REAL ESTATE

More generations are living under the same roof and the trend will deepen as families grappling with near double-digit unemployment share expenses, a study showed on Monday.

President Barack Obama will use a campaign stop for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday to announce a new initiative to help support homeowners in five states hit hardest by the U.S. housing crisis.

Fan Wenbao swears he is not in the business of speculating on property. Already the owner of one home in Xinyang, a grimy city in the poor central province of Henan, he bought two more there last year.

U.S. homeowner confidence shrank in the fourth quarter as attitudes moved more in line with actual market prices, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

U.S. real estate continued its dismal run in 2009 with all-property capital values and total returns doubling their rate of decline, and yields softening further, quarterly data showed on Wednesday.

Expectations for defaults and losses in residential mortgage-backed securities continue to rise sharply in the United States, while tailing off in Britain, even as its economy has been slower to recover, a survey found.

Home-builder sentiment rose more than expected in February as low interest rates and a sharper than expected drop in unemployment boosted confidence for the first time since September, the National Association of Home Builders said on Tuesday.

Canada is implementing three changes to mortgage rules that will help protect the housing market, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Tuesday.

U.S. lenders are becoming increasingly willing to take over bankrupt borrowers --- a significant shift from last year, when companies like Chrysler and Eddie Bauer were pushed to a quick sale.

Mortgage foreclosure filings dropped in January but the decline may prove only temporary as housing-rescue efforts fall short of addressing current drivers, a report released on Thursday showed.

Initial public offerings by real estate investment trusts faced a tough market on Wednesday as investors shied away from taking on risk in a volatile market.

Britain's largest quoted residential investor Grainger said on Wednesday it was back in the hunt for new property buys after shoring up its finances and observing signs of stability in the housing market.

U.S. mortgage applications dipped last week, reflecting reduced demand for home purchase loans even as rates on 30-year loans fell to their lowest since December, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

One of every five U.S. home owners owed more on their mortgage than their home was worth in the fourth quarter, a trend that poses a serious threat to the U.S. housing market's recovery, real estate website Zillow.com said on Wednesday.

Less than two months out of bankruptcy, a small homebuilder says it is entertaining acquisition offers -- which could mean its bigger rivals are facing a shortage of land.

Pulte Homes Inc reported a larger-than-expected fourth-quarter net loss on Tuesday despite help from a tax benefit, sending its shares lower.

The U.S. Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has agreed to sell its headquarters building in Washington to CoStar Group Inc (CSGP.O) for a loss, the Wall Street Journal said.

Canadian housing starts rose by a larger than expected 5.8 percent in January, the fourth straight monthly gain, offering further proof of housing's strength in an otherwise tepid economy.

The Obama administration and U.S. lawmakers are missing an opportunity to revamp the U.S. housing finance system, which should be central to regulatory reform, a top Federal Reserve official said in an interview on Monday.

Rap music artist, Jay-Z, on Wednesday sued an investment firm and a bank, accusing them of trying to bleed $3.7 million from him over a loan to help him build a hotel on Manhattan's west side.

Fewer U.S. homeowners expect the value of their homes to decline in the year ahead, but they also believe gains are unlikely, according to a Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan survey published on Friday.

The number of U.S. homes listed for sale rose in January compared to December after 18 consecutive months of decline, according to data released on Thursday by real estate brokerage ZipRealty.

U.S. fixed mortgage rates eked out small increases in the past week, but the average 30-year loan held at around 5 percent, fostering affordability, home funding company Freddie Mac said on Thursday.

A group of influential mortgage investors is intensifying efforts to encourage a new phase to U.S. housing stability plans that would give homeowners ability and incentive to pay their loans.

Demand for home loans rose to a six-week high on a mini refinance wave, with borrowers pushing to lock in rates before they climb later this year, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday,

More and more consumers are giving greater priority to paying credit card debt than making a mortgage payment, showing increased financial duress, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below asking prices in December and for the first time in 11 months gained negotiating power, real estate website Zillow.com said on Tuesday.

The property investment arm of Morgan Stanley (MS.N) is in final talks to sell a Chinese apartment complex to a unit of Singapore's Keppel Land (KLAN.SI), sources close to the deal said on Tuesday.

The Obama administration must ensure U.S. housing market stability is retained as it reforms the nation's two largest providers of home mortgage credit, a top Treasury Department official said on Monday.