Washington, December 01, 2009 Pending home sales have risen for nine months in a row, a first for the series of the index since its inception in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in October, increased 3.7 percent to 114.1 from [...]

Washington, October 07, 2009 The best available tool for sustaining the still-fragile housing market is the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit, and it is essential that Congress extend the credit into 2010, the National Association of Realtors® testified at a hearing of the U.S. House Small Business Committee today. The tax credit expires November 30. NAR [...]

Washington, September 15, 2009 Interest in U.S. real estate by international buyers declined due to the worldwide recession and severe credit crunch, according to the 2009 National Association of Realtors® Profile of International Home Buying Activity. The share of Realtor® clientele who are foreign buyers is smaller than in previous years, but among those purchasing [...]

Washington, September 14, 2009 The National Association of Realtors® is calling upon its 1.2 million members to urge Congress to extend the successful homebuyer tax credit into next year. Since its inception earlier this year, the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit has brought 1.2 million new buyers into the market—350,000 of whom would not have [...]

An NAR practitioner survey showed first-time buyers purchased 30 percent of homes in July, and that distressed homes accounted for 31 percent of transactions. NAR President Charles McMillan said the first-time buyer tax credit is working. “In addition to first-time buyers, we’re also seeing increased activity by repeat buyers. While many entry-level buyers are focused [...]

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said he is encouraged. “The housing market has decisively turned for the better. A combination of first-time buyers taking advantage of the housing stimulus tax credit and greatly improved affordability conditions are contributing to higher sales,” he said. The monthly sales gain was the largest on record for the total [...]

For the first time in five years, existing-home sales have increased for four months in a row, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – rose 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.24 million units in July from a level of 4.89 million [...]

Real estate professionals report that first-time home buyers are flooding the sale market, pressed to finalize a deal before the federal government’s $8,000 tax credit offer expires on Nov. 30. Because mortgage approvals, residential inspections, and other steps in the buying process typically take about two months, buyers hoping to take advantage of the incentive [...]

WASHINGTON — At least the market for new homes isn’t getting worse, and that’s the first step to getting better. In fact, the overall economy is getting a small boost as more buyers walk into model houses ready to sign contracts and builders hire workers to pour foundations and pave roads. Construction of single-family homes [...]

Expert: Recession over, slow recovery ahead But UNC Charlotte expert says the official ruling may be 2 years away, and that N.C.’s recovery will be slow. By Jefferson George jgeorge@charlotteobserver.com Posted: Wednesday, Jun. 03, 2009 More Information N.C. job losses The forecast of 123,500 job losses this year by UNC Charlotte’s John Connaughton is more [...]