July of last year and the figures run in stark contrast to just two months ago, when the index touched a multi-year high. According to The Conference Board, July’s figures...

Standard & Poors released its Case-Shiller Index Tuesday. On a seasonally-adjusted basis, between April and May 2010, home prices rose in 19 of Case-Shiller’s 20 tracked markets.  It’s the second straight month of strong Case-Shiller findings. Also, May’s numbers are a mirror-image...

After a down month in May, the sales of newly-built homes appears back on track. As published by the Census Bureau, June’s New Home Sales report showed: A 24 percent sales volume increase from the month prior A 2-month drop in the supply of newly-built home There are now just 210,000 new homes...

Consistent with most post-home buyer tax credit housing news, the National Association of Realtors® says Existing Home Sales eased lower last month. An “existing home” is a home that cannot be considered new construction. The 5 percent drop in sales from May to June was expected, but...

Single-family Housing Starts eased lower last month, falling by 0.7 percent from May, or 3,000 units nationwide. A “housing start” is a home on which construction has started. June’s Housing Starts data is somewhat soft and may partially explain why home builder confidence dropped...

According to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates made new all-time lows this week and the good news is that rates look poised to fall even more. Since the Federal Reserve’s release of its June 2010 meeting minutes Wednesday, mortgage rates are dipping even more and one of the main reasons why is because...

Last week, the Case-Shiller Index reported home values up 0.8 percent across 20 tracked markets. The public-sector Federal Housing Finance Agency has reached a similar conclusion. Reporting on a two-month lag, the government’s Home Price Index shows home values up 0.8 percent in April, buoyed...

In June, for the first time since December 2009, the U.S. workforce shrank. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy shed 125,000 jobs last month even as the Unemployment Rate dropped to 9.5 percent. The drop in the Unemployment Rate is being attributed to fewer Americans looking for...

The Pending Home Sales Index plunged in May 2010, just one month after the expiration of the federal home buyer tax credit program. The Pending Home Sales Index is now at a record-low level. A “pending home sale” is an existing home under contract to sell, but not yet closed. According to...

As 2009 was ending, the “experts” were busy making forecasts about the U.S. economy and what to expect in 2010. With respect to the housing markets, two predictions were made again and again: Home prices would fall in the first half of 2010 Mortgage rates would be higher in 2010 Well,...