Real estate to boost Texas economy in '06

Economists at Texas A & M University's Real Estate Center say the real estate market should give a boost to the Lone Star State's economy this year.

David S.  more...

Discount real estate company grows in Florida

Home Discovery Real Estate Services Corp., a discount real estate company, is expanding into several Central Florida and Southwest Florida markets, including Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Volusia, Brevard, Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, the company announced.

Home Discovery now serves 80 percent of the residents of Florida with existing markets in the Tampa Bay and the Southeast Florida markets.

Home Discovery, which has operated for about four years in Florida, is a full-service real estate company that offer  more...

Former car dealer sentenced in real estate fraud

A former Nashville car lot owner was sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme resulting in the theft of $240,000 from First Tennessee Bank, prosecutors told NashvilleCityPaper.com last week.

David B. Todd III, who owned the former Park Place Motor Cars lot, was sentenced Tuesday after having been convicted by a jury Nov.  more...

Ohio boasts record real estate sales

Home sales activity throughout Ohio, on the heels of strong activity in October, maintained a record-breaking pace in November, reports the Ohio Association of Realtors.

Home sales in November reached a record 10,861, a 1.1 percent increase from the previous best-ever November 2004 total of 10,738.

The month's average sales price of $154,671 is a 3.5 percent increase over the November 2004 average sales price of $149,412.

Statewide sales of new and existing homes (January through November 2005) totaled 134,768, a 4.9 percent increase from the 128,415 sales posted durin  more...

Real estate company ranks 23rd among top new franchises

Real Living Inc., one of the largest U.S.  more...

ZipRealty announces new neighborhood search tool

ZipRealty has formed a partnership with search engine NeighborhoodScout that allows home builders to identify specific neighborhoods based on criteria such as historical appreciation rates and school district rankings culled from U.S. government sources, the companies announced today.

ZipRealty's new Neighborhood Guide feature pulls data from sources including the U.S.  more...

Weichert grows brand across South

Weichert Real Estate Affiliates Inc., the franchise arm of Weichert, Realtors, today announced that two more real estate companies in Florida, one in Alabama, and two in Texas have affiliated with Weichert.

The new Weichert affiliates include: Weichert, Realtors - Eastern Shore, Fairhope, Ala; Weichert, Realtors - Ackerman & Associates, Jensen Beach, Fla.; Weichert, Realtors - Burbach & Associates, Lake City, Fla.; Weichert, Realtors - Suburban Properties, Frisco, Texas; and Weichert, Realtors - Better Homes, Col  more...

Redfin real estate search site plans expansion

Redfin, a Seattle-based real estate Web site that combines mapping technology with detailed property information, has announced plans to expand into markets in California and the East Coast.

Redfin also announced the hire of new executives. Glenn Kelman, who formerly co-founded a software company, will serve as CEO, and Brian Marsh, a former senior manager for Amazon.com's community group, will serve as chief technology officer.  more...

Group of California MLSs announce consolidation plans

Administrators for a group of multiple listings services, extending from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Central Valley, have hammered out an agreement to consolidate property listings and services, creating the largest MLS in the state and one of the largest in the country.

Clareity Consulting, a real estate services company, facilitated a planning session on Jan. 4-5 to bring all of the players together.  more...

Overnight real estate rates stand still

Long-term mortgage interest rates were flat Friday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield rose to 4.37 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average held at 5.66 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate stayed at 5.23 percent. The 1-year adjustable remained at 4.49 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield increased to 4.56 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...