http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com Real estate in Houston, Texas Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:45:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Although our great state has seen some slowing in the real estate market, we have definitely fared better than most of the country. Texas is still growing.  There are more people moving into the state than moving out.  The reasons include a good economy and a lower cost of living.  We ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2010/08/06/texas-maintains-its-edge/ Last year's real estate market ended on a high note with the average price of a single family home reaching $219,214.  That's the highest the average price has ever reached in the month of December, and was a 15.1 percent increase above the 2008 figure.  For most of the year the ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2010/01/21/the-houston-area-market-in-09/ According to Realty Trac (realtytrac.com), foreclosure filings in November placed Texas in 24th place of states having the most foreclosures.  The Texas activity rose to 12,095 foreclosure filings, up 3 percent over October filings and 54% above November of 2008. If there is any good news here, it's that things could be worse.  ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2010/01/20/texas-ranked-24th-nationally-in-foreclosures/ Time is running out for you first time homebuyers or anyone who hasn't owned a home is three years. The $8,000 that does not have to be paid back will expire on December 1, 2009. Now as I understand it, you have to close on the sale of ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2009/08/17/time-is-running-out-on-8000-tax-credit/ The second quarter of 2009 shows the market adjusting with declines in the number of sales and active listings from the same time in 2008, presenting a balanced supply of housing. With a balanced supply, comes stable pricing. In June the mediam price for a single-family home reached ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2009/08/16/2nd-quarter-ends-with-new-high-for-median-home-price/ According to the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M, the Texas economy experienced a little bit of the national recession with a loss of 113,600 jobs from March 2008 to March 2009. The Center further stipulated that the U.S. economy lost more than 4.8 million jobs in the same ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2009/04/29/jjkjh/ The sales from the first quarter of 2009 still show a decline from the first quarter of 2008. Closed sales totaled 3240 in January, 3995 in February and 5022 in March. Compared to the total sales for the first quarter of 2008, the 2009 figures are ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2009/04/27/ghtd/ This past week, rates for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage fell below 5 percent.  This was mainly caused by the Federal Reserve putting more funds into mortgage backed securities held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. There are still some problems in home financing these days, but this definitely helps.  ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2009/03/28/interest-rates-hit-all-time-low/ In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka Stimulus Plan), the Federal Government amended the first time homebuyer tax credit given by the Bush Administration in 2008.  The new act increases the $7,500 tax credit to $8,000 and will be eligible on home purchases after December 31, 2008 ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2009/03/28/revised-first-time-homebuyer-tax-credit/ I’m sure you have heard it on the news. The new administration has brought some help to homeowners having trouble paying the mortgage on their home. They have created a new program where some homeowners can modify the terms of their current mortgage or refinance altogether. This is where you ... http://dwightsrealestateupdate.com/2009/03/27/sdew-2/