REAL ESTATE

U.S. homebuilder sentiment rose in September to its highest level since May 2008, the National Association of Home Builders said on Wednesday, bolstering the view that the battered housing market is stabilizing.

Demand for U.S. home loans fell as fixed mortgage rates rose last week in a banking period shortened by the Labor Day holiday, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday.

Some of the world's largest commercial real estate service companies are turning to online auctions to sell property and debt to help kick-start the stalled U.S. commercial real estate market.

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 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.

Pulte Homes Inc dominates an annual ranking of customer satisfaction in 24 major U.S. housing markets, according to an annual survey.

Real estate equity funds dominated Lipper's ranking of top-performing funds in August, as expectations of an impending property market recovery prompted a rally in European property stocks. Of the top 20 UK-registered equity funds ranked by fund tracker Lipper, a unit of Thomson Reuters, 11 were real estate funds of which nine are invested in the UK or Europe.

A year after the financial collapse of 2008, the housing market is very different than it was before the foreclosure crisis. Here are seven bits of wisdom from economists and financial planners for anyone contemplating a home purchase today:

Interest rates on U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell below 5 percent on Friday, a significant psychological level that should help the hard-hit U.S. housing market to recover, according to real estate website Zillow.com.

Real estate professionals and home builders are pushing for an extension and an increase in tax incentives to encourage homebuying.

New York state's top court is likely to rule next month on a Manhattan housing complex legal battle that could derail one the United States' largest real estate deals and reshape the city's residential rental market.

U.S. mortgage foreclosure filings in August hovered near July's record high despite broad efforts to keep borrowers in their homes and will probably rise for another year, according to a report released on Thursday.

The lowest mortgage rates in 3 months had U.S. consumers clamoring for home loans last week even as the government said on Wednesday it expected millions more foreclosures.

The New York City penthouse where imprisoned fraudster Bernard Madoff spent his last few days of freedom with his wife Ruth is set to go on sale later this week, according to the U.S. Marshals Service

Trim shrubs and trees in the front yard; a homebuyer should be able to see your home's architectural features (such as that beautiful picture window). Tidy up your yard; put away hoses, trash cans, etc.

Essentially, green homes (or buildings) strive to integrate into the environment, use sustainable design and construction concepts, and have a positive impact on occupant health and comfort.

U.S. mortgage applications surged last week, with demand rising to its highest level since late-May as consumers sought to take advantage of the lowest interest rates in months, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

Mortgage woes dominate the business page headlines of both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal today.

U.S. home prices are nearing the end of a three-year slump and should rise in 2010, though the overall economy can rebound even if the housing market does not, according to a Reuters poll.

The bursting of America's housing bubble in the summer of 2006 triggered the global financial crisis and recession. The sharp fall in house prices that followed caused a dramatic downturn in household wealth, leading to lower consumer spending and an overall fall in GDP. By now, wealth in the form of owner-occupied housing is down about 30%, equivalent to a loss of more than $6 trillion of househo...

U.S. mortgage applications slid last week even as mortgage rates edged lower, with requests for loans to buy homes declining for the first time since early July, an industry group said on Wednesday.

The level of U.S. commercial real estate deals seen in the boom years of 2005 through 2007 may take a generation to return, according to a report by real estate services company Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

Florida's economy is shrinking in another crippling blow to the housing market of the state, which leads the United States in foreclosures and is grappling with record levels of unemployment.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to step up its reviews of taxpayers who take the mortgage interest deduction and target some for audit.

Contract activity for pending home sales has risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen in the history of the index since it began in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes raced to a two-year high in July, a real estate trade group said on Tuesday, giving more evidence that a recovery in the housing market was under way.

The U.S. manufacturing sector grew in August for the first time in over a year and a half, while pending home sales surged to a two-year high in July, adding to mounting evidence the longest economic slowdown since the Great Depression is ending.

Keeping a building green requires specific leases clauses as well as cooperation from the landlord and tenants.

When working in real estate, you should never let your guard down. Here's how to make your personal safety a top priority.