SoCal real estate sales, prices up since last year

Southern California home sales were up 6 percent from September 2004 to September 2005, and median prices were up 16.1 percent in that time, DataQuick Information Systems reported today.

DataQuick, a real estate research and information company, reported that 31,740 new and resale homes were sold in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month.  more...

Canada home sales still strong

Real estate sales activity in Canada's major markets reached the second highest monthly level in September, surpassed only by transactions the previous month, according to industry statistics released last week.

In September, a total of 29,544 homes traded hands via the multiple listing service, down 1.8 percent from August, according to The Canadian Real Estate Association, a real estate trade group.  more...

Realtor president warns not to mess with real estate tax benefit

In a letter to senators who are leading President Bush's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, the president of the National Association of Realtors trade group told them not to tinker with home-ownership tax benefits.

"Never dismiss or underestimate Americans' passion for home ownership," said Al Mansell, president of the Realtors group. "The housing market, while large, is a fragile, delicate instrument.  more...

Fiserv loan origination system adds fraud prevention tool

Interthinx, a provider of mortgage fraud prevention tools, has integrated its DISSCO fraud detection and prevention system with Fiserv's easyLENDER Mortgage loan origination software system.

As a result of this integration, loans originated in easyLENDER Mortgage can be instantly submitted to DISSCO for automatic screening for potential mortgage fraud.  more...

Sotheby's real estate gets a new affiliate

Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates Inc. today announced that Daniel Gale Real Estate, a real estate firm with 15 offices serving communities on Long Island, N.Y., will now do business as Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty and market its property listings under this new name.

The firm previously marketed only designated property listings under the Sotheby's International Realty name.

"Daniel Gale has always been recognized as a high-end market leader  more...

Home builders' confab to examine housing bubble

Whether or not housing can match its record-breaking performance of recent years, the 2006 outlook for housing starts and other issues will be discussed at the National Association of Home builders' Semi-Annual Construction Forecast Conference Wednesday.

The conference, a series of panel discussions on the economic outlook for housing in 2005 and beyond, will be held at the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C., this Wednesday, the organization announced.

Panel discussions will focus on topics including the NAHB Economic  more...

Countrywide buys new campus in Plano, Texas

Countrywide Financial is buying a 420,000-square-foot office campus at 1000 Coit Road in Plano, Texas and planning to fill it with about 1,500 new employees, the Dallas Business Journal reported Friday.

This means that at least 6,500 of the 7,500 new jobs Countrywide pledged to add in Texas last year will be created in the Metroplex area of the state, instead of going to Austin or other Texas cities, the Journal reported.

"The new jobs in Plano will count toward our commitment to Texas," Patrick Benton, managing director  more...

Real estate tech company enables podcasting

A la mode, a real estate technology company, has launched a product for its real estate agent customers that allows them to podcast information about properties for sale.

Using a la mode's podcast technology, called Propertycast, the company's 7,500 agent customers can record and distribute audio files with property descriptions -- known as podcasts -- for home buyers and sellers to hear on their home computers or download to their iPods or other brands of portable digital audio players, the company announced today.

The  more...

'Overvaluation' climbing in housing markets

Extreme overvaluation was seen in the housing market during the second quarter, according to housing valuation report released last week.

Fifty-six of the 299 metropolitan areas studied, or 32 percent of the total single-family housing market, were identified as being at risk for future price declines, according to the second-quarter update of the Global Insight/National City Housing Valuation Analysis.  more...