Obama proposes broader housing refinance plan

Obama proposes broader housing refinance plan

President Barack Obama called on Congress Wednesday to make it easier for millions of additional homeowners to refinance their mortgages at lower interest rates even if they owe more than their homes are worth. He conceded that his administration’s housing plans have not lived up to their promise.

Calling the housing problem “massive in size and in scope,” Obama detailed a proposal he outlined in his State of the Union speech last week, tackling an issue of vital concern in states key to his re-election.

“This housing crisis struck right at the heart of what it means to be middle class in America: our homes,” Obama said, speaking at a northern Virginia community center.

Obama’s proposal would give homeowners with privately held mortgages a shot at record low rates, for an annual savings of about $3,000 for the average borrower.

Read More on KomoNews.com…

Are you a struggling homeowner? Check out our Avoiding Foreclosure section for resources and tips.

New-home purchases fall, 2011 worst ever for sales

New-home purchases fall, 2011 worst ever for sales

Fewer people bought new homes in December. The decline made 2011 the worst year for new -homes sales on records dating back nearly half a century.

The Commerce Department said Thursday new-home sales fell 2.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 307,000. The pace is less than half the 700,000 that economists say must be sold in a healthy economy.

About 302,000 new homes were sold last year. That’s less than the 323,000 sold in 2010, making last year’s sales the worst on records dating back to 1963. And it coincides with a report last week that said 2011 was the weakest year for single-family home construction on record.

Read More on The Seattle Times…

Fed officials push more stimulus for housing

Fed officials push more stimulus for housing

Two top Federal Reserve officials on Friday pushed the case for more stimulus from the U.S. central bank to help the economic recovery, each zeroing in on the country’s weak housing market.

Policymakers need to consider more action to kick-start the housing sector and help the country’s “frustratingly slow” economic recovery and “unacceptably high” unemployment, William Dudley, president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, said in a speech in New Jersey.

Read More on MSNBC.com…

Homeownership Still The American Dream, Fuels Economy

Homeownership Still The American Dream, Fuels Economy

It’s billed as the American Dream and yet for some it’s been an all-time American nightmare.

Still “the home is central to American life” writes the National Association of Homebuilders in its report titled: Homeownership Works, released earlier this year…

…The publication shows how homeownership is a vital thread that weaves together a nation. It points to research released earlier this year by Pew Research Center Study, showing that 81% of of adults agree “that buying a home is the best long-term investment a person can make”. The sentiment was mirrored by renters (also 81%) who reported they would like to buy a house.

Read Story on Realty Times…

Are you dreaming of buying? Check out our Homeownership Simplified section for more information, resources, and tips on buying a home in Washington!

Spokane Among Forbes Recession-Resistant Cities For Real Estate

Spokane Among Forbes Recession-Resistant Cities For Real Estate

Selected as a recession-resistant city for real estate by Forbes, Washington’s second largest city Spokane continues to do well in this economy.

Read Story on Forbes.com…