Home affordability improved again Wednesday after the government reported worse-than-expected results for April’s Retail Sales.

Mortgage rates edged lower for the third consecutive day.

The impetus for the rate rally this week may be a long-awaited stock market correction. After touching multi-year lows in [...]

For the second month in a row, the country’s foreclosure activity was dominated by a small number of states.

As shown by the latest stats from RealtyTrac.com, more than half of the country’s foreclosure actions from April were concentrated in just 3 states:

California Florida Nevada

Those 3 [...]

After a series of increases starting April 30, mortgage rates finally took a dip Monday. It was a welcome surprise for home buyers that went under contract over the weekend.

Same for homeowners looking to pull the refinance trigger.

Versus mortgage rates on Friday afternoon, many lenders were already showing lower rates Monday morning [...]

Most U.S. cities provide clean, healthy tap water to households but large numbers of homeowners still filter their tap water in-home for its perceived health benefits or “fresher” taste.

Now, that taste can be flavored like fruit.

Voted 2009 Product of the Year by the Consumer Survey of Product Innovation, the

The economy shed 539,000 jobs in April, raising the 6-month total to nearly 4 million jobs lost.

And while the April data may look bad, it’s actually 10% better than what was expected.

As a result, it’s turning into a bad day to be shopping for mortgage rates.

[...]

The retail price of gasoline is rising nationwide, now up 30 percent since the New Year.

It’s a similar run-up to what we’ve seen for retail gas prices in each of the last 5 Spring Seasons.

For people trying to time the mortgage market’s bottom, clues about the [...]

Both mortgage guidelines and the economy have tightened since 2006, bringing more attention to “joint homeowners” — non-spousal partners that buy and share a home as roommates.

The practice is not new, but, anecdotally, co-purchasing is becoming more common.

In the [...]

For the second consecutive month, the number of homes under contract to sell increased — further evidence that housing markets may have already bottomed.

As reported by an industry trade association, the Pending Home Sales Index rose by 3-plus percent last month.

A “pending” home is one that’s under contract but [...]

With the start of May comes warmer temperates. But just because the mercury’s rising doesn’t mean your energy bills have to.

This quick Weather Channel video shows how a ceiling fan can cool a 78-degree room by up to 6 degrees and reduce the costs of running an HVAC unit. The [...]

The Case-Shiller Index is a popular reporting tool for the nation’s home prices. Each month, researchers measure home values in 20 large cities, compile their findings, and then publish them to the public.

The Case-Shiller Index is not a perfect measurement by any means. It gives more [...]