Real Estate Headlines - 15 - Worthy of Attention...

It's time to buy a neighborhood when you see a new Starbucks open

source: www.businessinsider.com

Michael Corbett, Trulia's real estate expert, points out that a new Starbucks or a Whole Foods points to a neighborhood on the upswing, up-and-coming. He calls these transitional neighborhood typically close to major metropolitan areas, he writes in his book.

Another record low for mortgage interest rates

source: money.cnn.com

According to Freddis Mac, the average rate for a 30-year loan fell to 3.34%, 0.06 percentage points lower than last week while the 15-year average rate was 3.65% down 0.04 percentage points.

Housing market expected to trend upward through 2014

source: realtor.org

Based on a forecast presented at the annual 2012 REALTORS(r) Conference and Expo with two caveats: 1) no further limitations on the availability of mortgage credit, and 2) no devastation in the markets and economy due to the "fiscal cliff."

Single-family rental property demand far exceeds supply

source: blogs.wsj.com

According to a CoreLogic report, some markets that were hit hard by the foreclosure crisis have seen rental demand jump more than 25% citing Port St. Lucie, FL, Riverside, CA, and Tuscon, AZ as examples. Investor demand for rental properties continues strong. Rent rates rose 2% last year and 1% so far in 2012.