Tom Kelly

An index that measures homebuilder confidence dropped in April, largely attributed to the increasing costs of building materials, concerns about the lack of supply of developed lots, and labor shortage, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

Single women make up the second largest segment of home purchases, with one out of every five homes purchases by a single woman, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The Home Affordable Refinance Program - a government refinancing program for underwater homeowners - will be expanded for another two years, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced.

Foreclosures are taking longer to complete, with the average time it takes a lender to repossess a home jumping to 477 days in the first quarter of this year compared to 414 days in the fourth quarter of 2012, RealtyTrac reported in its March foreclosure report.

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 3.43 percent this week from 3.54 a week ago, hovering near the 65-year record low of 3.31 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

About 4.2 million eligible homeowners who underwent foreclosure in 2009 and 2010 will start receiving cash payments ranging from $300 to $125,000.

If you are a senior who has been contemplating a reverse mortgage, this may be the time to act, according to Jack Guttentag, professor emeritus of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and one the nation's premier mortgage analysts.

With tight mortgage lending standards preventing well-qualified homebuyers from obtaining home loans, the National Association of Home Builders is urging lawmakers to proceed in a cautious manner when considering cutbacks to the Federal Housing Administration.

One-third of student loan borrowers are delinquent on their debt, according to the Federal Reserve report. This will impact their credit rating and possibly keep them out of the mortgage market much longer.

With tighter inventories of homes for sale, Puget Sound area buyers are finding increased competition through bidding wars.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has fined four of the nation's largest mortgage insurance providers for alleged kickbacks to lenders in order to win more business, a practice the agency says has been going on for more than a decade.

These "boomerang buyers" who defaulted or sold via a short sale in 2007 through 2012 will return as potential owners and number 500,000 a year in 2013 through 2016, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

First-time home buyers represented the fastest growing segment of home purchasers for January and February and will prove critical in 2013's traditional buying season, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage survey.

About 1.5 to 2 million homes belonging to seniors will come on the market by the end of this decade, predicts Arthur C. Nelson, professor of urban planning at the University of Utah.

A new study finds that 301,874 "zombie" homes exist in the U.S.-properties where home owners receive foreclosure notices and move out, leaving the home vacant, deteriorating and a target for squatters.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is rolling out a new program designed to help more borrowers reduce their monthly mortgage payments.

When analysts look at stocks, they often focus on the price-earnings ratio as a measure of whether the stock is overvalued or undervalued. The higher the number (especially relative to either the market as a whole or to historical averages), the more likely the stock is to decline in price over time.

Rent.com, a rental housing listing site, recently ranked the top 25 markets for new college grads, factoring in unemployment, cost of living, and annual mean wages.

Researcher Michael Seiler tracked the eye movements of 45 people viewing 10 online real estate listings and determined that 95 percent of participants viewed the first photo-an exterior property shot-for just 20 seconds.

After rising last week, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reversed course and inched back down this week, according to the Freddie Mac weekly mortgage market survey.

Data in the study reveals that during the last recession, residential property values performed 42 percent better on average if they were located near public transportation with high-frequency service.

Windermere Real Estate has introduced a tool on its website that takes the guess work out of one of the most important purchase criteria when considering a new home - how long it will take home buyers to drive to and from work.

Seattle-based Redfin, a real estate brokerage, recently analyzed multiple listing service and additional housing data to reveal which metros are seeing some of the fastest home sales.