Chance Gates' Blog

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted composite index of mortgage applications for the week ending January 13 rose 23.1%. Refinancing applications increased 26.4%. Purchase volume rose 10.3%.

The producer price index, which tracks wholesale price inflation, fell 0.1% in December after increasing 0.3% in November. For the year, wholesale prices are up 4.8%. Core prices — which exclude food and fuel — rose 0.3% in December.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo monthly housing market index rose four points in January to 25 from a reading of 21 in December. It was the highest level since June 2007. An index reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market.

The combined construction of new single-family homes and apartments in December fell 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 657,000 units. Single-family starts increased 4.4%. Multifamily starts fell 20.4%. Applications for new building permits, seen as an indicator of future activity, fell 0.1% to an annual rate of 679,000 units. Housing starts for the year are up 24.9%.

Existing home sales rose 5% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.61 million units from a downwardly revised 4.39 million units in November. The inventory of unsold homes on the market decreased to 2.38 million, a 6.2-month supply at the current sales pace, down from a 7.2-month supply in November.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 50,000 to 352,000 for the week ending January 14. It was the lowest level since April 2008. Continuing claims for the week ending January 7 fell by 215,000 to 3.432 million.

Thanks to my friends at Prospect Mtg

Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and status changes.

As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  To checkout some of  my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/

If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable

If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

The index of leading economic indicators — designed to forecast economic activity in the next three to six months — rose a very strong 0.9% in October, following a revised 0.1% increase in September.

Retail sales rose 0.5% to $397.7 billion in October after a 1.1% increase in September. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales rose 7.2% in October.

Total business inventories were unchanged in September at $1.532 trillion, up 9% from a year ago. Total business sales increased 0.6% to $1.209 trillion in September, up 11.6% from a year ago. The total business inventories/sales ratio in September was 1.27.

Consumer prices fell a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in October, following a 0.3% increase in September. For the year, seasonally adjusted consumer prices are up 3.6%.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo monthly housing market index rose three points in November to 20 from a revised reading of 17 in October. An index reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market.

The combined construction of new single-family homes and apartments in October fell 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 628,000 units. Single-family starts increased 3.9%. Multifamily starts fell 13.3%. Applications for new building permits, seen as an indicator of future activity, rose 10.9% to an annual rate of 653,000 units.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 5,000 to 388,000 for the week ending November 12. That’s the lowest level since April. Continuing claims for the week ending November 5 fell by 57,000 to 3.608 million, the lowest level since September 2008.

Thanks to my friends at Prospect Mtg

Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and status changes.

As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  To checkout some of  my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/

If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable

If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

The combined construction of new single-family homes and apartments in September jumped 15% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 658,000 units. Single-family starts increased 1.7%. Multifamily starts rose 53%. Applications for new building permits, seen as an indicator of future activity, fell 5% to an annual rate of 594,000 units.

Industrial production at the nation’s factories, mines and utilities rose 0.2% in September. Compared to a year ago, industrial production is up 3.2%. Capacity utilization rose to 77.4% in September from a revised 77.3% in August.

The producer price index, which tracks wholesale price inflation, rose 0.8% in September after a flat reading in August. For the year, seasonally adjusted wholesale prices are up 6.9%. Core prices — excluding food and fuel — rose 0.2% in September.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo monthly housing market index rose four points in October to 18. The reading was the highest level since April 2010. An index reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market.

Existing home sales fell 3% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.91 million units from an upwardly revised 5.06 million units in August. The inventory of unsold homes on the market decreased to 3.48 million, an 8.5-month supply at the current sales pace, up from an 8.4-month supply in August.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 6,000 to 403,000 for the week ending October 15. Continuing claims for the week ending October 8 rose by 25,000 to 3.7 million.

Upcoming on the economic calendar are reports on the housing price index on October 25, new home sales on October 26 and pending home sales on October 27.

Thanks to my friends at Prospect Mtg for this report.  Visit them at www.myprospectmortgage.com/yfoster

Mark your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and status changes.

As a Reno/Sparks Nevada real estate professional and property manager, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  To checkout some of  my property manager services goto http://chancegates.com/property-management-services/

If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable

If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

Existing-home sales rose sharply in December, when sales increased for the fifth time in the past six months, according to the National Association of REALTORS^®.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 12.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.28 million in December from an upwardly revised 4.70 million in November, but remain 2.9 percent below the 5.44 million pace in December 2009.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said sales are on an uptrend. “December was a good finish to 2010, when sales fluctuate more than normal. The pattern over the past six months is clearly showing a recovery,” he said. “The December pace is near the volume we’re expecting for 2011, so the market is getting much closer to an adequate, sustainable level. The recovery will likely continue as job growth gains momentum and rising rents encourage more renters into ownership while exceptional affordability conditions remain.”

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $168,800 in December, which is 1.0 percent below December 2009. Distressed homes rose to a 36 percent market share in December from 33 percent in November, and 32 percent in December 2009.

“The modest rise in distressed sales, which typically are discounted 10 to 15 percent relative to traditional homes, dampened the median price in December, but the flat price trend continues,” Yun explained.

Inventory Levels
Total housing inventory at the end of December fell 4.2 percent to 3.56 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.1-month supply at the current sales pace, down from a 9.5-month supply in November.

NAR President Ron Phipps said buyers are responding to very good affordability conditions despite tight mortgage credit. “Historically low mortgage interest rates, stable home prices, and pent-up demand are drawing home buyers into the market,” Phipps said. “Recent home buyers have been successful with very low default rates, given the outstanding performance for loans originated in 2009 and 2010.”

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 4.71 percent in December from 4.30 percent in November; the rate was 4.93 percent in December 2009.

Transaction Types
A parallel NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 33 percent of homes in December, up from 32 percent in November, but are below a 43 percent share in December 2009.

Investors accounted for 20 percent of transactions in December, up from 19 percent in November and 15 percent in December 2009; the balance of sales were to repeat buyers. All-cash sales were at 29 percent in December, compared with 31 percent in November, but up from 22 percent a year ago. “All-cash sales have been consistently high at about 30 percent of the market over the past six months,” Yun said.

Single-family home sales jumped 11.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.64 million in December from 4.15 million in November, but are 2.5 percent below the 4.76 million level in December 2009. The median existing single-family home price was $169,300 in December, down 0.2 percent from a year ago.

Existing condominium and co-op sales surged 16.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 640,000 in December from 550,000 in November, but remain 5.2 percent below the 675,000-unit pace one year ago. The median existing condo price was $165,000 in December, which is 7.4 percent below December 2009.

Performance by Region
Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast jumped 13.0 percent to an annual pace of 870,000 in December but are 5.4 percent below December 2009. The median price in the Northeast was $237,300, which is 1.4 percent below a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the Midwest rose 11.0 percent in December to a level of 1.11 million but are 4.3 percent below a year ago. The median price in the Midwest was $139,700, up 3.3 percent from December 2009.

In the South, existing-home sales increased 10.1 percent to an annual pace of 1.97 million in December but are 2.5 percent below December 2009. The median price in the South was $148,400, unchanged from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the West surged 16.7 percent to an annual level of 1.33 million in December but remain 1.5 percent below December 2009. The median price in the West was $204,000, down 5.6 percent from a year ago.

NAR

http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2011012001?OpenDocument

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures.

Image via Wikipedia

By Steve Goldstein

RISMEDIA, October 28, 2010–(MCT)–Sales of new homes climbed 6.6 percent in September, figures released by the federal government on Wednesday showed, representing the second straight month of gains, but still well below the pace when a tax credit existed.

Sales of new single-family homes rose 6.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 307,000, which is stronger than the 300,000 that economists expected in a MarketWatch-compiled poll.

On Monday, a report showed sales of existing homes also were stronger than expected, rising 10 percent, and the two reports lend support to some economists who believe housing demand hit a bottom in late summer.

“After dropping precipitously following the expiration of the first-time homebuyer tax credit, it looks as though new home sales have stabilized,” said Nicholas Tenev, an economist at Barclays Capital. “We expect a gradual recovery over the coming months.”

Still, the pace of new-home sales is 21.5 percent below the same level of last year.

The pace of new-home sales also is considerably below the 414,000 rate in April, when the market was buoyed by a tax credit that has since expired.

There’s also still plenty of supply, with the government estimating supply of 8 months of unsold homes, though that’s down from 8.6 months in August. The stock of unsold houses fell 1 percent from August and dropped 19 percent from Sept. 2009.

“With little new construction going on, inventories of unsold new homes at least aren’t a problem even with sales at such a severely depressed level, with the number of new homes for sale extending a run of record lows,” said David Greenlaw, an economist at Morgan Stanley.

The median sales price rose 1.5 percent from August and 3.3 percent from Sept. 2009 to $223,800 — about 30 percent above the median price of an existing home.

The margin of error for new-home sales is a considerable plus or minus 16.9 percent.

September’s housing market was only partly affected by a foreclosure moratorium of some leading lenders, which gathered pace in October.

New-home sales, by definition, wouldn’t be affected by foreclosure disputes and in fact could benefit by virtue of purchasers getting “clean” title when buying new properties.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures.

Housing starts rose 10.5 percent in August to an annual rate of 598,000 homes, the most since April, the Commerce Department announced Monday.

Housing starts were up 2.2 percent in August compared to the same month last year, while permits decreased 6.7 percent.

Construction of single-family houses rose 4.3 percent to a 438,000 annual rate after declining 6.7 percent in July.

Construction of multi-family homes increased 32 percent to an annual pace of 160,000.

Housing starts increased 7 percent in the South, 34.3 percent in the West, and 21.7 percent in the Midwest. Starts fell 24.3 percent in the Northeast.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most of Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance at ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates
Source: Bloomberg, Courtney Schlisserman (09/21/2010)

Image by www.urbancityarch.com via Flickr

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, September 11, 2010–Finding the home that is right for you can be a time-consuming process. The experts at Move.com offer the following tips to help make sure you don’t just settle for a home, but instead find the home that is perfect for you.

Once you’ve settled on a couple of neighborhoods where you would like to live, it’s time to pick out a few homes to view. Your wish list can remind you which features are absolute requirements and which amenities you’d like to have if possible. When narrowing down your home search, consider:

-Types of homes
-Home purchase considerations
-Home comparison chart
-What to do when you’ve found the right home for you

Types of homes
In addition to single family homes (one home per lot), there are other forms of home ownership to consider as you begin looking for the next place you will call home:

-Multifamily homes: Some buyers, particularly first-timers, start with multiple family dwellings, so they’ll have rental income to help with their costs. Many mortgage plans, including VA and FHA loans, can be used for buildings with up to four units, if the buyer intends to occupy one of them.
-Condominiums: With a condo, you own “from the plaster in” just as you would a single house. You also own a certain percentage of the “common elements”—staircases, sidewalks, roofs and the like. Monthly charges pay your share of taxes and insurance on those elements, as well as repairs and maintenance. A homeowners association administers the development.
-Co-ops: In a few cities, cooperative apartments are common. With those, you purchase shares in a corporation that owns the whole building, and you receive a lease to your own apartment. A board of directors supervises management. Monthly charges include your share of an overall mortgage on the building.

Home purchase considerations
Most buyers’ first consideration, after neighborhoods are chosen, is the number of bedrooms. As you begin to view homes, keep the following purchase and resale considerations in mind:

-Weigh your needs, budget and personal tastes in deciding whether you want a home that’s a newly constructed, an older home or a home that requires some work—a ‘fixer-upper.’
-One-bedroom condos are more difficult to resell than two-bedroom condos.
-Two-bedroom/one-bath single houses generally have less appeal than houses with three or more bedrooms, and therefore less appreciation potential.
-Homes with ‘curb appeal,’ (a well-maintained, attractive and charming view-from-the-street appearance) are the easiest to resell.
-When resale is a possibility, don’t buy the most expensive house on the street, or anything that is unusual or unique. The best investment potential is traditionally found in a less expensive, more moderately sized home on the street.

Home comparison chart
While house-hunting, it’s a good idea to make notes about what you see because viewing several houses at a time can be confusing. Create a comparison chart before you begin looking at homes so you can keep track of your search, organize your thoughts and record your impressions.

When you’ve found the right home
Before you begin the home buying process, resolve to act promptly when you find the right house. Every Realtor has stories to tell about a couple who looked far and wide for their dream home, finally found it, and then revealed that “we always promised my Dad we’d sleep on it, so we’ll make an offer tomorrow.” Many times the story has a sad ending—someone else came in that evening with an offer that was accepted.

Resolve at this point that you will act decisively when you find the house that’s clearly right for you. This is particularly important after a long search or if the house is newly listed and/or under-priced.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most of Northwest Nevada neighborhoods.  I can be reached by email @  chance at ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

RISMEDIA, April 23, 2010—Buyers responding to the home buyer tax credit and favorable affordability conditions boosted existing-home sales in March 2010, marking the beginning of an expected spring surge, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 6.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units in March from 5.01 million in February, and are 16.1% above the 4.61 million-unit level in March 2009.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said it is encouraging to see a broad home sales recovery in nearly every part of the country, with two important underlying trends. “Sales have been above year-ago levels for nine straight months, and inventory has trended down from year-ago levels for 20 months running,” he said. “The home buyer tax credit has been a resounding success as these underlying trends point to a broad stabilization in home prices. This is preserving perhaps $1 trillion in largely middle class housing wealth that may have been wiped out without the housing stimulus measure.”

Total housing inventory at the end of March rose 1.5% to 3.58 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.0-month supply at the current sales pace, down from an 8.5-month supply in February. Raw unsold inventory is 1.8% below a year ago, and is 21.7% below the record of 4.58 million in July 2008.

“Foreclosures have been feeding into the inventory pipeline at a fairly steady pace and are being absorbed manageably,” Yun said. “In fact, foreclosures are selling quickly, especially in the lower price ranges that are attractive to first-time home buyers.”

A parallel NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 44% of homes in March, up from 42% in February. Investors accounted for 19% of transactions in March, unchanged from February; the remaining sales were to repeat buyers. All-cash sales remain elevated at 27% in March, the same as in February.

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $170,700 in March, up 0.4% from March 2009. Distressed homes, typically sold at a 15% discount, accounted for 35% of sales last month – unchanged from February.

“With home values stabilizing, a revival in home buying confidence will likely help the housing market get back on its feet even as the tax credit impact disappears,” Yun said.

NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Ariz., said buying conditions are in near-perfect alignment. “Even with tougher loan standards, historically low mortgage interest rates with affordable prices and a sense that the market is turning have created optimal conditions in much of the country,” she said.

“With the fast approaching April 30 deadline to get a contract in place for the tax credit, Realtors are working harder than ever to negotiate transactions, arrange services and complete paperwork,” Golder said. “Because many repeat buyers need to sell their current home first, many will be purchasing later without the tax credit but now have the benefit of a more buoyant housing market.”

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage dipped to 4.97% in March from 4.99% in February; the rate was 5.00% in March 2009.

Single-family home sales rose 7.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.68 million in March from a level of 4.36 million in February, and are 13.3% above the 4.13 million level a year ago. The median existing single-family home price was $170,700 in March, up 0.6% from March 2009.

Single-family median prices rose in 14 out of 20 metropolitan statistical areas reported in March in comparison with a year earlier. Five metro areas experienced double-digit increases, including San Diego, St. Louis and Boston.

Existing condominium and co-op sales increased 3.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 670,000 in March from 650,000 in February, and are 39.3% higher than the 481,000-unit level in March 2009. The median existing condo price was $170,600 in March, which is 0.7% below a year ago.

Northeast
Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast increased 6.0% to an annual level of 890,000 in March and are 25.4% higher than a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $249,800, up 8.9% from March 2009.

Midwest
Existing-home sales in the Midwest rose 7.2% in March to a pace of 1.19 million and are 15.5% above March 2009. The median price in the Midwest was $139,300, up 0.2% from a year ago.

South
In the South, existing-home sales increased 7.1% to an annual level of 1.97 million in March and are 13.9% higher than a year ago. The median price in the South was $154,800, up 5.2% from March 2009.

West
Existing-home sales in the West rose 6.6% to an annual rate of 1.30 million in March and are 14.0% above March 2009. The median price in the West was $209,400, down 7.9% from a year ago.

For more information, visit www.realtor.org.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted.  I can be reached by email at  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

RISMEDIA, April 20, 2010—(MCT)—Fresh data on new construction of U.S. housing units revealed an upward trend in place since the beginning of the year, with an initial report of February 2010 weakness revised away.

Starts rose 1.6% in March to a seasonally adjusted 626,000 annualized units, the Commerce Department recently reported. This was stronger than the 610,000 pace expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch.

Even more surprising, February starts were revised higher to a 616,000 pace from the 570,000 previously reported. This was up 1.1% from the prior month. The initial estimate had been a 5.9% drop.

As a result of the revisions, starts have risen for three straight months and are now at their highest level since November 2008. “The bottom line is that there is an upward trend and construction will be moving higher provided that new-home sales improve as well,” said Michelle Meyer, economist at Barclays Capital. Meyer cautioned that one should not get carried away with the improvement as it comes from “an incredibly low level of activity.”

Treasury prices and the dollar added to recent gains after the report. The government cautioned that its monthly housing data are volatile and subject to large sampling and other statistical errors. In most months, the government can’t be sure even whether starts increased or decreased. In March, for instance, the standard error for starts was plus or minus 15.2%. Large revisions are common, but rarely have they been in such a positive direction during this recession.

In March, strength came from multifamily starts. There was a slight decrease in starts of single-family homes. Starts of single-family homes fell 0.9% to a 531,000 rate in March, while starts of multifamily units surged 39.7% to 88,000.

The strength was concentrated in the South; all other regions declined in March.

“This was a modestly positive report. It is nice that construction is improving, but it would be better if the gains were more widespread,” wrote Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisers.

In the past year, starts are down 20.2%. Starts of single-family homes are up 47.1%, while starts of apartments and condominium units have plunged 31.8%.

Building permits rose 7.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000 in March.

Building permits for single-family homes increased 5.6% to a 543,000 rate—the highest level since August 2008. Many economists consider single-family permits to be the most important number in the government’s release. Permits for apartments rose 15.4% to 142,000.

The National Association of Home Builders recently said its members were more encouraged about their business in April. The builder’s sentiment index rose to 19 in April from 15 in March. “We may be seeing some modest improvement in the fundamentals for new housing construction,” wrote the RDQ economic team in a note to clients.

A tax subsidy for buyers expires at the end of April, and “we will need to see data for May and June before we can put too much weight on this conjecture,” the RDQ note said.

It can take four months for a new trend in housing starts to emerge from the data. In the past four months, housing starts have averaged 606,000 annualized, up from 594,000 in the four months ending in February.

The industry has slashed production of new homes to work off a massive amount of unsold inventory. The number of homes under construction fell 1.4% to a seasonally adjusted 489,000, the lowest on record, dating back to 1970. “Any pickup in demand,” Meyer said, “will warrant an increase in new construction.”

(c) 2010, MarketWatch.com Inc.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted.  I can be reached by email at chance@ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

Which is the better investment to build equity?

While it’s a little easier now to get a condo loan than it was a year ago, you’ll still find tight restrictions, particularly if you need a Federal Housing Administration-backed mortgage. Typically, an FHA lender will approve you only if at least 50% of the units in a complex have either been sold or placed under contract (by owner-occupiers, not investors). Additionally, if 15% or more of the units are more than 30 days past due on payments, that could be another loan stumbling block. If a condo board doesn’t set aside at least 10% of its dues toward reserves and improvements, loan approval also might be a problem, especially if the complex is in an area where values have consistently declined.

If you do go the FHA condo route, be prepared for the loan-approval process to take longer while the lender applies those tests. However, if an entire condo project is FHA-approved, which many now are, buyers will find a smoother road to financing. At present, down payments for condos are a little higher (20% to 25%) than for houses (10% to 20%), although FHA down payments can be much lower.

• On our blog, ‘Listed’: Prefab home grows to two stories, still eco-friendly

Among the pros for condo living are ease of upkeep and “location, location, location,” especially for city dwellers who desire amenities and transit options that are usually within short walking distance. Condo cons include the monthly maintenance fees and a condo board that decides how those fees are spent, sometimes forcing owners to subsidize amenities they don’t use. (By the way, condo maintenance fees aren’t tax-deductible.) In many condo communities, foreclosures and delinquent dues have forced associations to pass along shortfalls to other owners. You’ll also have to get the condo board’s permission for any renovations you might want to make (some housing developments also have associations and similar restrictions).

• MSN Money: Big changes come to student loans

In a house, you will have a yard, the freedom to make improvements and the option of having pets, but you’ll also have greater upkeep requirements and a lot more space to fill with potentially expensive stuff.

In either case, always consider the neighbor of the condo or home. As a fresh-out-of-college person, you’ll probably want to be around young professionals instead of the baby-boom set, and both groups tend to reside more heavily in urban condos. Also, remember, great location is a bigger factor in buying a condo than a house.

Dollar for dollar, condos tend to appreciate less in value than houses, but not at all price points or in all markets. Single-family houses are generally a little easier to sell, particularly now, with so much available condo inventory.

So do your homework

Read more at realestate.msn.com

As a Reno/Sparks real estate consultant I encourage and questions or comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the article I post. Please send emails t0 chance@ballard-company.com

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