The Motley Fools’ Robert Eberhard tells MHProNews.com an investment in Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-B) stock benefits from being a company, or stock, hand-picked by Warren Buffett. Eberhard compares it to investing in a no-loan mutual fund. The stock is less expensive than it has been recently, and Berkshire’s board has authorized …
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has teamed with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPPA) to help those in need through Touchdown for Homes. “NAHB’s home builder members are honored to partner with former NFL players to provide children, families and veterans with safe, comfortable housing opportunities,” said …
According to CoreLogic’s Home Price Index, home prices for November 2011 fell 4.3 percent compared to November 2010. For the fourth consecutive month in a row home prices declined, falling 1.4 percent October to November, 2011. Mark Fleming, CoreLogic’s chief economist, is quoted in HousingWire saying, “With one month of …
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) tells MHProNews.com that its First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) indicates the number of housing markets registering measurable improvement now numbers 76, up from 41 in December, 2011. The index measures housing permits, employment, and house prices for six months in a row …
With President Obama’s questioned recess appointment of Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency can now implement the full authority of the Dodd-Frank Act, according to BusinessWeek. Dodd-Frank resulted from lawmakers complaining that regulators did not do enough to protect borrowers, and was passed …
With New Director, CFPB May Emerge Swinging—or Not Read More
Before the housing bubble burst, builder Howard Kipnes would buy land speculatively and then build the home upon receiving a contract. That ended with the housing bust. Newsdays tells MHProNews.com that according to the U.S. Census Bureau, permits for single-family homes on Long Island, New York, fell to 90 in …
Market Watch tells MHProNews.com that ADP says 325,000 jobs in the private sector were added in December. According to CBIZ Payroll Services, their Small Business Employment Index (SBEI) rose 1.75 percent last month, the largest increase since 1.77 percent in December 2009. The November 2011 gain was only .35 percent. …
Following up on an article we ran Nov. 21, 2011 about the May 22 tornado that wiped out one-third of Joplin, Missouri’s housing, KOAMTV tells MhproNews.com some residents are up in arms about three modular homes moving into a neighborhood of traditional homes. The neighbors are concerned the units, built …
According to HousingWire, Richard Cordray, the newly-appointed director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), chose Raj Date as the agency’s first deputy director. Originally the head of research, markets, and the regulations division, Date took over from CFPB architect Elizabeth Warren as special advisor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. …
ChiefExecutive tells MHProNews.com 69 percent of chief executives in their CEO Confidence Index expect an increase in revenues in 2012, and 42 percent anticipate more capital expenses, although Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett is ahead of the pack. The owner of Clayton Homes through Berkshire, with $40 billion in cash …
MhproNews.com has learned from the HuffingtonPost that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says foreclosure is not a good way to deal with delinquent mortgage holders because it leads to deteriorating houses and depression of area home prices. In a report sent to the housing affairs and banking services committees of …
Florida author Jim Boeglin tells MHProNews.com that while economists study manufacturing reports, employment numbers, building permits, consumer confidence surveys, etc., to tap into the state of the U.S. economy, he counts dump trucks. Writing in the NaplesNews, he says from 2003 to 2006 Southwest Florida was crawling with dump trucks. …
HousingWire reports David Blitzer, chairman of Standard & Poor’s Index Committee, says when current home prices are adjusted for inflation, they are back to 2001 levels. This suggests the rapid rise and decline of home prices did little more than create havoc for the economy. “Allowing for a dip in …
ReutersAfrica reports that U.S. business magnate Sam Zell, chairman of Equity Lifestyle Properties, the real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns over 134,000 manufactured housing homesites in North America, is in talks to buy a controlling interest in Brazil’s Grupo Tha. At 115 years of age, Grupo Tha is the …
RealtorMag quotes Frank Northaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac, as saying, “”Mortgage rates ended the year hovering near historic lows in an already affordable housing market,” noting the 3.95 percent mortgage rate for the 30-year FRM. The rate only crossed the five percent line twice in 2011. He says a …
Following up on an article we ran Dec. 27, 2011 about a Lustron House exhibit being displayed at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, the DaytonDailyNews tells MHProNews.com history curator Cameron Woods has sent out a call for the public to help furnish this steel and ceramic relic from the …
MHPronews.com has reported several times about the North Dakota oil boom that is drawing thousands seeking well-paying jobs, spiking the demand for ASAP housing. “Man camps”, modular dormitories for mostly male oil field workers have sprung up around Williston, ND. Some people are sleeping in cars, tents, and RVs. The …
According to the Harvard University Joint Center on Housing Studies, in the first half of the decade 1.3 new households formed each year, but that fell to less than one million a year since 2005. Part of that is declining immigration, but 20-30 year-olds who have been reluctant to form …
The Telegram reports from Worcester, Massachusetts, that building permits for single and multifamily dwellings were down 55 percent for the first ten months of 2011. Timothy M. Warren, chief executive of the Warren Group, which publishes Banker and Tradesman, tells MHProNews.com he expects home sales to increase slightly in 2012, …
Following up on a story we posted Feb. 14, 2011, Stardust Cruisers in Wayne County, Kentucky, finished two prototype modular homes recently sited on foundations. Boat sales have declined with the drop in the economy, and the company was seeking an alternative product. In a collaborative effort with the University …
