Magazine seeks more eyeballs for real estate content

Homes & Land Magazine, a real estate publication, announced agreements with HomePages.com, Oodle.com, ClassifiedAds.com and JustRealEstateListings.com in an effort to generate more page views for its advertisers, the company announced today.  more...

RE/MAX expands in Baltic countries

RE/MAX International, one of the largest real estate brokerage franchise companies, has expanded its international footprint into three new countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the company announced Thursday.

The RE/MAX franchise network is a global real estate system with more than 5,800 independently owned offices and 113,000 sales associates.

The addition of franchises in these countries gives RE/MAX a presence in 61 countries across the globe.  more...

Seven indicted in Louisiana real estate loan fraud

Seven people were indicted in Louisiana in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme in the Lafayette, La., area involving more than 50 properties and more than $1 million, court documents reveal.

The indictment alleges 65 counts of conspiracy, bank fraud and mail fraud against: Anthony T Grishby, a mortgage broker; Howard McZeal, an appraiser; Erin Broussard, a secretary; and loan processors Renay Matthews, Tameshia Matthews, Shawn Hollier and Lori Moreau.  more...

Housing group to present study on real estate affordability

A coalition of organizations interested in housing issues has completed a survey on affordable home-ownership programs across the country and will present its findings Monday.  more...

Existing-home sales cool in Twin Cities

Existing-home sales in the Twin Cities, Minn., metro area dipped 0.25 percent in October from a year ago, while the median price grew modestly, according to the Saint Paul Area Association of Realtors.

Realtors reported 4,843 closed homes sales in the 13-county metro area, down slightly from 4,855 in October 2004 and down 8.2 percent from 5,277 sales just a month ago.

The median price for an existing home in the area remained unchanged from the previous month at $230,000 but was up 4.5 percent from the year-ago level of $220,000.  more...

Overnight real estate rates tick higher

Long-term mortgage interest rates were up slightly Thursday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield dropped to 4.53 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average edged up to 5.9 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate nudged up to 5.48 percent. The 1-year adjustable was down at 4.48 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield gained to 4.84 percent.

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