July 1, 2013
National News6 percent mortgage rates: coming in 2014?(Moneyrates.com, 6/24/13)Current mortgage rates are more than half a percent higher than they were at the beginning of May, and threatening to move higher. Could this be the beginning of the end for ultra-low mortgage rates? Read More
Fannie Mae chief economist warns of rapidly escalating rates
(HousingWire, 6/24/13)
The days of record low mortgage rates have come to an end, as fixed-mortgage rates hover around 4%. And while there are many saying that rising rates won’t hurt the housing market, others are more concerned.
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Experts doubt surge in mortgage rates will derail housing recovery
(inmannews, 6/24/13)
Surging mortgage rates may have little effect on the housing market, at least in the near term, housing experts say. Read More
3 Reasons The 'Bubble-Like' Surge In Home Prices Won't Last
(Forbes, 6/24/13)
The “bubble” word has reentered the real estate conversation and with it, much worried comparison between current market conditions and those of the mid-2000s housing bubble. Read More
UPDATE: your first alert on housing's data trifecta--prices, new home sales, and consumer confidence(Builder, 6/25/13)A housing data trifecta--prices, new home sales, and consumer confidence--beneath the June mega-moon. Read More
How Technology Can Help with Evolving Regulation
(Origination News, 6/25/13)
When it comes to compliance with rules that have been taking shape over time such as the qualified mortgage definition, appraisal regulation and Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act reform, vendors have some recommendations for how technology can help. Read More
New index reveals mortgage credit easing
(InmanNews, 6/25/13)
Continuing an upward trend, mortgage credit availability rose in May compared to the month before, according to a new index from the Mortgage Bankers Association and mortgage information provider AllRegs. Read More
Housing Market Shrugging Off Rise in Mortgage Rates
(The New York Times, 6/25/13)
Mortgage rates may be inching up, but they have not put a damper on the American housing market’s rebound.
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Zillow Predicts Another 12% Annual Increase in Case-Shiller Indices for May
(Zillow Real Estate Research, 6/25/13)
The Case-Shiller data for April came out this morning and, based on this information and the May 2013 Zillow Home Value Index (released last week), we predict that next month’s Case-Shiller data (May 2013) will show that the 20-City Composite Home Price Index (non-seasonally adjusted [NSA]) increased 12.1 percent on a year-over-year basis, while the 10-City Composite Home Price Index (NSA) increased 12.2 percent on a year-over-year basis. Read More
Bad at Math? You're More Likely to Lose Your Home(Aol Real Estate, 6/25/13)According to a study released Monday, math-challenged borrowers were five times more likely to default on their loans. Read More
Refi Volume Drops to Lowest Level in Two Years
(National Mortgage Professional Magazine, 6/26/13)
Mortgage applications decreased three percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 21, 2013.
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Housing is Back, but Not Owners
(Builder, 6/26/13)
The long-awaited housing recovery finally may have arrived last year, but homeownership continued to decline, despite record-low interest rates and escalating home values. Read More
Housing now accounts for almost one-fifth of economic growth
(MarketWatch, 6/26/13)
While government statisticians downwardly revised first-quarter economic growth on Wednesday, they upgraded the housing sector’s performance. Read More
Credit Unions Express Concern Over Regulatory Pressures
(Credit Unions Online, 6/26/13)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) ongoing regulatory updates has community banks and credit unions feeling apprehensive about how to continue providing loans while remaining within compliance.
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Fixed-rates on mortgages rise at fastest pace since 1987
(HousingWire, 6/27/13)
Fixed-rates on mortgages soared this past week, rising alongside bond yields as the market reacted to concerns the Fed will soon taper its mortgage bond purchases. Read More
How Interest Rates Affect The Housing Market
(Forbes, 6/27/13)
Mortgages come in two primary forms, fixed rate and adjustable rate, with some hybrid combinations and multiple derivatives of each. Read More
REAL Trends Announces 2013 Top Thousand
(Wall Street Journal, 6/28/13)
Today, REAL Trends, Inc., in conjunction with The Wall Street Journal, published its seventh annual "Top Thousand" list of America's top 1000 real estate sales professionals and teams. An abridged list of the 2013 designees is published in today's Wall Street Journal and a complete listing is available online at www.thethousandrealestateprofessionals.com. Read More
Asian Investors Flock to US Commercial Real Estate
(MoneyNews, 6/28/13)
The rebound in the U.S. commercial real estate market carries a strong Asian flavor
Asian investors are buying more commercial real estate in this country than ever before, The Wall Street Journal reports. Read More
Local News
Mortgage trends improve
(Grand Junction Sentenel, 6/23/13)
Coloradans are paying off their home mortgages nearly a third faster than they were a year ago, signaling newfound confidence in the economy, officials said. Read More
Buyers poised to pounce on attainable single-family homes
(Steamboat HomeFinder, 6/23/13)
When Realtor Coleman Cook listed a single-family home in the Tamarack neighborhood off Fish Creek Falls Road for sale this week, the response was immediate. Read More
Statewide real estate markets improving
(Vail Daily, 6/24/13)
Improvements in the local real estate market reflect state trends.
The Colorado Division of Housing said foreclosures dove 50 percent in May, while home loan payoffs surged.
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Digital HOA communication network a valuable way to reach Black Forest fire victims
(Colorado Springs Gazette, 6/24/13)
When El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn reached out to homeowners associations to communicate with victims of the Black Forest fire, he was tapping into a powerful network. Read More
Colo. City Enacts New Fire Codes for Homes in Wildlands
(Firehouse, 6/24/13)
New Colorado Springs fire codes enacted after the Waldo Canyon fire are shaping home construction in neighborhoods beyond Mountain Shadows, where 347 homes were destroyed in June 2012. Read More
Case-Shiller: Denver home prices up 9.9%
(Inside Real Estate News, 6/25/13)
Denver area houses rose in value by 9.9 percent in April from April 2012, according to the closely watched Case-Shiller index released today. Read More
Highlands Ranch Colorado's "Top Booming Suburb"
(Denver Post, 6/26/13)
Highlands Ranch was named Wednesday as Colorado's "Top Booming Suburb" with a rating of 909.81 by Coldwell Banker Real Estate. Read More
‘Walkable’ communities driving Western mountain housing market
(Summit Daily, 6/27/13)
Homes within walking distance to shops and restaurants are forecast to drive the housing markets and economies in mountain communities of the interior West as the recession’s effects wane. Read More
Alaska Airlines coming to Colorado Springs
(South Side Business News, 6/27/13)
Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach and Interim Aviation Director Dan Gallagher of the Colorado Springs Airport, hosted a press conference this morning to announce that Alaska Airlines will begin daily non-stop service to Seattle beginning November 2. The first flight from Seattle to the Springs will be on November 1, 2013. Read More
Cassidy Turley completes buyout of Denver's Fuller and Co.
(Denver Business Journal, 6/28/13)
The long-pending sale of Fuller and Co. to Cassidy Turley was finalized this week as employees sold their stock to the national company, the head of Cassidy Turley Colorado confirmed. Read More
Sale might be near for Renaissance Hotel in Colorado Springs
(Gazette, 6/28/13)
It's one of the Pikes Peak region's more visible reminders of the area's recent economic downturn: the hulking, partially finished Renaissance Hotel that has sat dormant on Colorado Springs' far north side for nearly four years. Read More
Colorado Springs Housing Up 34%
(newswire.net, 6/28/13)
Metro Brokers Real Estate Broker Associate Lori Jones says Colorado Springs’ real estate recovery is rocking, “We have news that sales in 2013 are way ahead of last year.” Read More
Boulder County housing boom: Fast sales dominate, development ramps up in Erie
(Boulder Daily Camera, 6/30/13)
The components were there for a housing rebound in Boulder County: historically low interest rates, a relatively insulated market during the recession, population influx, economic growth, tight multifamily market, low inventory and pent-up demand. Read More