According to the most recent Texas Quarterly Housing Report, the effects of last year's federal homebuyer tax credits continued to linger for the Texas real estate market in the second quarter of 2011. Continue reading ...

According to the latest Monthly Review of the Texas Economy, the word "robust" describes the annual job growth rate for the state's private sector for the year ending in June Continue reading ...

Most homeowners associations are well-run and provide great benefit to residents through their amenities environment. It's not hard, however, to find stories about seemingly one-sided disputes between HOAs and homeowners. To be honest, some of the reports, like tales of foreclosure or huge, unannounced assessments, are upsetting. Continue reading ...

Nationally, pending home sales rose strongly in May with all regions experiencing gains from a year ago, pointing to higher housing activity in the second half of the year, according to the National Association of Realtors. Continue reading ...

What some people consider a double-dip recession, others view simply as the continuation of the recession that has gripped the nation for the past couple of years. Continue reading ...

According to the latest monthly data compiled by the Houston Association of Realtors, March sales of single-family homes fell 4.4 percent versus one year earlier. As in February, the popular middle segments of the Houston housing market, consisting of homes priced between $80,000 and $250,000, experienced declining sales while the low and high ends saw an increase in number of sales. Compared to March of 2009, a year without unusual market factors such as Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the 2010 tax credit, single-family home sales were up 6.6 percent. Continue reading ...

Home Ownership Remains at the Core of the American Dream Continue reading ...

Reason #5 The subprime mortgage crisis brought underwriting standards back into the mortgage origination process. And while the final quarter of 2009’s financial meltdown led to a sense that financing had dried up, mortgage funds are now available. Continue reading ...

Every major price index points to a housing market that has hit bottom and is moving in a positive direction. After 30 months of declining values, home prices appear to be stable or appreciating in nearly every U.S. market. In August of 2010, the median home price was $182,600, amounting to an 11 percent increase over the low that was reached in February of 2010 at $164,000. Continue reading ...

For individual home buyers, there are only a few facts that really matter: • Can I afford this home? • Is it a good investment? • Does it meet my family’s needs? Continue reading ...

A Smart Buyer’s Guide to Seizing the Market It’s Prime Time! No doubt you’ve heard the news: The housing market hit a rough patch this summer. Sales of existing homes declined at a rate that took many by surprise, sending pundits into a “what’s next” tailspin. As the prognosticators pondered, savvy buyers didn’t miss a beat. They got that the doomsayers were taking a onedimensional view of the buyer’s market and that market skittishness gives rise to an even more favorable climate for buying a home. Continue reading ...

If I buy a house today, will it be cheaper tomorrow? In other words, if I buy now, what is the likelihood my property’s value will decline, and I won’t be able to sell it for what I paid for it? Put yet another way, have we hit bottom on home prices? Continue reading ...

February 2011 marked a slight slowdown in the Houston real estate market following a galloping start to the new year in January when home sales rose for the first time in seven months. Despite last month's decline in sales volume, average and median home prices rose to the highest levels ever recorded for a February in Houston. Continue reading ...

Fortunately, most Texans weathered the last decade far better than other Americans, particularly those in other high-growth states. But it was not easy. Nationally, the Great Recession's impact was most felt in employment. Between 2000 and 2009, the total number of payroll jobs declined 0.7 percent from 131.79 million to 130.92 million. Meanwhile, the total number of private sector jobs declined 2.4 percent from 111 million to 108.37 million. Job losses in the private sector were partially offset by an 8.5 percent increase in government jobs during the decade, from 20.8 million to 22.55 million jobs. Continue reading ...

Despite the bone-chilling winter weather, Houston's housing market heated up in January, recording the first increase in property sales since June 2010. Pricing also heated up in the first month of the new year with the average price of single-family homes reaching the highest level ever for a January in Houston. Continue reading ...

The number of commercial and residential properties that went back to their lenders dipped at a recent Harris County foreclosure auction, though more properties posted for foreclosure than earlier in the year. Continue reading ...

Smart Business learned more from Dana Johnson, chief economist of Comerica Bank, about prospects for the Texas economy in 2011 and how it compares to the national economy. The following are excerpts from that interview: What is your outlook for the Texas economy for 2011? Continue reading ...

According to a recent report in the Oklahoman, home values are up over five years in Amarillo, Dallas, Fort Smith, Houston, Lubbock and Wichita, Kansas. The latest report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) reports the following metro-area values ticking up over the last five years in its all-transactions index, counting purchases and refis. Continue reading ...

For the fifth month in a row following expiration of the 2010 homebuyer tax credit, sales of single-family homes across Greater Houston declined in November while the prices of those homes rose. Despite the lingering sales chill, the market enjoyed boosts in both the average and median price, achieving the highest levels ever seen in a November. According to the latest monthly data released late December by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), November sales of single-family homes throughout the Houston market fell 22.0 percent when compared to November 2009. Continue reading ...

Employment in the Texas private sector is keeping the state's job growth headed in the right direction. Continue reading ...

Three Texas cities made Forbes' list of ten most affordable U.S. cities. Continue reading ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association's latest mortgage delinquency survey indicate Texas is faring better than the nation in actual foreclosures. Continue reading ...

Texas' five major metros have some of the lowest "shadow" inventories of unsold homes in the United States. Continue reading ...

According to statistics released late November by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), despite the fourth month of a downward trend in Houston real estate sales, the market enjoyed another boost in the average price and a nudge in the median price of single-family homes. Continue reading ...

A post-homebuyer tax credit calm prevailed across the greater Houston area for the second straight month in August, with property sales volume down, though not as dramatically as it was in July. Despite the decline, the average price of a single-family home continued to climb. Continue reading ...

Houston is expected to post the nation's strongest home price appreciation over the next year, according to a new report by Veros Real Estate Solutions. Houston's relatively low unemployment -- 8.7 percent in August -- contributed to the city showing an increase in home prices in the third quarter and that trend should only continue, says Veros' VeroFORECAST. Continue reading ...

Jay Papasan, VP of Publishing of Keller Williams International and co-author of a number real estate best-sellers, explains why some houses sit on the market while others sell. Continue reading ...

An anticipated property sales slowdown set into the Houston real estate market in July following the expiration of the federal homebuyer tax credit. The credit had propelled local home sales for four straight months beginning in March, however home sales suffered a double-digit decline in July. Despite the drop, the average price of a single-family home still managed to climb to a two-year high. Continue reading ...

Home sales statistics are likely to paint a picture of a weakening market through the end of 2010 and the first half of 2011. While it's tempting to attribute the bleak numbers to a deteriorating housing market, an economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University said that doesn't tell the whole story. Continue reading ...

Texas is coming out of the Great Recession and leading the United States in the current U-shaped economic recovery, according to the Real Estate Center's latest monthly review of the Texas economy. Continue reading ...

Q: The last time I moved was a stress-related nightmare. How can I make it easier this time? Continue reading ...

Home sales in Texas saw higher-than-usual activity in March, perhaps signaling that the traditional spring and summer selling season got under way early this year. Continue reading ...

The latest Texas Quarterly Housing Report shows statewide increases in both sales volume and price, fueled by a rare March boost. Texas sales volume for existing single-family homes was 42,682 for the first quarter of this year, up 4 percent from the first quarter of last year. The median home price in Texas jumped from $137,200 in first quarter 2009 to $141,500 in 2010, a 3.13 percent increase. Continue reading ...

•The average price of a single-family home appreciated for a fifth straight month, by 12.3 percent, to $203,271;

•The median price of a single-family home rose for the tenth consecutive month, by 6.5 percent, to $147,000;

•6.3 months inventory of single-family homes compares favorably to the national average of 7.8 months;

•Townhouse/condominium sales rose 8.9 percent;

•Total dollar volume grew 5.1 percent, reaching $747 million.

Mark Fuller is a leading real estate professional specializing in Luxury Homes In Houston Texas.

The number of townhouses and condominiums that sold in February rose 8.9 percent compared to one year earlier. Continue reading ...

A recent report in the the Patriot Ledger echoed a sentiment lenders and economists have been predicting for months: with the end of a federal initiative to buy up mortgage-backed securities, interest rates will be moving up and away from their super low rates very soon. Continue reading ...

At the recent Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce 2010 Economic Outlook Conference, state Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples reported that that the state's economy is stabilizing. Continue reading ...

The Houston real estate market closed out 2009 with a more realistic snapshot of local conditions, ending three months of sales readings that appeared high when compared to the fall of 2008 due to Hurricane Ike's crippling effects on housing back then. Continue reading ...

Demand for single-family home rentals rose 3.1 percent in December compared to a year earlier. Year-over-year townhouse/condominium rentals climbed 4.7 percent.

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See below for the milestones reached in December:

The number of townhouses and condominiums that sold in December rose 11.7 percent compared to one year earlier. In the greater Houston area, 429 units were sold last month versus 384 properties in December 2008. Continue reading ...

At $152,550, the median sales price for single-family homes rose for the eighth consecutive month, up 5.2 percent from December 2008. The national single-family median price reported by NAR is $171,900, illustrating the continued higher value and lower cost of living that consumers enjoy in the Houston market. Continue reading ...

The month of December brought Houston’s overall housing market mixed results when all listing categories are compared to December of 2008. Total property sales were flat while total dollar volume and both median and average single-family home sales prices climbed on a year-over-year basis. Continue reading ...

The Houston housing market concluded calendar year 2009 on sturdier ground than 2008, with only a slight decline in property sales and pricing that was generally flat. Continue reading ...

According to the Greater Houston Builders' Association, six specific trends are emerging in the latest new homes: Continue reading ...

The effects of Hurricane Ike and simultaneous economic downturn affecting Houston's real estate market in November 2008 continue to distort year-over-year comparisons which reflect yet another month of double-digit increases. However, longer-term analysis aimed at gleaning a more realistic view of market conditions shows November 2009 real estate activity to be comparable to that seen at the cusp of the recession, in the fall of 2007. Continue reading ...

1. At $163,000, the median price of a single-family home was the second highest of all time;

2. Sales of single-family homes priced between $150,000 and $250,000—the second busiest segment of the housing market—rose     1.2 percent;

3. Volume of single-family home sales reached the highest level since July 2008;

4. Volume of single-family home sales reached the highest level since August 2008;

5. Month’s inventory of single-family homes dipped from 6.7 to 6.5 months compared to the national average of 9.4 months;

6. Active listings fell 13.4 percent, representing a generally balanced supply of housing inventory.

The number of townhouses and condominiums sold in July fell compared to one year earlier. In the greater Houston area, 550 units were sold last month over 586 properties in July 2008, giving to a 6.1 percent decrease in year-over-year sales. However, that still depicts the highest sales volume since August 2008. Continue reading ...

At $163,000, the median sales price for single-family homes reached the second highest level ever, up 1.5 percent from July 2008, when it was $160,550. The national single-family median price reported by NAR is $181,600, representing the continued higher value and lower cost of living that the Houston market offers consumers. The average price of single-family homes in July was $220,030, sliding 1.8 percent from one year earlier. Continue reading ...

The month of July brought Houston’s overall housing market mixed results when all listing categories are compared to July of 2008. Total property sales, total dollar volume and average single-family home sales prices were down on a year-over-year basis while median single-family home sales prices rose to the second highest level ever. Continue reading ...

Seasonal summer home buying and continued activity among first-time homebuyers translated to a quite a significant improvement in single-family home sales across the greater Houston area in July, with the highest volume since July 2008 and the second highest median price in history. This comes despite year-over-year declines in overall property sales of 5.1 percent and 4.4 percent for single-family homes, according to new monthly data compiled by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR). However, those declines are the smallest recorded since the economic downturn began in the fall of 2007. Continue reading ...