The housing industry’s spike in sales is largely fueled by speculating corporations with idyll bucks to invest. The typical deal is for an underpriced house that is held as rental property until it’s sold for a significant profit. The practice calls into question the “growth” in the housing market and underscores that average homebuyers are […]

The Federal Reserve has released a new report that asserts the nation has yet to recover from the recession. While those in the top income bracket have rebounded, the average citizen has yet to regain the buying power to spike the general economy. The collapse of the housing industry still bares the blunt of the […]

The “American Dream” of homeownership is challenged by a new study that links high rates of unemployment to high rates of homeownership. Individual efforts to cling to homes limit mobility to jobs. Meanwhile, another investigation notes that as the housing market improves, so does worker mobility. For a pdf version of the full stories, plus […]

While the housing industry slowly recovers, New York’ attorney general is suing big banks for continuing to scam borrowers. The action alleges that the banks still practice abusive mortgage lending in the wake of a $25 billion settlement last year. Meanwhile, the energy boom in Texas’ Permian Basin has increased the demand for housing that […]

Racial inequities in US housing ownership continue as a new report shows minorities pay more for their homes and are almost 30 percent less likely to own a home than Caucasians. Maps show that special segregation is still the norm in most cities. For a pdf version of the full stories, contact Bo McCarver at […]

As the housing recovery stalls, big banks move in to grab the bargains, leaving low-income buyers languishing. Market analysts speculate that banks may be caught in another housing bubble of their own making. In Galveston, the city council finally throws in the towel and moves forward to replace public housing units lost in Hurricane Ike […]

Houston planners are proposing to develop more work force housing for middle income households inside the inner loop. The mayor is quoted as saying the city has enough housing for its rich and poor but needs more homes for middle-income workers to live closer to their jobs. For a pdf version of the full stories, […]

Fueled by record-low interest rates, housing sales surge beyond supply and send builders scrambling to restart and expand their operations. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration presses banks to use FHA programs reaching buyers with weaker credit records. In Texas, a lemon law to hold builders more accountable for flawed structures runs into opposition from the homebuilders’ […]

Home builders now rush to respond to a surging market as nationwide sales rise 7.3 percent in the last year. Part of the rebound is because of an easing of standards by banks where the average borrower’s credit score dropped form 749 to 745 in the first two months of this year. For a pdf […]

As the housing market slowly improves, some banks are buying huge tracts of foreclosed houses and renting them in hope of selling later. The practice, backed by Fannie Mae, has created a false market and spiked prices beyond that of many individual buyers. For a pdf version of the full articles, plus contextual stories in […]

The reality of federal cuts hit the poor first with HUD preparing to cut 100,000 Section 8 vouchers nationwide. Anticipating the losses, local housing authorities in Fort Worth react and void recently-issued vouchers before households can use them. A study of HUD’s massive efforts to convert Chicago’s public housing into mixed-income units shows dismal results: […]

A sluggish US economy bodes for tighter pocketbooks that preclude down payments on mortgages. As an alternative, many young Americans seek rental housing – but it’s frequently not there. The market pressures increase as incomes decrease — the poor are priced out. Meanwhile, the government retracts from mortgage securities and fuels speculation about whether private […]