David Woolley, a California licensed land surveyor and certified fraud examiner, is leading a new study in tandem with the Harbinger Analytics Group Real Estate Fraud Experts on the recently disbanded company, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS).  The topic

The Troubled Asset Relief  Program, or TARP, was a $750 billion infusion of cash into the U.S. financial sector, namely to banks addled by derivatives and other financial products. The largest recipients of TARP – Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, Wells

What good are low mortgage rates if nobody can take advantage of them? That’s the main question of a recent piece by Derek Kravitz, an Associated Press economics writer. Though rates are at historical lows, underwater homeowners – a

Though the Pending Home Sales Index declined in September,  activity remains above a year ago, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). A forward-looking indicator that is based on contract signings, the index fell 4.6 percent

The Bipartisan Policy Center has announced a new, bipartisan Housing Commission tasked with conducting a top-down analysis of the U.S. housing market and its long term trends. Co-chaired by two former U.S. Senators and two former heads of the

The supplier of Knauf Chinese drywall, Banner Supply Co., is facing a class action lawsuit as thousands of Florida homeowners are forced to evacuate their homes, or become severely ill due to the corroded copper, wiring and pipes the

After four straight months of declines, new single-family home sales in September were up 5.7 percent from August, an increase from 296,000 units to 316,000 units, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing

South Florida homeowners distressed by the foreclosure-ridden housing market are more often than not renting, rather than buying, their homes. Surprising as it may sound, this scenario has actually helped the resale market. According to a recent Miami Herald article,

South Florida condo owners are increasingly experiencing grizzly scenarios dubbed “plans of termination,” where many individual property rights are being stripped away and units converted into rental complexes. This comes as a highly challenging situation to condo owners. Investment

Two senators are proposing a remarkably simple idea to to foreigners to spur housing investment – buy a house, get a visa.   It may seem coy, but the proposal by Sens. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah)

In a late hour vote, the Senate approved by a 60-38 margin a measure to expand federal loan limits and return government-backed loans to the $729,750 that had been in effect the last three

Thanks to a federal grant worth $23.2 million, new homes are being refurbished by Habitat for Humanity chapters and new homeowners to make up for those lost in the foreclosure crisis. The first refurbished home will be dedicated on

National Real Estate developer, Sobel Company, has rejoined the Florida real estate market in its recent committal to a 34-unit townhome project in Pompano Beach. Construction of the new residences, called the Barefoot Beach Villas, is intended to begin

Miami home prices slowed somewhat in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the monthly report by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) that is the leading measure of U.S. home prices. The newest report, which surveys home prices for August, found monthly prices

After literally months of deliberation, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that it is eliminating several restrictions to the government’s Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) to allow more delinquent homeowners to refinance their mortgages.   Beginning with

Standard & Poor’s will release its much-followed Case-Shiller Home Price Indices tomorrow, and if any rival indices are an indication, it will most likely post year and monthly declines in home prices. Riding high on a summer buying mini-boom,