Real Estate News
Negative equity remains a drag on housing market
Nearly 1 in 3 homeowners with a mortgage in L.A. County owes more than the property is worth, new data show. These underwater loans hinder mobility and hurt prices because they tend to stymie the important move-up market. Even as a tentative housing recovery in the Southland appears underway, a big stumbling block remains: the [...]
US sales of new homes rose 3.3 percent in April
Sales of new homes rose solidly last month, adding to evidence of gradual improvement in the housing market.
Home resales rise in April
Americans are buying more homes in every region of the country, the latest indication that the housing market could be on the mend.
Mastro creditors unlikely to recoup more money in near future
Creditors of bankrupt former real-estate magnate Michael R. Mastro probably won’t get more than a penny on the dollar for several years, the court-appointed trustee in the case said in a report this week.
Ellen Degeneres downsizes into 8,500-square-foot Beverly Hills home
The daytime show host has sold her 3-acre Beverly Hills compound, which includes four structures, to Ryan Seacrest. Cyberspace was a-twitter this week with the news that Ryan Seacrest is buying Ellen DeGeneres’ Beverly Hills compound for $37 million, and that she and spouse Portia de Rossi are moving no farther than a Hal Levitt-designed [...]
Downtown Seattle condos are finally filling up
The glut of condos that hit downtown Seattle right during the real-estate downturn is disappearing as buyers move back into the market.
Celebrity sellers have little effect on home prices
A famous name can boost buyer interest in a home, but it doesn’t necessarily pump up the price. Their internationally recognized names sell music and movie tickets. They promote perfumes and presidents. But when it comes to selling their own houses, celebrities often find that their cachet doesn’t pull in the cash.
Appraisals overvalue real estate, study finds
Using data from thousands of securitized real-estate bonds in which the properties were foreclosed on and liquidated, a study found a wide discrepancy between the appraisal values and the eventual sales prices of the properties.
Foreclosures decline in U.S., King County in April
The number of U.S. homes taken back by lenders in April declined 7 percent from March and 26 percent from April 2011, RealtyTrac reported. In King County, the number of homes repossessed was down 19 percent from March and a whopping 65 percent from last April
California home prices and sales volume rise in April
California’s housing market showed strength in April as median prices rose and sales outperformed the same month last year.