Real estate

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.

There were more than a million homeowners whose properties exited negative equity status over the past year, with the potential for another million to do so if home prices continue to rise, according to CoreLogic.

While negative equity rates continue to drop nationally from their 2012 peak, the share of homeowners underwater in the Rust Belt remains elevated, according to Zillow.

Despite financial obstacles and lifestyle choices that can delay the journey to homeownership, millennials are buying homes in these affordable metro areas with steady job growth.

Home purchase sentiment continued to rebound from an 18-month low in May, according to Fannie Mae's Home Purchase Sentiment Index.

BentleyForbes once owned such renowned properties as the Watergate in Washington and Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta's tallest skyscraper. Now the company is on the verge of vanishing.

Home prices in April were 6.2% higher than a year ago, according to the CoreLogic U.S. Home Price Report.