Anita Acacio- Preventing Foreclosures

Calif. median home price: December 2011: $285,920 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. highest median home price by region/county December  2011: Marin: $693,880 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. lowest median home price by region/county December 2011: Madera: $106,000 (Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. Pending Home Sales Index: December 2011: 91.6, an increase from the revised 82.5 recorded in December 2010

Calif. Traditional Housing Affordability Index: Third quarter 2011: 52 percent (Source: C.A.R.)

Mortgage rates: Week ending 2/2/2012 30-yr. fixed: 3.87% fees/points: 0.8% 15-yr. fixed: 3.14 fees/points: 0.8% 1-yr. adjustable: 2.76% Fees/points: 0.6% (Source: Freddie Mac)

Calif. median home price: December 2011: $285,920 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. highest median home price by region/county December  2011: Marin: $693,880 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. lowest median home price by region/county December 2011: Madera: $106,000 (Source: C.A.R.)

Calif. Pending Home Sales Index: December 2011: 91.6, an increase from the revised 82.5 recorded in December 2010

Calif. Traditional Housing Affordability Index: Third quarter 2011: 52 percent (Source: C.A.R.)

Mortgage rates: Week ending 1/19/2012 30-yr. fixed: 3.88% fees/points: 0.8% 15-yr. fixed: 3.17 fees/points: 0.8% 1-yr. adjustable: 2.74% Fees/points: 0.6% (Source: Freddie Mac)

The Wall Street Journal

Consumer expectations for U.S. home prices perked up in December, according to a monthly survey from mortgage market firm Fannie Mae.

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http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2012/01/09/survey-mood-improves-on-home-prices/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_Real Estate_BLOGSDEVELOPMENTSFEED

CoreLogic recently released its November Home Price Index report, which shows that home prices in the U.S. decreased 1.4 percent on a month-over-month basis, the fourth consecutive monthly decline. According to the Index, national home prices, including distressed sales, also declined by 4.3 percent on a year-over-year basis in November 2011 compared with November 2010.  Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices declined by 0.6 percent in November 2011 compared with November 2010 and by 1.6 percent in October 2011 compared with October 2010.  Distressed sales include short sales and REO transactions.

Including distressed transactions, the peak-to-current change in the national HPI (from April 2006 to November 2011) was -32.8 percent.  Excluding distressed transactions, the peak-to-current change in the HPI for the same period was -23.1 percent.

Of the top 100 Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) measured by population, 77 are showing year-over-year declines in November, three fewer than in October.

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Americans’ attitudes on a variety of issues are marginally better than one month ago, according to results from Fannie Mae’s December National Housing Survey. Despite overall low levels of optimism among Americans, consumer sentiment trended in a positive direction in the final months of 2011.

Americans who say the economy is on the right track rose by 6 percentage points since November, while the percentage who say the economy is on the wrong track dropped by 6 percentage points. When asked about housing, more Americans expect home prices to  to increase compared to November and, on average, Americans expect home prices to increase by 0.8 percent over the next year, up from an expected 0.2 percent increase last month.

Highlights of the survey include:

• Thirty-six percent of Americans say that mortgage rates will go up over the next 12 months, up 3 percentage points from November and was even with October.
• Seventy-one percent of respondents say it is a good time to buy a home (up 3 percentage points since last month), and 11 percent say it is a good time to sell.
• On average, Americans expect home rental prices to increase by 3.5 percent over the next 12 months, up from 3.2 percent in November.
• Five percent expect a decline in home rental prices over the next 12 months (tying May 2011 as the lowest point in the past 12 months), while 43 percent of respondents believe that home rental prices will increase.
• Thirty-one percent of Americans say they would rent their next home, while 64 percent say they would buy, up 1 percentage point from last month.

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