The last six months, housing affordability has been one of the few give-ins regarding housing. With record-low interest rates and competitively-priced homes, affordability is at its highest level in more than 40 years…or is it? A new study by

Privately-owned housing starts in May were up 28.5 percent from last year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition, building permits increased by both monthly and

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) increased one point in June to its highest level since May of 2007. That might not sound like a big deal, but every little point counts – and

Let’s face it, few things are more painful than a Facebook user who has little grasp of the medium. We’ve all seen it – posts written entirely in ALL CAPS, cheesy videos, meaningless status updates – an all with

National foreclosure filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, were up 9 percent from April to May but down 4 percent from May 2011, according to new data from RealtyTrac. For May, one in every 639

Contract failures have been one of the more recurring problems in real estate in recent months, and with roughly a third of agents experiencing them, they have easily garnered a reputation among Realtors as one of the main inhibitors to

The shadow inventory decreased by 14.8 percent year-over-year in April, according to new data from analytics firm CoreLogic. Since April 2011, the shadow inventory has fallen by more than 300,000 units to its present level of 1.5 million, which

Extroverts make up 60 to 75 percent of the human population, and occasionally, it can seem like introverts – the other, more subtle side of the equation – are left behind. Which is a shame, because even though real

Last week, the mortgage markets reflected what would appear to be an ideal homebuying environment; mortgage applications were up 18 percent, reaching their highest level since 2009. Yet, when looking at big numbers like that, it’s easy to forget this

Total international residential sales in the U.S. was $82.5 billion in the past year ending on March 2012, a 24 percent increase from 2011. According a new report from the National Association of Realtors, a number of factors have

It’s election season, and polls seem to be more prevalent than the cherry trees in Washington, D.C., but a new Q2 2012 survey from HomeGain has some interesting findings for how the real estate community views the president –

Acceleration clause. Addendum. Amortization. Assignment. Oh yes, we’re talkin’ real estate jargon – and we haven’t even gotten through the A’s yet! Real estate is one of those industries that can lay on the jargon pretty thick sometimes, and

The fifth season of “Mad Men” concluded on Sunday, and in the show’s trademark fashion, it mixed business and pleasure in ways that only Don Draper, Roger Sterling and co. are capable of doing. But although Mr. Draper may

It’s no mystery to Realtors in Miami that foreign investment has comprised a big chunk of the city’s recent surge in real estate, but a detail of that surge may surprise some. Of all the foreign groups buying housing

Social networking is one of those areas that can seem impossible to master, a style of marketing so broad that a coherent strategy is all but impossible. But as with most concepts that appear daunting, social networking can be

The Casa Casuarina, the late Gianni Versace’s Miami Beach mansion, has been listed for $125 million, the highest listing price in the Miami area. Listed by Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg of The Jills, a Coldwell Banker team, the