High density works, just not in the U.S.

Neighbors pursue the missing 6 feet

It's hard to be a good dinner guest when the tableside conversation turns to the matter of real estate. I try to hold my tongue, and try not to offer advice–no matter what.

So as I squirmed to sit still, with my husband glaring at me across the table with that "don't get involved" look, I couldn't believe the story I was hearing.

"It took us 18 months to get our permits for this damn remodel," said the friend of a friend who was our host.  more...

Real estate listings gain exposure on the Web

Voyager 360 today launched a new real estate listings marketing system for agent and broker Web sites that enables them to syndicate their listings on real estate-related Web sites in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Listings Syndicator enables brokers using the Voyager 360 Web site service to select any listing they want to be pushed out to the company's network of more than 1,000 Web sites. Like the broker reciprocity–or IDX–program, these participating Web sites include other Voyager brokers.  more...

More Fannie Mae investigations open

Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro on Thursday launched an investigation into mortgage heavyweight Fannie Mae to find out whether the company's accounting practices caused any losses to Ohio's public pension funds. Petro last year sued Fannie's rival company Freddie Mac on allegations that the company's accounting methods caused Ohio's pension funds to lose more than $25 million in stock value.

In the last week, Fannie Mae's stock has dropped 18 percent, equivalent to $16 billion in market capitalization. The U.S.  more...

Oil, job worries hurt consumer confidence

Consumer confidence fell slightly in September due to rising oil prices and greater concerns about the sluggish pace of growth in employment, according to the latest University of Michigan Survey of Consumers.

"The September loss in confidence was quite small, reflecting a continuation of the sideward movement that has dominated since the start of the year rather than indicating an emerging downturn," according to Richard Curtin, the director of the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers.  more...

Real estate construction spending tops $1 trillion

Construction spending in August, when projected over a 12-month period, topped the trillion mark, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.  more...

Real estate: The week ahead

• The California Association of Realtors will hold its annual conference, "Tech Tuesday, California Realtor Expo 2004," Oct. 5-7, in Santa Clara, Calif.

• The American Land Title Association will hold its annual conference Oct. 6-9, in Boston.  more...

Congress backs mortgage insurance tax deduction

A bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives has agreed to co-sponsor a key tax provision already passed by the U.S. Senate that would give a much-needed financial boost to millions of current and future homeowners.

The Mortgage Insurance Fairness Act (H.R. 1336), introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Rep.  more...

Overnight mortgage rates trend higher

Long-term mortgage interest rates were higher Thursday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield rose to 4.12 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average jumped to 5.37 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate increased to 4.78 percent. The 1-year adjustable was up at 3.21 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield increased to 4.89 percent.

Rates are current as of 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Mortgage rate figures are according to Bankrate.com, which publishes nightly averages based on its survey of 4,000 banks in 50 states.  more...