msnbc.com: Real estate

Homebuilders hunting for land again

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:52:26 GMT

The housing bust left homebuilders with plenty of red ink on their books. But now they are on the hunt again, vying for choice parcels where prices are cheap.

Fannie Mae getting into home rental business

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 23:30:03 GMT

Thousands of borrowers on the verge of foreclosure will soon have the option of renting their homes from Fannie Mae, under a policy announced Thursday.

Rates on 30-year loans fall below 5 percent

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 19:37:30 GMT

Rates for 30-year home loans dipped below 5 percent this week after rising for three straight weeks.

Calculating the best and worst rental markets

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:18:36 GMT

Relocating? Then you're probably worried about whether you should rent in your new hometown or buy while prices are down.

Newsweek: Baby boomers reignite housing market

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 20:33:03 GMT

Before the crash, older home-buyers were already big players in the real-estate market, and now their influence is growing. According to the National Association of Realtors, people over 55 bought 21 percent of the homes that were sold in 2008, up from 13 percent in 2001.

Pulte Homes posts third-quarter loss

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 16:02:19 GMT

Pulte Homes Inc. lost $361.4 million in the third quarter, but with the acquisition of Centex Corp., the homebuilder increased sales by more than a third.

Open House: Where life can be a beach

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 12:27:35 GMT

Want an oceanview home? Here’s what it may cost you

Pending home sales reach 3-year high

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 15:24:01 GMT

Signed contracts to buy previously occupied U.S. homes rose for the eighth straight month in September as buyers scrambled to take advantage of a tax credit for first-time buyers.

Construction spending rises in September

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 15:20:15 GMT

Construction spending in September posted a better-than-expected performance, powered by the largest jump in housing construction in more than six years.

Senators OK homebuyer tax credit extension

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:56:14 GMT

Senators have agreed to extend a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers and to offer a reduced credit to some repeat buyers.

New home sales take surprise tumble

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:21:59 GMT

Sales of new homes dropped unexpectedly last month as the effects of a temporary tax credit for first-time owners started to wane.

Home prices rise for third straight month

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:55:01 GMT

Home prices rose in August for the third straight month, a rapid pace of recovery that surprised economists and raised questions about how long the trend can last.

Detroit ‘ice house’ to spotlight foreclosure crisis

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:01:29 GMT

A photographer and an architect plan to freeze one of Detroit's thousands of abandoned homes this winter, encasing it in ice to draw attention to foreclosures that have battered the region.

Vote on homebuyer tax credit could come soon

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:33:41 GMT

Top Democrats in the Senate are pressing a plan that would extend a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers but gradually phase it out over the course of next year.

Capmark files for bankruptcy protection

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:32:34 GMT

Capmark Financial Group, one of the largest U.S. commercial real estate lenders, has filed for bankruptcy protection amid mounting bad debt.

Record NYC real estate deal now on the rocks

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:06:14 GMT

It was the most expensive real estate deal in U.S. history. Now it's poised to become one of the biggest flops.

In Detroit, a housing auction of last resort

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:21:43 GMT

In a crowded ballroom next to a bankrupt casino, what remains of the Detroit property market was being picked over by speculators and mostly discarded.

Home sales rise 9.4 percent in September

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:11:08 GMT

Home resales in September clocked the largest monthly increase in 26 years as buyers scrambled to complete their purchases before a tax credit for first-time owners expires.

Interactive: Where foreclosures cluster

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:34:48 GMT

Where foreclosures cluster: A few states are disproportionately hit

Commercial real estate bust looms

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:29:39 GMT

Amid the worst housing crisis in decades, commercial real estate is shaping up as the second half of what some are calling a “double bubble.” By msnbc.com's John W. Schoen.

Congress probes homebuyer tax-credit fraud

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:32:47 GMT

Tens of thousands of people may have taken advantage of the first-time homebuyer tax credit to defraud the government, an IRS watchdog office said Thursday.

Home price index falls 0.3 percent

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:36:32 GMT

A government index shows U.S. home prices dipped slightly in August from the previous month, but remained above a low point reached in May.

Applications for home building permits fall

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:52:49 GMT

Applications for home building permits, a gauge of future construction, fell in September by the largest amount in five months — a discouraging sign for the housing industry.