Real Estate Sales

Another sign of a housing market recovery : The longer you wait to buy a home, the fewer homes there are from which to choose. Home buying stays strong -- now 4 months running,

December's Housing Starts data suggests a housing recovery is well underway. You'll just have to ignore the newspaper headlines.

First-Time Home Buyers have found out. You don't need a 20% downpayment to purchase a home. There are ample low-downpayment mortgage products available today.

Despite a 33% contract failure rate and a 4-year low in housing stock, home resales *still* reached a 10-month high. Lured by low mortgage rates and low home prices, buyers are back.

Buying new construction? Get moving. Emerging housing market data hints at higher home prices in 2012, November's Housing Starts figures among them.

Homebuilders like what they see. Mortgage rates are low, buyer interest is high, and foot traffic at sales events is as high as its been in 3 years. It's another signal of housing's budding recovery.

Maybe low rates matter after all. After months of near-4 percent mortgage rates, a bevy of housing data all points to the same conclusion -- the housing market recovery is underway.

The Case-Shiller Index reports that home values fell in September as compared to the month prior. The good news is that we can ignore its findings.

In October 2012, despite sparse home inventory, the number of properties sold increased still managed to increase 1.4% nationwide. If home prices really do change with Supply and Demand, 2012 should keep home sellers happy.

As mortgage rates drop for conventional, FHA, jumbo and USDA loans, U.S. homes are more affordable than ever. See where your hometown ranks out of 225 cities.