Price index drops record 18% 
A monthly home-price index that tracks price changes in 20 U.S. metro areas dropped 18 percent in October compared to the same month last year, with ...

A grim 2008 in real estate 
Editor's note: The following stories, published this year by Inman News, describe some of the most momentous events impacting the real estate industry ...

Surge in refis levels off 
Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate loans continue to drop into uncharted territory, but a surge in refinancings appears to be leveling off, two surveys ...

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

FHASecure refi program to sunset 
The Bush administration will not continue the FHASecure mortgage refinance program for delinquent borrowers beyond 2008, but homeowners who are behind ...

WaMu paid agents referral fees 
A Washington Mutual retail mortgage office in Southern California turned real estate agents into "a pipeline for loan applications" by paying ...

Creativity key in real estate today 
Celeste Starchild, vice president of sales and marketing for ListHub, a part of real estate tech company Threewide Corp., will speak at the upcoming ...

Don't scrimp on marketing during downturn 
Editor's note: As a part of the Roadmap to Recovery editorial project, Inman News is calling for our audience to help chart a course for the future ...

Survey: Realtor ranks to thin 
Editor's note: Inman News has conducted a future-focused real estate industry survey as a part of its Roadmap to Recovery editorial project. This ...

Builders sue HUD over incentives 
The National Association of Home Builders has become the second industry group to file suit to block changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures ...

Monday, December 29, 2008

A flight to real estate quality 
Editor's note: As a part of the Roadmap to Recovery editorial project, Inman News is calling for our audience to help chart a course for the future ...

Tech exec has Enormo undertaking 
Yannick Laclau is founder and president of Enormo, an international real estate search site that was formerly known as Properazzi. The site offers ...

Friday, December 26, 2008

A musical journey in real estate 
SAN FRANCISCO -- A few rare parking spots along Bernard Street are reserved for a broker's tour event on this Tuesday morning. Inquisitive passersby, ...

Real estate enthusiast shares views 
Editor's note: Harvey Edgecombe, a London-based lawyer and creator of the Renthusiast international real estate blog, shares his views about the ...

Embracing 'fundamental change' 
Kenneth Jenny, managing partner for Mediatise LLC, a consulting company, is an industry veteran who has served in executive roles for Coldwell Banker ...

Behind the scenes at Clean Offer 
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco's Financial District is bustling: Consumers walk briskly clutching shopping bags; white-collar workers are rushing ...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Agents should expand social circle online 
Louis Cammarosano, general manager of online real estate company HomeGain, formerly served as general counsel, senior vice president of corporate ...

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

State budget crisis rocks CalHFA loans 
California's budget crisis has forced the state's Housing Finance Agency to suspend its 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan and down-payment assistance ...

Industry promises more loan mods 
Editor's note: As government officials continue to deliberate a path forward to curb the surge in foreclosures and restore the vitality of the housing ...

Fidelity closes LandAmerica deal 
Fidelity National Financial Inc. has closed a deal to acquire troubled LandAmerica Financial Group Inc.'s underwriting companies, making the company ...

'This is not a time for guesswork' 
Becca Wilson is president and CEO for Tulsa, Okla.-based SphereXX.com, a company that she established in 2000 to focus on online marketing and tech ...

Sales pace of resale homes slips 8.6% 
The sales rate of existing homes dropped a record 8.6 percent in November, hitting an 11-year low at 4.49 million, according to National Association ...

Monday, December 22, 2008

Rebuilding trust, image in downturn 
Falling home prices and mortgage rates could get many would-be home buyers off the fence in 2009, but many will continue to be wary of "catching ...

Home values by we, the people 
Officials at real estate brokerage company ZipRealty see a serious side to a real estate guessing game that allows its clients to weigh in on home ...

Mortgage brokers sue to block RESPA 
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers is going to court to block implementation of changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), ...

Title insurance biz 'highly concentrated' 
The title insurance business was "highly concentrated" in the hands of a few companies even before Fidelity National Financial Inc. got ...