News
News
Remodeling Spending To Tick Up Through Mid-2025
The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity report says things will trend up after a modest downturn
Business
Curbio Joins NAR As New Member Benefits Partner
National Association of Realtors members receive access to the Curbio home improvement platform
NAHB
NAHB Announces Action Plan for Housing Affordability
Six of the proposed 10 action items are important to residential remodelers
Home Improvement
Re-Bath Expands its Reach with New Franchise
The company signs a deal with brothers who are first-time franchisees
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Republicans vote to cancel two mortgage programs
The House Financial Services Committee last week moved to cancel two new Obama administration mortgage programs. The Republican-led committee voted 33 to 22 for the cancellation, the Wall Street Journal reported. The voting followed party lines.
Regulators push for 20 percent down payment rule
Bank regulators are backing a rule that would require a 20 percent down payment on lower risk mortgages that would be exempt from new lending rules.
California all-cash home sales increase, account for a third of transactions
All-cash buyers accounted for 30.9 percent of home and condominium sales in California in January, with even higher percentages in some wealthy Southern California communities. The trend is likely the result of both low home prices and an increase in foreclosures on the market.
Fannie Mae: Americans’ attitude toward housing market worsens
Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the economy and the housing market according to the results of a Fannie Mae survey.
Knauf alleges insulation patent violation by CertainTeed
Knauf Insulation has filed a patent infringement action against CertainTeed Corporation today in the Federal District Court in Indiana.
New home sales decrease 12.6% in January
Sales of newly built single-family homes decreased 12.6 percent in January to a seasonally adjusted 284,000 units, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. Regionally, new-home sales fell in both the South and West, while the Northeast saw a gain of 54.5 percent.
NAR: Existing home sales continue to rise
Existing home sales rose for the third month in a row in January, rising above sales levels from one year ago, according the latest data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Home sales may have been over-counted since 2007
The National Association of Realtors may have over-counted home sales as far back as 2007. According to NAR, 4.9 million homes were sold in 2010, down from 5.2 million sales in 2009. But real-estate analytics firm CoreLogic estimates that only 3.3 million homes were sold in 2010.
NAHB/Wells Fargo: Housing affordability highest in 20 years
Nationwide housing affordability reached record levels in the last quarter of 2010, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index. According to the report, 73.9 percent of homes sold in the fourth quarter of last year were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. This is the highest affordability level in the index’s 20-year history.
Rising energy costs fuel construction materials price increase
Prices for residential construction materials continue to rise as energy costs increase, according the latest Producer Price Index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Residential building materials prices rose 4.3 percent between January 2010 and January 2011, outpacing prices for general materials.