An extension of the tax credit for first-time home buyers is looking more likely. (Photo: Paul Sakuma/Associated Press)

There’s a lot of chatter right now about whether Congress will extend or expand the first-time home buyer tax credit. The National Association of Realtors reported that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) both support an extension …Full Story

Wall Street expects a tax credit extension to boost home sales next year. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Real estate industry folks have been doing the happy dance lately with the announcement from Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs Group that new U.S. home sales may jump 30 percent next year. They based that forecast on low interest rates and a better than even chance that Congress will extend or amend the first-time home buyer tax credit. A CNNMoney.com article cites even better odds; it quotes Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with Concept Capital’s Washington Research Group, who gives the chances of an extension being approved at 2 to 1 …Full Story

When looking for a Realtor, do you search for someone who looks like you? (Photo: iStockphoto)

Daniel Berman wants you to buy a house from him. He can give you lots of reasons to trust him, but his primary selling point, laid out on his Web site is that he’s a vegetarian.

Really.

A San Francisco Chronicle blog post on Berman sent ripples through the blogosphere, where commenters scoffed, mocked and generally belittled Berman …Full Story

A surprising number of homes on the market have been meth labs.

I get a weekly e-mail update from the National Association of Realtors. It has little snippets of news from Capitol Hill, announcements of online courses,  the usual thing. Then, under the Sales and Marketing Tools section, there was this item: "5 Signs That Your Listing Might Have Once Been a Meth Lab." …Full Story

As reported on Cyberhomes this week, some new federal rules have gone into effect recently regarding various aspects of the real estate transaction. Like most federal rules, they’re supposed to solve problems, protect consumers, or generally do something positive.

Except when they don’t.

One of those new rules is the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, or HVCC, which applies to loans sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. (If you’re getting an FHA loan, you can stop reading now. It doesn’t apply to you — yet.) …Full Story

Most Americans think now is a good time to purchase a home, but are hampered by employment and economic concerns, according to the "2009 National Housing Pulse Survey," an annual poll conducted by the National Association of Realtors.

Although home prices are significantly down across the U.S. from their housing-boom highs, many consumers don't feel they can take that leap of faith needed to buy a home.

Financial worries

A majority of Americans -- 83 percent -- say that that buying a home is a good financial decision. However, many consumers cite the high price of a down payment and closing costs and fears about job security as obstacles to homeownership. (Two-thirds of those polled say job layoffs and unemployment are big issues, while eight in 10 people say that layoffs and unemployment are barriers to homeownership.) …Full Story

In April, the National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index rose for the third straight month and saw its biggest increase since October 2001, rising 6.7 percent. The report is another sign that the U.S. housing market is stabilizing, say some experts.

The Pending Sales Index is an indicator of future sales, with the latest report measuring home contracts signed in April. This month's Pending Sales Index comes on the heels of a recent NAR report that showed that sales of existing single-family homes also rose in April, rising 2.9 percent from April 2008 …Full Story

Friends of mine are shopping for a home in the pricey Princeton, N.J. area. Their price range is an entry-level one for that market, so they have been having some difficulty finding a home that suits their needs at a price they can afford. They finally found one they liked, put in a bid, and to their surprise (especially in today's economy), were beaten out by another buyer who offered cash for the house …Full Story

In a sluggish housing market like we have now, days on market -- the amount of time a home is up for sale -- rises. The average DOM is very high in some places -- in April, it topped 175 days, or almost six months, in two Florida counties, according to Cyberhomes data.

But some housing markets are faring surprisingly well, despite the housing slowdown. Cyberhomes found 20 U.S. counties that had an average DOM of 40 days or less in April -- that's up from just 12 counties in March.

Could this mean that the real estate market is finally starting to turn around? There have been some hopeful signs. In March, the National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index was up 3% from the month before, and 1 percent up from March 2008. Experts believe the positive data points to a possibly recovery in real estate, at least at the low end of the market, says the Los Angeles Times …Full Story

Now could be the time to purchase that vacation home. (Photo: iStockphoto)

While sales of vacation homes are down, eight in 10 second-home buyers consider now a good time to buy real estate, say results of the National Association of Realtors' 2008 Investment and Vacation Home Survey …Full Story