Ryland expands home-building operations

The Ryland Group, a large home-builder company based in Southern California, has expanded in its home state with the creation of two new divisions in Sacramento and California's Central Valley. The new operations are the result of continued expansion, which led the company to split its Northern California division.

Ryland Homes has successfully completed sales in six communities throughout Sacramento, the nation's 13th-largest home-building market.  more...

Colorado real estate agents face licensing delays

Thousands of Colorado real estate brokers are unable to conduct business after missing a Dec. 31 deadline to submit fingerprints to state and federal law enforcement officials, the Denver Business Journal reported Dec.  more...

RE/MAX ranks highest among real estate franchises

RE/MAX International Inc. ranked as the top real estate franchise company in an annual top-500 list published by Entrepreneur magazine.

RE/MAX ranked eighth overall in the latest Franchise 500 ranking, up from 10th place in 2005.  more...

Real estate purchases hit 4-week slump

Overall mortgage applications dropped 1.5 percent last week on a seasonally adjusted basis from the week before, marking a monthlong decline, while refinancings began to pick up, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported today.

The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased by 3.4 percent to 418.3 from 432.9 the previous week whereas the refinance index increased by 8.3 percent to 1,363.2 from 1,259.1 one week earlier.

The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 42.7 percent of total applications from 40.2 percent the previous week.  more...

HUD raises real estate loan limits

The Federal Housing Administration has increased its single-family home mortgage limits by more than 15 percent, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson said Tuesday.

Effective Jan. 1, 2006, FHA will insure single-family home mortgages up to $200,160 in standard areas and up to $362,790 in high-cost areas, HUD said.

The high-cost amount is almost $50,000 more than last year. The loan limits for two-, three- and four-unit dwellings also increased.  more...

Manhattan real estate sales cool in fourth quarter

Real estate sales cooled in Manhattan in the fourth quarter while average sales prices continued to escalate, though with signs of moderation, according to a market report prepared by Miller Samuel for Prudential Douglas Elliman.

All price indicators showed double-digit gains in excess of 20 percent over the prior year quarter but with single-digit gains over the prior quarter, showing evidence that the market has "shifted gears" to more modest appreciation levels, according to the report released Wednesday.

The number of Manhattan real estate sales dropped 27.2 percent to 1,  more...

Overnight real estate rates take a rest

Long-term mortgage interest rates were flat Tuesday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield dipped to 4.36 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average held at 5.7 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate was up slightly at 5.29 percent. The 1-year adjustable dipped to 4.48 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield increased to 4.55 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...