Americans are feeling better about their budgets right now, raising the possibility of a full economic recovery. According to a University of Michigan and Reuters, Consumer Sentiment rose for the fifth straight month in June. Consumer Sentiment is now at its highest levels since September 2008, the month in which Lehman Brothers failed, Fannie Mae [...]

The mortgage market roller coaster continues. Markets worsened badly in the early part of last week, before rallying into Friday’s close. Overall, mortgage rates were slightly higher for the week even though — briefly — they rose to levels not seen since November 2008. Last week marks the third week in a row and the [...]

When finances are tight, homeowners are often forced to choose between making home repairs right away, and putting them off until finances improve. Some repairs, though, become more expensive if not tackled on the double. The hard part is knowing which fixes those are. In this 5-minute piece from The Today Show on NBC, a [...]

The Pareto Principle is a statistical concept most commonly known as the 80/20 Rule. It says 80 percent of the effects come from 20 of the causes. Apparently, the 80/20 Rule applies to foreclosures, too — at least according to data compiled by foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac. Based on data from May, 11 states accounted for [...]

Tighter mortgage guidelines since late-2008 are forcing home buyers to make bigger downpayments. Anecdotally, the change has led to a surge in buyers taking gifts of cash from family members. If you’re among those accepting a cash gift from family, it’s important to know that you can’t just deposit the money in your bank account. [...]

Since Memorial Day, conforming mortgage rates have jumped by more than 1.125 percent, adding thousands of dollars to the annual cost of homeownership. To the casual observer, the moves may seem random. There’s a reason this is happening, however. It starts with inflation. As an economic force, inflation erodes the value of the U.S. Dollar. [...]

The economy posted stronger-than-expected data last week, reigniting fears of inflation on Wall Street. The positive-slanted economic news caused conforming mortgage rates to rise by another 1/2 percent last week. It marked the second week in a row of soaring mortgage rates and the fifth week out of six that rates have moved higher. Conforming [...]

Suze Orman recently appeared on The Today Show and gave 5 minutes of practical money management advice. Not everyone’s a fan of Ms. Orman, but this is an interview worth watching. The segment’s theme is “What should you do first?“, pitting real-life financial scenarios against each other, including: Pay off credit card debt, or save [...]

In choosing its 2009 lineup of Top 100 Places To Live In America, Relocate America focused on areas with stable local economies and in which the housing market has avoided precipitous price drops. It’s not a bad formula and topping the list of Top 100 Places To Live In America is Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city [...]

The number of homes under contract to sell soared in April, climbing nearly 7 percent nationwide versus a month ago. It’s the third straight month in which the Pending Home Sales Index gained and the biggest monthly jump since October 2001, the month prior to the end of the Early 2000s Recession. A “pending” home [...]