http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2015465661_housing30.html
Nearly 9 in 10 Americans say homeownership is an important part of the American dream, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
Support for helping people in financial distress over housing is higher than support for helping those without a job for many months.
45% of the respondents say the government should be doing more to improve the housing market, while 16% say it should be doing less.
根据Freddie Mac每周的跟踪调查数据显示，本周30年固定利率平均值是4.51%，与几周前达到的年度最低点4.49%相差不大。
详细的历史数据请到http://lowerloan.net/?page_id=26查询。
The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that its index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes rose 8.2% last month, to a reading of 88.8. That followed April’s seven-month low of 82.1.
Sales of previously occupied homes sank in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.81 million homes. That’s far below the 6 million sales per year that economists say is typical in healthier times. And it’s not much better than the 4.91 million homes sold last year, the worst showing in 13 years.
Contract signings in May increased in every region of the country: It rose 12.9% in the West, 10.5% in the Midwest, 7.3% in the Northeast and 4.1% in the South.
The number of mortgage loan fraud reports climbed 31% . A substantial majority of reports involved activities which occurred in 2006-2007.
The analysis found that California dominated the top mortgage fraud rankings. Miami dropped to the sixth most reported area after five years in the top two ranks.
据S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices四月份的数据显示，与三月份相比，全国20个最大城市中，Non-Seasonal-Adjustment指数，包括Seattle在内的16个城市房价有所上涨，上涨幅度超过1%的城市有：
但是如果与一年前相比，全国20个城市中只有Washington D.C.房价仍在上涨，幅度达4.0%。Seattle地区则大幅下降6.9%，下降幅度在20个城市中名列第7，其他六个下降幅度超过Seattle的城市分别是：
WASHINGTON (AP) — Home prices in major U.S. cities have risen for the first time in eight months, boosted by an annual flurry of spring buyers.
Prices rose in 13 of the 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home-price index, according to the April report released Tuesday. Washington, D.C., saw the biggest price increases, followed by San Francisco, Atlanta and Seattle.
The positive data released Tuesday came with a caveat: It was not adjusted for seasonal factors. When looking at seasonally adjusted numbers, prices actually fell.
Despite the gains in other cities, six metro areas are at their lowest levels in nearly four years. Those markets are: Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Miami and Tampa.
The lender is giving borrowers behind on their mortgage payments $10,000 to $20,000 if they’ll agree to a short sale, which means they sell the home for less than they owe on the mortgage.
Most banks figure they’re doing homeowners a favor simply by agreeing to a short sale and forgiving the amount they owe. But in some cases, Chase borrowers are getting that and cash.
The program launched last fall, and a few South Florida real estate agents say their clients are getting offers.
Wells Fargo invites Washington homeowners to a free workshop for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Wells Fargo Financial, Wachovia Mortgage and Wells Fargo Home Equity customers facing financial hardships on July 7 and 8 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Ballroom, 900 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is strongly recommended in order to guarantee the ability to meet with home retention team members who will assist and work one-on-one with mortgage customers facing payment challenges. Borrowers may receive a decision on a loan modification, or other option, on site. Sign up by midnight, July 5, at www.wfhmevents.com/leadingthewayhome. For more information call (800) 405-8067.
Wells Fargo is making every effort to keep people in their homes. In the first quarter about 93 percent of Wells Fargo’s mortgage customers remained current on their loan payments. In the fourth quarter of 2010, the company’s combined delinquency and foreclosure rates were three-fourths that of the industry according to Inside Mortgage Finance.
As of April the company had 673,179 active trial and completed modifications, started since the beginning of 2009. Fewer than 2 percent of the loans secured by owner-occupied homes and serviced by Wells Fargo proceeded to a foreclosure sale in the last 12 months.
从本周开始到7月22日止，政府新出台了一个无息贷款项目 Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program (EHLP), 旨在帮助那些丢了工作而且正在foreclosure边缘的家庭。联邦政府准备了10亿资金，准备帮助大约30,000个家庭。平均每个家庭能获得$35,000的无息贷款，具体贷款额视家庭的情况的不同而不同，最高额度是$50,000。
请注意，如果在收到这笔贷款以后的5年内homeowner能够一直坚持支付银行的mortgage，政府将会一笔勾销这笔EHLP贷款！也就是说，你拿到的将是free money。
申请条件包括：
To learn more about the program go to www.FindEHLP.org or call 855-346-3345
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Newhome-sales-fell-in-May-apf-1291837994.html?x=0
The Commerce Department says new-home sales fell 2.1% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 319,000 homes. That’s far below the 700,000 homes per year of a healthy housing market.
The median sales price rose 2.6% from April to $222,600. That’s more than 30% higher than the median sales of price of older, re-sale homes.
Sales of new homes have fallen 18% in the two years since the recession ended. Last year was the worst for new-home sales on records dating back half a century.
Though new homes represent only about 20% of the overall home market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each new home creates an average of three jobs and $90,000 in taxes, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
Last year was the fifth straight year that new-home sales fell.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fixed-mortgage-rates-flat-apf-826635177.html?x=0
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates were mostly unchanged this week, hovering near yearly lows.
The average rate on the 30-year loan held steady at 4.50% , Freddie Mac said Thursday. It hit 4.49% two weeks ago, the lowest level this year. The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage, popular for refinancing, inched up to 3.69%. Last week it reached a yearly low of 3.67%.
To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac collects rates from lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a single day.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015398539_wellsfargo23.html
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, a unit of Wells Fargo & Co., is closing an office at 600 108th Ave N.E. in Bellevue and laying off 114 people who work there, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Data source: National Association of Realtors
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Home-sales-fell-to-2011-low-apf-682403843.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=
Home sales sank 3.8% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.81 million homes, the weakest pace since November, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. Economists say that’s far below the 6 million homes per year sold in healthy housing markets.
First-time homebuyers ticked down to 35% of sales. First-timers typically drive half of sales in healthy markets.
The median sales price for a previously occupied home in May was $166,500. That’s 4.6% lower from the same month one year ago. The median price of a new home is nearly 31% higher than the median price for a re-sale, or twice the normal markup.
Foreclosure made up 31% of all purchases.
A record 1 million homes were lost to foreclosures last year and foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac Inc. expects 1.2 million more will be lost this year.
Sales fell across most regions of the country. In May, sales dropped 6.4% in the Midwest, 5.1% in the South and 2.5% in the Northeast. There was no change in the West.
从7月1日起，所有进入state parks的车辆都要凭票进入，否则将罚款$99。
一天票的价格是$10，年票的价格是$30。可以通过 discoverpass.wa.gov 网上购买或者 866-320-9933 电话购买。你也可以在600个体育用品商店和其他零售商店购买（要付额外费用）。你可以在 seati.ms/jTXxPK 查询零售商店的信息。
有些 hunters, fishermen, campers and others 可能不需要买票，具体信息请查询 seati.ms/mBOtd6.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Housing-starts-climb-permits-cnnm-2951984098.html?x=0
Permits for housing construction climbed in May, signaling a glimmer of optimism among homebuilders about the future of the housing market.
The number of permits for future housing construction jumped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 612,000 last month, up 8.7% from the revised rate of 563,000 in April, the Commerce Department said.
It was the highest monthly rate since December and was much higher than expected, with economists surveyed by Briefing.com looking for a 548,000 permit rate.
Permits for single-family homes, viewed as a more stable indicator of new homebuilding activity than permits for multi-family home construction, ticked up 2.5% from April to a rate of 405,000.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/realestate/paying-off-your-mortgage-early-mortgages.html
About a third of American homeowners pay off their mortgage early, according to the Federal Reserve.
Assuming you have the cash — perhaps in a savings account or certificate of deposit earning less than 1 percent interest — should you pay off your mortgage early? It’s a question that has both financial and psychological components. There’s a big psychological benefit for some people who just want to pay off their mortgage. Many conservative people feel more comfortable when they pay off their mortgage and it makes them feel their cost of living is lower.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Foreclosures-fall-again-but-cnnm-3892878342.html?x=0
Foreclosure filings experienced their eighth straight month of declines, according to RealtyTrac.
In May, filings fell 33% from a year earlier and 2% month-over-month, according to the online marketplace of foreclosed properties. The number of homes that were repossessed (referred to as REOs or real estate-owned properties) in May also declined to 66,879, down 3.8% from April and 29% year-over-year, the firm said.
The huge year-over-year drop in foreclosures doesn’t necessarily mean the housing market is staging a recovery, however.
James Saccacio, the CEO of RealtyTrac, says the declines are likely due to lingering effects of the “robo-signing” scandal, which broke last September, when it was discovered that banks were playing fast and loose with foreclosure documents.
根据Fannie Mae 的最新消息，从目前开始到今年的十月底， 买房者只要从HomePath网站上的公司 listing 上购买foreclosure property， 就能收到3.5%买房价去支付closing costs。另外，帮忙购房的经纪人也能拿到$1200的奖金。敬请注意，此 incentives 只针对买房者购买的自住房而不适用于投资房。
查阅具体的Terms and Conditions, visit the Special Offers tab at HomePath.com.
New HomePath Incentive Announced
Up to 3.5% Closing Cost Assistance; $1,200 Agent Bonus
Fannie Mae is launching a new nationwide HomePath® incentive for buyers and selling agents. The incentive is available upon request from June 14 – October 31, 2011.
More Details
Contact the HomePathLender_Support@fanniemae.com mailbox.
Mortgage Bankers Association的数据表明，在6月10日截止的那一周，房贷申请数量激升了13%，是从3月份以来的最大升幅。
随着30年固定贷款利率的不断走低（http://lowerloan.net/?page_id=26），更多的房主想抓住机会申请重新贷款，重新贷款的申请数量上升了16.5%。在所有的房贷申请中，重新贷款所占的比例从前一周的67.3%增加到了70%
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/how-the-self-employed-get-mortgages-1.aspx
There are two main problems that self-employed borrowers face when qualifying for a mortgage:
First, they need to prove their income with tax returns. Self-employed borrowers must complete IRS Form 4506-T, which allows lenders to request tax transcripts. Lenders are required to wait until the tax returns have been recorded by the IRS and must receive them directly from the IRS rather than from loan applicants.
Second, Even if their income has stabilized, the loan will be based on the average of two years of tax returns, which could show reduced income.
Self-employed people typically report their gross income minus expenses to generate a net income. For tax purposes, it may be beneficial to have net income as low as possible, but the net income is the number used for income qualification.
Basically, self-employed people have to decide what is more important to them: qualifying for a larger mortgage or avoiding paying taxes.
According to the data from CoreLogic of Santa Ana, Calif., 10.9 million homes with a mortgage, or 22.7% of such properties, were underwater at the end of the first quarter. That was a slight decline from 11.1 million, or 23.1%, in the fourth quarter of last year.
The report also said, 38% of borrowers with second mortgages were underwater, compared with 18% of borrowers without home-equity loans.
直直落的房价正在迅速侵蚀房屋资产（home equity）。Federal Reserve在星期四指出，美国家庭的（房屋资产/房价）持续减少，已经达到二次世界大战以来的最低点，这个比例从10年前的61%下降到了现在的38%。
正常情况下随着你每月不断的付银行贷款，你的房屋资产应该不断增加。但是由于房价直落到2006年以来的最低点，很多家庭的负债额虽然减少了，但房屋净资产却也正在不断减少。
全美的74.5 million住房中，60%的家庭有借贷，剩下的40%都已经付清了。
据CoreLogic的研究报告指出，在有借贷的家庭中，23%的家庭资不抵债，也就是说贷款额比现在的房屋市场价还多。还有另外的5%正在接近这个临界点
Fed的报告还指出，包括房贷、车贷、学生贷款等，平均每个家庭借贷了$119,000。这个数字相当于整个家庭税后收入的119%。2007年，这个比例是135%。1990年代则要健康很多，这个比例不到90%。
http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/07/real_estate/walk_away_mortgage/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Should you keep paying your mortgage on a home that’s dwindling in value?
No way, say an increasing number of underwater homeowners who are voluntarily choosing to “walk away” from their home loans, a practice known as “strategic default.”
Jon Maddux, CEO of YouWalkAway.com, reports 10% more clients this year to his company, which advises people how best to handle the walk away process.
Charles Gallagher, a real estate attorney in St. Petersburg, Fla., has also seen an uptick.
And a recent survey by home finance company Fannie Mae found that while only about 27% of homeowners would even consider walking away, that’s up from 15% last year.
In an early 2010 report, Morgan Stanley researchers said nearly 200,000 defaults in the prior year were voluntary, or roughly 12% of the total. The bank expects to issue updated estimates in coming weeks.
30年固定利率继续延续跌跌不休的态势，并且跌幅在不断加大力度，不但创造了新的年度最低点，与去年的历史最低点也是迅速接近！
根据Freddie Mac的每周跟踪调查数据显示，30年固定利率从4.55%降到了4.49%，15年从3.74%降到了3.68%，5/1ARM则连跳（向下呃）了两个台阶，从3.41%蹦到了3.28%。与9周前的3.91%相比，30年已经下降了0.42%。
而根据Bankrate的隔夜跟踪调查数据显示，本周的30年固定利率利率一直在4.49%以下徘徊。
详细的历史数据请去下面的地址查询：
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Homebuying-Is-now-the-right-hmoney-3876100029.html?x=0
Just as people learned who bought a house at or near the peak of the housing market back in 2006, what really matters isn’t what house prices have done in the recent past, but what they’ll do in the future.
And despite all the gloom and doom, it’s reasonable to expect that prices will eventually stabilize and begin climbing again.
The point is that even after sharp declines, housing markets can recover (assuming an area’s underlying economy is sound), and prices do resume their upward trend. So it seems to me that this is a pretty good time to be in the market for a house.
Is it possible that prices might go lower still from here? Sure. But it’s unrealistic to expect to call the bottom of the market and time your purchase just right.
What you can do, though, is take advantage of the depressed market to do an extensive search for a house you like — and then use the leverage of a weak market to negotiate hard on price.
As a buyer, you’re in the advantageous position of having time and market conditions on your side. Before you do anything, though, you need to make sure you’ve got realistic expectations.
In years past, the rule of thumb was that you should consider buying only if you planned on living in an area at least five years. Today, I’d say you probably shouldn’t even think of buying a house unless you plan to stay in it more like seven to 10 years.
The bottom line, though, is you and your betrothed should be approaching the prospect of becoming homeowners much the same way that, ideally, one enters into a marriage. You take your time, give it the serious thought it deserves — and then move forward only if you plan to be in it for the long haul.
根据Northwest MLS五月份的房屋销售数据分析，Eastside的房屋中间价与三月份比较，不同地区互有涨跌，但是基本上跌多涨少:
| King County东部 |
房屋中间价 |
房屋中间价 |
涨跌幅度 |
| I-90南边 |
$585,000 |
$515,000 |
13.59% |
| Mercer Island |
$718,000 |
$710,000 |
1.01% |
| Bellevue – 西边 |
$649,995 |
$940,000 |
-30.85% |
| Bellevue – 东边 |
$404,562 |
$475,000 |
-14.83% |
| Sammamish |
$475,000 |
$509,990 |
-6.86% |
| Redmond |
$526,000 |
$415,500 |
26.59% |
| Kirkland |
$527,500 |
$546,000 |
-3.39% |
| Juanita, Woodinville |
$377,612 |
$425,000 |
-11.15% |
五月份的房屋销售量和销售价格都继续下跌，但是brokers对签约待售（pending sales）的数量则表示鼓舞，认为这是西雅图地区市场走向恢复的重要标志。
据Northwest Multiple Listing Service星期一发布的统计数据表明，上个月King County共销售了1,654个房屋，比2010年5月份少了6%。中间价是$345,000，比一年前下跌了9%。
但是，签约待售（pending sales）的数量则比一年前大幅上扬39%。Condo的签约量更是夸张，上扬了65%。
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015247083_homesales07.html
http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2011060301?OpenDocument
据National Association of Home Builders的2000人次的抽样调查显示，75%的美国人仍然认为拥有住房是最好的长期投资，值得为此承担风险。
调查显示，大部分美国人都对home ownership持乐观态度，认为那是最好的长期投资方式，这其中包括81%的有房者，76%的租房者，以及65%的资不抵债者。
调查还显示，73%的租房者有意愿最终拥有房产。
30年固定利率到本周为止，已经连续跌了8周，年度最低点不断被刷新，与去年的历史最低点越来越近！
根据Freddie Mac的每周跟踪调查数据显示，30年固定利率从4.60%降到了4.55%，15年从3.78%降到了3.74%，5/1ARM则与上周持平。与8周前的3.91%相比，30年已经下降了0.36%。
而根据Bankrate的隔夜跟踪调查数据显示，今天的30年固定利率利率更是跌到了4.49%！
详细的历史数据请去下面的地址查询：