The Santa Fe Housing market continues to improve slowly. What more can the Federal Reserve do to help the home-building industry? That was the question in the air when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke took the podium Friday at the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders Show for a keynote speech. Thanks to Fed monetary policy, interest rates on 30-year fixed mortgages are already at or near their lowest levels in recorded...

As Valentine’s Day approaches, most people go shopping for flowers, chocolates, gifts, or someone new to share their life with. In the real estate world, buyers are out shopping for that perfect home to “settle down with.” Given the ups and downs of a real estate search and the love affair many buyers have with potential homes, many real estate agents feel their job is one part agent, one part therapist, and one part...

Will the deal help Santa Fe Real Estate recover faster? The government’s settlement with five banks today will provide some relief to distressed homeowners, but experts say it could be a setback for future home buyers. The finalized agreement, which follows a yearlong push to settle allegations of foreclosure abuses by lenders, is worth up to $26 billion and will provide cash payments to borrowers who went through foreclosure over the...

Thinking of selling your Santa Fe Home short?  Do you a Freddie Mac loan, this is a must read. Freddie Mac will soon increase incentives paid for completed short sales, according to a spokesman for the government-sponsored enterprise. Short sales increased dramatically since the crisis struck in 2007. Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed 112,935 of these transactions in the first three quarters of 2011, up from 107,953 in all of...

Thinking about buying a Home In Santa Fe, rates just got lower. Mortgage rates fell to new lows for the week ending Feb. 2 as economic data showed weaker than expected economic growth,Freddie Mac said Thursday. The McLean, Va.-based government-sponsored enterprise released its primary mortgage market survey, which shows the average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage falling from 3.98% last week to 3.87%. The 30-year FRM hit 4.81% a year...

Decades from now when you retire, you are going to take a look at your income and assets to see if you will be living a comfortable retirement. One big portion of your retirement picture will probably relate to real estate. You may have paid off a home, and/or rental properties; and that would be great! Or you may still be paying a fairly large amount on your home mortgage or paying rent each month to a landlord. Read The Rest of the Story...

The number of housing markets showing measurable improvement expanded by 29 metros in February to include a total of 98 markets listed on the Improving Markets Index published monthly by First American and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Thirty-six states are now represented by at least one market on the list. The index tracks those housing markets that are showing signs of improvement in overall economic health,...