Real Estate News

The recession, thought to have begun in December 2007 and in many ways the deepest since World War II that impacted every state and every metropolitan area, is over noted the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) in its 2010 economic forecast for the commercial and industrial construction industry. While good news, it may not be a time to rejoice, yet. "While the industry battled the effects of the recession in 2009, expect 2010 to be a transitional but sluggish year on the road to recovery," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

Insurance policies are written based on the concept of "indemnity" which means "protection or security against damage or loss." Fire insurance policies are not designed to put a policyholder in a better position than he was prior to a loss. Otherwise, having insurance might create an incentive to have a loss.

FHA's mortgage insurance reserves have dropped far below congressionally-mandated levels, but the agency still has enough of a financial cushion to handle all expected loan losses for the next 30 years, with a multi-billion dollar surplus beyond that.

The recent drop in interest rates has prompted millions of households to refinance their mortgages. Borrowers who refinance need to familiarize themselves with tricky tax rules on what is or is not deductible for interest payments. Here are some reminders on how the rules work.

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.91 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending November 12, 2009, down from last week when it averaged 4.98 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.14 percent.