Market Studies

Existing-home sales rose in April with strong buyer activity in lower price ranges and distressed real estate, according to a new report released this week by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Sales of single-family homes and condos in Massachusetts fell by double-digit percentages in April, according to a report released this week by Boston-based real estate research firm The Warren Group. Median property values in the state also continued to decline in April, but not as sharply as in recent months.

As more people struggle to pay their mortgages, large and small banks alike have taken the hit. The FDIC reported on Wednesday that 305 banks have made the agency’s high-risk list, and more are expected as the recession and housing crisis continue.

Foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies are still mounting and will continue to rise until the first quarter of 2011, driven primarily by increasing job losses, according to a new report issued by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) on Thursday.

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) on Thursday, which shows that interest rates increased across the board this week. According to Freddie Mac’s VP and chief economist Frank Nothaft, mortgage rates followed long-term bond yields higher, with only the one-year adjustable-rate mortgage coming in lower than it was last week.

Data through March 2009 , released Tuesday by Standard & Poor’s , show the U.S. National Home Price Index continues to set record declines, a trend that began in late 2007 and prevailed throughout 2008.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey on Wednesday, which revealed a decline in refinance activity last week. Although the drop in refinancings pulled the total number of home loan requests down significantly, the association noted that purchase applications are holding steady.

The Rhode Island housing market got a bounce in April, according to a new report issued on Wednesday by New England real estate research firm The Warren Group. The company reported that 524 single-family homes were sold in the state in April, a 3.

McLean, Virginia-based mortgage financing giant Freddie Mac released statistics last week that showed in the first quarter of 2009, refinancing borrowers overwhelmingly chose fixed-rate over adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs).

Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS), a Florida-based provider of mortgage technology and services, released its May 2009 LPS Mortgage Monitor on Tuesday, which provides market performance indicators based on mortgage data collected through April of this year.