Though some economic analysts are warning that the housing market's rebound will slow down as the weather turns colder, this week's numbers show no hints of that.
In fact, they're actually pretty warm.
Start with house prices. The Clear Capital Home Data Index, which tracks price movements in thousands of neighborhoods and ZIP codes across the country, reported a 6.3 percent gain last week for the period covering August 27th through September 25th.
The latest index found prices up for the first time since 2006 in two of the hardest-hit real estate markets - Riverside-San Bernardino, California, and Orlando, Florida. Though the gains weren't big - just 1.2 percent in Orlando, and half a percentage point in Riverside-San Bernardino - just the fact that they're finally bottoming out has got to be good news for property owners and sellers there.
Baltimore also saw its first positive price change in seven quarters on the Clear Capital Index, while other major markets continued their multi-quarter strings of gains.
Dallas-Ft. Worth, for example, saw prices rise by an average 2.3 percent. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale was up 3.4 percent, Houston 3.1 percent and even New York, which has had a tough time recently in Manhattan, posted a 1.6 percent jump.
Meanwhile, the mortgage market continued to provide plenty of financing fuel for home buyers looking to use the $8,000 tax credit before it possibly disappears at the end of November.
The Mortgage Bankers Association says average thirty year rates dropped again last week in its national survey -- hitting 4.89 percent -- the lowest they've been since May.
Fifteen year fixed rates decreased to just 4.3 percent, which is the lowest ever recorded in the mortgage association's survey history.
Not surprisingly, record low rates are pulling in massive numbers of new loan applications. Overall applications were up by 16 percent last week. Loans to people planning to buy homes jumped by 13 percent, while refinancing applications soared by 18 percent.
And here's a truly amazing statistic: New mortgage applications to buy houses using FHA loans were 52 percent higher last week than they were a year ago!
With mortgages flying out of banks with interest rates in the mid -to -upper four percent range, you don't spend a whole lot of time worrying about a slowdown in the real estate rebound.
In fact, they're actually pretty warm.
Start with house prices. The Clear Capital Home Data Index, which tracks price movements in thousands of neighborhoods and ZIP codes across the country, reported a 6.3 percent gain last week for the period covering August 27th through September 25th.
The latest index found prices up for the first time since 2006 in two of the hardest-hit real estate markets - Riverside-San Bernardino, California, and Orlando, Florida. Though the gains weren't big - just 1.2 percent in Orlando, and half a percentage point in Riverside-San Bernardino - just the fact that they're finally bottoming out has got to be good news for property owners and sellers there.
Baltimore also saw its first positive price change in seven quarters on the Clear Capital Index, while other major markets continued their multi-quarter strings of gains.
Dallas-Ft. Worth, for example, saw prices rise by an average 2.3 percent. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale was up 3.4 percent, Houston 3.1 percent and even New York, which has had a tough time recently in Manhattan, posted a 1.6 percent jump.
Meanwhile, the mortgage market continued to provide plenty of financing fuel for home buyers looking to use the $8,000 tax credit before it possibly disappears at the end of November.
The Mortgage Bankers Association says average thirty year rates dropped again last week in its national survey -- hitting 4.89 percent -- the lowest they've been since May.
Fifteen year fixed rates decreased to just 4.3 percent, which is the lowest ever recorded in the mortgage association's survey history.
Not surprisingly, record low rates are pulling in massive numbers of new loan applications. Overall applications were up by 16 percent last week. Loans to people planning to buy homes jumped by 13 percent, while refinancing applications soared by 18 percent.
And here's a truly amazing statistic: New mortgage applications to buy houses using FHA loans were 52 percent higher last week than they were a year ago!
With mortgages flying out of banks with interest rates in the mid -to -upper four percent range, you don't spend a whole lot of time worrying about a slowdown in the real estate rebound.
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