GOOD NEWS for Fort Worth, TX

I came across an article today, written by Ashlee Pannell, that is GOOD NEWS for Fort Worth, TX!  I felt I had to pass it on since so many people in our area listen to the national news and don't realize that the real estate slump is not affecting the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex the way it is around the country.  Please enjoy.

--------------------------------

Even with other forms of commerce resuming after the subprime mortgage-induced recession of 2007, it has taken some time for the United States' housing market to recover. However, the story is slightly different in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas. Texas's housing prices were not as inflated as those of other regions (such as Miami and Nevada), and so the resulting crash was less severe. In addition, Texas's economy has been supported by its energy sector which has acted as a buffer against the spiraling job market. Now as the recovery has began in earnest, housing prices have begun to rise. According to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, home prices have risen for the second straight month, and shown 3% annual growth overall. Compared to other regions still feeling the effects of the slump, this increase is nothing short of miraculous. Aiding this recovery are a slew of government initiatives that assist homeowners make their housing payments and avoid foreclosure. In addition, construction of new houses is on the up and up, with the Commerce department reporting 591,000 new house and apartment units built nationally: the highest level of activity in six months. Even so, even in Fort Worth home prices are still not up to their 2007 peak. And there are other ominous signs that linger from the housing slump. While rates of foreclosure have fallen thanks to the implementation of federal assistance programs, the rates of delinquency have risen, and now one out of every ten Texas homeowners  (read more)