Jeffrey Samuels's Blog

Low mortgage rates are helping to make homes more affordable. It appears home buyers have taken notice. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, Existing Home Sales rose 3.4% in April from the month prior, registering 4.62 million homes sold on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis....

Falling mortgage rates and stagnant home prices are making a positive effect on home affordability nationwide. Never before in recorded history have so many homes been affordable to households earning a moderate annual income. Last week, the National Association of Home Builders reported the Home...

There are 3,033 counties in the United States. Which 10 are the richest in terms of median household income? Not surprisingly, those near major economic centers rank high. In a study based on household income estimates from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, Loudoun County, Virginia c...

The Federal Open Market Committee released its April 2012 meeting minutes this week, revealing a Federal Reserve in the ready in the event additional monetary stimulus is needed. The Fed Minutes function much like the minutes from a business meeting; or, condominium association meeting, for examp...

The new construction housing market continues to improve. One day after the National Association of Homebuilders reported a 5-year high in homebuilder confidence, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that single-family housing starts rose 2 percent for the second straight month last month. In April, on...

Homebuilder Confidence is on the rise once again. After a brief dip in April, the National Association of Homebuilders reports that the Housing Market Index rose 5 points in May to 29. The increase marks the sharpest climb in homebuilder confidence on a month-to-month basis in 10 years, and raise...

Home affordability is receiving a boost from across the Atlantic Ocean this spring. For the third time in as many years, a weakening Eurozone is pushing May mortgage rates to new lows nationwide. The story centers in Greece and begins in 2010. 2 years ago, it was uncovered that successive Greece ...

Among homeowners, granite countertops remain a popular kitchen and bathroom finishing choice. Granite boasts a combination of natural beauty and durability that's unmatched among most commercial options. But different from many other countertops choices, granite is a natural material; mined from ...

Conforming mortgage rates continue to drop. For the second straight week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to a new, all-time low nationwide. According to Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage rate survey, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate dropped 1 basis point to 3.83% this week for borr...

The economic recovery continues nationwide, but the recovery's an uneven one. Some metropolitan areas are faring very well this year, posting measurable gains in both employment and housing. Other metropolitan areas, by contrast, are struggling. To help identify those markets in which growth is o...