CNBC: USA dominates list for foreign real estate investors

A new survey shows that while London was one for foreign investors, the rest of the top five cities were all in the USA. The survey said the U.S. is the “stable and secure” country for real-estate investment “by a wide margin.” The U.S. is also the top market when it comes to capital appreciation and for future real-estate purchases.

U.S. Home Values Continue to Surge in August

A majority (85 percent) of the 382 metros covered in August experienced annual home value appreciation. Among the 30 largest metro areas covered by Zillow, 20 saw annual appreciation of 10 percent or more.

Redfin: House prices +5% Year-over-Year in September

Redfin today released its Real-Time Home Price Tracker for September 2012, showing an annual price gain of 5 percent across 19 major U.S. markets…. The reported 29.3% year-over-year decrease in inventory is similar to other sources and is a key driver for the year-over-year price increase.

US home sales jump to highest since May 2010

A jump in sales of previously occupied homes and further gains in home construction suggest the U.S. housing recovery is gaining momentum… “The U.S. housing recovery is for real,” said Sal Guatieri, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, in a note to clients. “Great affordability, pent-up demand and strong investor interest in rental units are driving the market.”… New-home sales are up, builder confidence is at its highest level in more than six years and increases in home prices appear to be sustainable… “Housing is clearly in recovery mode,” Sullivan said.

U.S. Housing market outpaces plodding economy

To be sure, the real-estate market hasn’t come close to recovering from its worst slump in modern times. Sales of new and pre-owned homes and construction on new units are still far below the historical norm. Yet like the turtle in the tale of The Tortoise and the Hare, the market continues to inch forward.

Southern California home sales reach 6-year high

Southern California home sales reach six-year high

Posted by kpanchuk on 9/13/12 at 1:48pm
Investors, cash buyers and low mortgage rates are turning Southern California into a turnaround market, research firm DataQuick said Thursday…. “August was the strongest month for home sales so far this year, and the strongest for an August in six years. That’s really saying something given the drop in low-end sales, especially foreclosure resales,” DataQuick said. “Much of the pickup in activity reflects a continuation of trends we’ve seen for months, like the unleashing of pent-up demand in move-up markets and high levels of cash and investor buying.”

US Housing Recovery: Housing: Inventory down 23% YOY in September

HousingTracker reported that the early September listings, for the 54 metro areas, declined 22.6% from the same period last year. This decline in active inventory remains a huge story, and the lower level of inventory is pushing up house prices.

Indians Among Top 5 Buyers of Homes in USA

Flush with cash and keen to diversify their portfolio, Indians are busy snapping up property in the US. And they are not Indian-Americans, but desis from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad, who are picking up single-family homes and condos as vacation homes or just investment.

Foreign Purchases of U.S. Homes Rise Strongly

A survey released Monday showed that the six-year slide in U.S. housing prices, coupled with the rising value of some foreign currencies and continued instability in Europe, is fueling a property-buying binge in the U.S. by wealthy foreigners… Some foreigners buyers view U.S. real estate as a safe place to park cash amid fears of a property bubble or political instability at home. Others are buying as a hedge against inflation because real assets like property tend to hold their value better than other investments during periods of high inflation. At a time when most securities have low yields, some investors believe they can earn higher returns by buying U.S. real estate and holding it as a rental investment or reselling in a few years at a profit.

FHFA: House Price Index Shows First Yearly Gain Since 2007

“Consistent with other housing market indicators, the FHFA HPI showed stronger house prices in the first quarter, most notably in March,” said FHFA Principal Economist Andrew Leventis. “Increased affordability and a somewhat smaller inventory of homes for sale are positively impacting house prices.”