Existing-home sales eased in June as contract cancellations spiked unexpectedly, although prices were up slightly. Sales gains in the Midwest and South were offset by declines in the Northeast and West. Single-family home sales were stable while the condo sector weakened.
As NAR’s Home Ownership Matters bus crosses Alabama this week, Realtors® are providing assistance to victims of the April 27 tornadoes with funds raised from Realtor® donations across the country.
In a letter to Shaun Donovan, secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Timothy Geithner, secretary of the Treasury; and Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, NAR offered its recommendations for helping stabilize and revitalize the housing industry and economy.
As policymakers consider changes to government programs and incentives that could dramatically change the nature of home ownership in this country, the National Association of Realtors® is once again bringing these issues to people across the country with the second phase of the Home Ownership Matters Bus Tour.
The Home Ownership Matters Bus Tour will be at Atlantic Station on July 16 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Members of the public can meet with national Realtor® leaders and local officials to discuss their concerns and learn more about the issues that may affect their ability to buy, sell or own a home in the future.
Testifying before the House Financial Service Committee’s Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity, NAR spokesperson Steve Brown identified several proposed regulations and existing rules that have exacerbated problems within the fragile real estate market and urged Congress and the administration to consider modifying the rules to help consumers purchase homes and the economy recover.
The long-term viability of America’s housing finance market requires comprehensive reform of the secondary mortgage market. Toward that end, the National Association of Realtors® supports H.R. 2413, the “Secondary Market Facility for Residential Mortgage Act of 2011.”
According to the 2011 National Housing Pulse Survey released today by the National Association of Realtors®, 72 percent of renters surveyed said owning a home is a top priority for their future, up from 63 percent in 2010.
The ability to buy, sell and own property has defined our nation throughout its history, and as the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 235 birthday, Americans continue to reaffirm their support of and aspirations toward home ownership.
Pending home sales rose strongly in May with all regions experiencing gains from a year ago, pointing to higher housing activity in the second half of the year.
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