News

Duo hope for quick turnaround on homes bought from Cape Coral's Comfort Home Builders (The News-Press)
Greg Jarrett and Larry Smith are buying 72 houses from down-on-its-luck builder Comfort Home Builders in Cape Coral — the plan is to offer them for...

Vacant homes for sale hit new record high (MSNBC)
The percentage of vacant homes for sale in the U.S. set a new record high in the first quarter of this year, the government said Monday.

County home sales slide 19.5 percent in April (The Olympian)
Sales of Thurston county single-family homes and condos slipped 19.5 percent in April compared to the same month last year while the inventory of homes for sale increased slightly in the same period, Northwest Multiple Listing Service reported today.

Home builders back off opposition to trust land reform (The Arizona Republic)
Arizona home builders, who have repeatedly given the death blow to conservation efforts, have agreed to let a state trust land reform initiative move forward without a fight.

Gov't washes hands off socialized housing fray (GMA News)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines - Vice President Noli de Castro admitted Friday that the government is helpless over the mounting complaints of owners of low cost housing against the Balikatan Housing Financial Inc., a subsidiary of the Germany-based Deutsche Bank.

N.H. representatives vote for housing bailout (Boston Globe)
New Hampshire Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes are backing a housing bailout plan that President Bush is threatening to veto.

HBA elects chairman for new commercial builders group (Orlando Business Journal)
The Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando kicked off its latest committee for commercial builders by naming its inaugural chairman, the organization announced Wednesday.

Vacant homes for sale reach a record 2.28 million (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
WASHINGTON -- The percentage of vacant homes for sale reached a record high in the first quarter, the government said yesterday. The Census Bureau reported that 2.9 percent of U.S. homes, excluding rental properties, were vacant and up for sale, compared with 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. It was the highest quarterly number in data going back to 1956.

Mortgage applications drop to 2008 low (USA Today)
Applications for home mortgages slumped last week to their lowest since December in another sign the housing market is far from recovery, according to data reported by an industry group Wednesday.

White House leaves door open on housing rescue (Washington Post)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday set out terms for a possible deal on a housing market rescue plan, as a sweeping package backed by the House of Representatives was on its way to an uncertain greeting in the Senate.

Housing aid bills face vetoes by Pres. Bush (USA Today)
The House on Thursday passed a massive homeowner rescue plan to provide cheaper, government-backed mortgages to half a million debt-ridden borrowers and bolster an economy crippled by the housing crisis.