The big numbers are big, no question. A full nine percent of all loans in this country are either delinquent or in some state of foreclosure. That’s a big number.    Read More

Day to day the news is still bad. Lousy earnings today from Toll Brothers after lousy earnings from Hovnanian yesterday after lousy housing starts data for July (starts at a 17-year low). Yet the S&P Homebuilding index shows the group up 20% over the last two months.    Read More

Some interesting intelligence from one of the ground zeroes of the housing market: Florida. Paul Miller of FBR published some financial “ramblings” (his word not mine) on a recent trip to Florida’s West Coast.    Read More

It’s not over, and it’s not really getting that much better, but for the past few weeks I’ve been seeing that word pop up in an awful lot of different reports and indicators: “moderating.” In a Tuesday report from The Warren Group, which tracks foreclosure data in New England and thereabouts, it came up again.   Read More

You might think that with headlines that shout about plummeting home prices that the silver line to this cloud over housing would be affordability. Lower prices mean more people can buy houses, right? Wrong. Here's why.   Read More

Not that he needs anymore, but yet another kudo to Michael Phelps for doing his part in the housing recovery. Instead of heading for La-La-Land, where all those cameras await, or for a spicier set-up in South Beach, the millionaire medal man reportedly decided to sink $1.69 million into his hometown of Baltimore.    Read More

New numbers are out today from the Hope Now Alliance. You may remember last fall, when Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced this new effort, bringing together mortgage servicers, counselors and investors to help borrowers in trouble.   Read More

First, let me say that I don’t believe in month-to-month data when it comes to the housing market; I think it’s far too volatile, whether it’s prices, sales or even mortgage applications (the mortgage bankers issue a three-month moving average, which is much more accurate). That said, I want to talk about home prices today...    Read More

I was heartened to learn Monday that there is actually a price point at which buyers are willing to get back into today’s housing market -- despite the fact that economists, builders and the CEOs of Fannie and Freddie all say that house prices will continue to fall. But don't pop the champagne corks just yet.   Read More

I’m always asking the question: If there are so many lenders and so many programs trying to help troubled borrowers, why do the foreclosure numbers keep going up?    Read More