Lew Sichelman

WASHINGTON--The wave of Hispanic homebuyers that was promised just before the market crashed is finally ready to storm the market, according to a new report from a group of real estate professionals dedicated to increasing ownership among Latinos.

Even as plans are announced for a 25th new condominium tower in Hollywood, 4,300 units leftover from the previous condo boom in South Florida remain unsold, according to a new report from the CondoVultures consulting firm.

How much lower would new home sales volumes have been without Uncle Sam's housing finance programs?

The wave of Hispanic homebuyers that was promised just before the market crashed is finally ready to storm the market, according to a new report from a group of real estate professionals dedicated to increasing ownership among Latinos.

More banks can be expected to finally begin dumping their non-performing loans this year, affording investors their first real chance at acquiring commercial real estate assets at bargain prices, according to a new report.

Investors are lining up to get their hands on the thousands of government-held foreclosed homes, either to fix up the houses for resale or to hold the properties as rentals. But in a sort of if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them scenario, some builders are putting up brand-new houses as rentals.

Because of the housing market meltdown, foreign governments and banks are shying away from bonds backed by American home loans. But individual foreign buyers are taking advantage of the crash to snap up U.S. bargains at a record clip.

The National Association of Home Builders is forecasting a modest but measured improvement in the remodeling and renovation sector, which has been troubled by the same conditions that have inhibited the new home sector.

Builders put up the fewest houses last year since World War II, but they were the largest houses ever.

The new year started off with a bang in the Houston metropolitan area, where home sales were up for the eighth consecutive month in January.

Joining ranks with 37 other states, South Carolina has outlawed private transfer fees on homes.

There's more "real" in real estate these days, according to the Coldwell Banker brokerage firm.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke called on regulators to "look carefully" at rules that diminish the origination of prudently underwritten mortgages, telling a gathering of homebuilders that the health of the housing market is central to the vitality of the economy as a whole.

Has home building finally turned the corner? On Thursday morning the U.S. government will release housing starts figures for January with the expectation that the industry is on the mend.

ATLANTA - Loan originations on income-producing properties will rise 17% this year to nearly $230 billion, the Mortgage Bankers Association is projecting in its first-ever nonresidential lending forecast.

If a condo crashes in South Florida, does anyone hear it? Apparently not, because yet another tower is planned for the tri-county area.

How oppressive are distressed sales to the housing market? Try this: The top 50 sellers of homes are banks, according to Jonathan Smoke of Housing Intelligence, the research arm of the Hanley Wood publishing company.

The apartment sector is projected to lead the housing market on the road to recovery, but growth in the multifamily sector will be highly uneven, industry experts said last week in Orlando.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke called on regulators to "look carefully" at rules which diminish the origination of prudently underwritten mortgages, telling a gathering of home builders that the health of the housing market is central to the vitality of the economy as a whole.

The economic tea leaves are starting to point toward a modest rebound in the new home market in 2012.