Freddie Mac posts 4Q loss, 2006 profit (AP)

AP - Mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac, emerging from an accounting scandal, reported Friday it lost $480 million in the fourth quarter as a result of moves in interest rates that hurt its business of guaranteeing home loans.

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New Century says cut off by Fannie Mae (Reuters)

The headquarters of mortgage lender Fannie Mae is shown in northwest Washington, October 3, 2006. New Century Financial Corp., a struggling subprime lender that many analysts consider on the brink of bankruptcy, on Tuesday said it can no longer sell mortgage loans to Fannie Mae or act as the primary servicer of mortgage loans for the mortgage financier. (Jason Reed/Reuters)Reuters - New Century Financial Corp. , a struggling mortgage lender to people with poor credit histories, said on Tuesday it can no longer sell mortgage loans to Fannie Mae or act as the mortgage financier's primary servicer of mortgage loans.


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Home sales by the numbers

Douglas B. Jones -- NY Times One of real estate agents typical tasks is to help a homeowner ascertain the proper asking price for a home. Even with the assistance of Zillow and other online resources, it's generally recognized that price opinions from active agents in the business, who might see dozens of homes a day, are important in arriving at a reasonable asking price. The New York Times had an interesting article last week "The Psychology of Pricing" that attempts to make sense of this important task.

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Understanding the Foreclosures Process

Foreclosure properties can be a terrific investment, or give home buyers a much more affordable option than traditional properties in this time of escalating prices. But, before you jump in assuming this is "real-estate for dummies" or the next get-r

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Do subprime woes affect Seattle market?

Q: Local real-estate experts keep saying Seattle's housing market will stay strong because the local economy is strong. But I think all...

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TotalMove Makes It Easy to Relocate

OK, so you’ve found the home of your dreams on Trulia or you’ve successfully “Made Someone Move“. What comes next?TotalMove might just be what you’re looking for. They aim to help homeowners prepare for the huge transition that moving entails.At it’s core, TotalMove is a mashup of a number of different web properties; listings from [...]

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Government Issues New Standards For Toxic Loans

When it comes to new-fangled loan options, caveat emptor ??” buyer beware ??” is no longer enough. The government now says lenders must give equal billing to both the pros and the cons of each loan choice so that borrowers are not surprised by rising mon

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Humble Pie: how to lose a customer(s), forever.

Tuesday morning this week I spoke with an agent customer who called to speak with an employee who happened to be taking well deserved vacation time. The agent discussed sending over a transaction but only wished to work with this staff member. They had a great working relationship on prior transactions. [...]

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Shadows overhang rebound for home construction sector

New home construction rebounded in February after a steep January slide, but analysts pointed to a further decline in building permits as a worrisome signal of future problems for the troubled housing industry.

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US home sales up 3.9 percent as market shows rebound (AFP)

A "For Sale" sign outside a residential estate in Centreville, Virginia. US home sales have risen by 3.9 percent in February as the struggling real estate market shows some signs of a rebound.(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)AFP - US home sales rose 3.9 percent in February as the struggling real estate market showed some signs of a rebound, industry data showed Friday.


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