Louisiana

A city agency that in recent years lost its luster as a place where low-income New Orleanians could go for low-interest mortgages is set to re-emerge as a key player in plans to develop more affordable housing in the city.

Home sales in metro Baton Rouge, La., were 2.2% higher in 2019 than the year before, thanks to a year-end push.

The Acadiana, La., area had a second straight record year in home sales in 2019 in terms of homes sold and total dollar volume thanks in part to a busy December.

The number of homes sold in metro Baton Rouge in November dropped by 2.4% from the year before, while home prices and the number of properties for sale also decreased.

Months after a citywide reassessment caused property values to shoot up across New Orleans, its likely impact on taxpayers' wallets is becoming clearer.

Home sales in October in Acadiana were the highest ever recorded while sales in Lafayette were just shy of a new record.

The share of severely underwater mortgages shrunk by over two percentage points compared with a year ago, as these borrowers benefited from the rise in equity levels, Attom Data Solutions said.

For New Orleans-area homebuyers, the suburbs are calling.

Lower interest rates that have the power to reduce house payments are triggering a surge in mortgage refinancing activity and giving real estate agents hope that more affordable rates can lift area home sales that are barely lagging behind 2018.

Home sales in metro Baton Rouge, La., were practically unchanged for the first half of 2019, with three more houses being sold than during the same period in 2018.

Damage related to flash flooding from Tropical Storm Barry has the potential to affect about 340,000 homes, according to CoreLogic. Reports estimate a worst-case total of $10 billion in reconstruction cost value.

Taking aim at the racial wealth gap in the U.S., Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris proposed a $100 billion program to help black families and individuals buy homes.

Baton Rouge-area home sales rose 2.8% in April compared to 2018, the second time this year there has been a year-to-year increase in sales.

Home prices in metro New Orleans were up at the start of 2019, according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors.

New Orleans remains well short of hitting its affordable housing creation goals, six months after ending the worst year for affordable housing creation since officials agreed to set goals of creating 1,500 affordable units annually in 2015.

A city program that helps first-time homebuyers purchase affordable homes has received an additional $3.2 million in grant funding.

Baton Rouge-area home sales were down 10.9% in January compared to the year before, the sixth month in a row year-to-year activity was down.

Home prices in the greater New Orleans region were on the rise at the end of 2018, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Jan. 22--Home sales in metro Baton Rouge were 5.3 percent lower in 2018 than the year before, but home prices continued to rise as did the inventory and days on the market.

Baton Rouge-area home sales were 13.8% lower in November than the year before because of large sales drops in Ascension and East Baton Rouge parishes.