NEW YORK - Lots of homeowners are frustrated these days that they can’t seem to get a mortgage refinance even though interest rates are at historic lows. It turns out they’re not alone. Plenty of people on Wall Street would also love to see a boom in refinancing activity, saying it [ Read More → ]

In the real estate world, there was one word that used to be the cardinal rule: location, location, location. Just about anybody — the informed and uninformed — could buy a house in a good location and easily make money by flipping, selling or refinancing the home, sometimes after just a [ Read More → ]

The housing crash has left at least 11 million people in the unenviable position of owing more on their homes than they are worth—and many more millions with properties worth far less than they paid for them. But some might not be as trapped as they think. Record-low mortgage rates and a [ Read More → ]

The number of Massachusetts residents filing for bankruptcy soared in the first half of 2010, as the continued weak economy left thousands of homeowners unable to pay their mortgages or sell their properties. Nearly 12,000 people filed for bankruptcy in the first six months of this year, 25 percent more than [ Read More → ]

NEW YORK—Mortgage rates fell for the second straight week to the lowest point in five decades. But many people either don’t qualify for new mortgages or have already taken advantage of the low rates this year. As a result, the housing market and the broader economy may not benefit much from [ Read More → ]

Concerns over mortgage finance are gnawing away at confidence in the UK housing market, according to Zoopla.co.uk. In a recent survey by the property website, 78% of respondents expected house prices to rise by the end of the year, down from 81% three moths ago. Thirty four per cent of those questioned [ Read More → ]

Photo / Greg Bowker House prices will fall gently for the next two years before levelling out, but rents will rise because property investment is now returning less because of the October personal tax cuts, says Westpac in its latest housing market update. And while residential property sales may pick up a [ Read More → ]

According to the latest Property Tracker Survey (June 2010) from the Buildings Society Association (BSA), just 45% of consumers who were surveyed think that now is a good time to buy a property. This is a drop of 4% on the results from March 2010’s Property Tracker Survey where 49% [ Read More → ]

WASHINGTON — The number of homeowners dropping out of the Obama administration’s main mortgage assistance plan is growing, and is now almost equal to the number who have received permanent relief. The Treasury Department’s report on Monday was the latest evidence of problems in the administration’s $75 billion program. While officials [ Read More → ]

The latest figures from the Scottish House Price Monitor by Llloyds TSB Scotland show that the housing market in Scotland is recovering, albeit very slowly. The figures show that in the three months prior to 30th April this year, the quarterly price index for the average domestic property in Scotland rose [ Read More → ]