Real estate

Home prices rose 5.9% in April from a year earlier as job growth spurred competition for a limited number of listings.

Title agents reported an average increase in closing costs of $184 per transaction during the second quarter, according to a report from First American Financial Corp.

The Federal Reserve warned that prices in the commercial real estate market may have run up too far too fast.

Lennar Corp., the second-largest U.S. homebuilder, reported fiscal second-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates as the improving job market helped boost sales.

The current upcycle the housing market is in should continue for at least two more years, according to Fitch Ratings.

Commercial real estate prices may fall as much as 5% in the next 12 months amid tightened regulations, a wall of debt maturities and property sales by publicly traded landlords, Pacific Investment Management Co. said in a report Monday.

After four years of crammed open houses, heated competition and dizzying price gains that sent the median cost of a home to $1.2 million, San Francisco's real estate market is starting to lose steam.

The market for existing-home sales is underperforming its potential by 2.8%, according to First American Financial Corp.'s Potential Home Sales model for May.

New-home construction was little changed in May, a sign the residential real estate industry will add little to economic growth in the second quarter.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans think that something can be done to address problems related to housing affordability — and they want the presidential candidates to talk about it.

Confidence among homebuilders climbed to a five-month high in June, signaling the residential real estate market may have some scope for a pickup, according to a National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo survey.

So far, 2016 has brought legal battles, election woes and TRID-related headaches to the mortgage industry, among many other major issues.

PulteGroup's founder and largest shareholder, who has called on Chief Executive Officer Richard Dugas to resign immediately, said the homebuilder's board has invited him to suggest candidates for replacements.

Delinquencies on non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans ticked up in the first quarter after years of steady declines. Some are shrugging off the increase, saying it was expected given the strong demand for CRE loans, but others say there's good reason to be concerned.

A Massachusetts court's recent ruling affirming homeowners associations' right to super lien priority highlights the importance of preserving condominium properties — and some banks agree.

Mortgage applications for new home purchases fell in May from the previous month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Foreclosure inventory nationwide fell again in April from a year ago, according to CoreLogic.

Consumers expect home prices to increase 3.2% over the next year, according to a recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York's survey.

An executive from Regions Financial said recently that his bank plans to pad fee income by expanding into syndication of low-income housing credits. The comment shed light on an increasingly competitive business — and reminded the world again how eager banks are for even incremental boosts to revenue.

Down payment assistance programs can save homebuyers an average of $17,766 during the life of a loan, according to a joint report from RealtyTrac and Down Payment Resource.