FEMA: New Online Tool Allows California Residents to Track Fire Debris Removal
Residents who lost their homes in the October wildfires will have a new tool to track the progress of debris removal in their communities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with the support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has launched a website designed to give…
FEMA: More Than $1 Billion in Assistance Approved for Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Federal assistance to survivors, municipality governments and Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria now tops $1 billion less than three months after Maria’s landfall. More than a million Puerto Rican residents registered for FEMA assistance. FEMA has provided funds to more than 366,000 families in Puerto…
HUD: Homelessness Declines in Most Communities with Increases Reported in High-Cost Areas
Lack of affordable rental housing in Los Angeles and NYC driving increases nationally WASHINGTON – Homelessness crept up in the U.S., especially among individuals with long-term disabling conditions according to the latest national estimate by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD’s 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress found that 553,742…
HUD: Public Awareness Campaign Launched to Help Struggling Homeowners Impacted by Hurricane Harvey
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) today launched a public awareness campaign to inform owners of homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey that help is available to avoid foreclosure and to finance repairs. “After a major disaster like Hurricane Harvey, struggling homeowners need to know that…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Decreased in October 2017
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages decreased from September to October, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 3.98 percent for loans closed in late October, down 2 basis points from 4.00 percent in September….
FHFA: U.S. House Prices Rise 1.4 Percent in Third Quarter 2017
U.S. house prices rose 1.4 percent in the third quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 6.5 percent from the third quarter of 2016 to the third quarter of 2017. FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for September was up 0.3 percent from August. The…
HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for October 2017
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for October 2017: NEW HOME SALES Sales of new single-family houses in October 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the Department…
CFPB: VA Refinancing Offers that Sound Too Good to Be True
By Patrick Campbell and Anthony Vail – NOV 20, 2017 Situation The CFPB and VA are issuing their first WARNO, “Warning Order,” to servicemembers and veterans with VA home loans. If you have a VA home loan, then there is a good chance that you have already come into contact with unsolicited offers to refinance…
Census Bureau: Declining Mover Rate Driven by Renters
The rate at which renters moved in 2017 was at a historic low of 21.7 percent, compared to 35.2 percent in 1988, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released today from the Current Population Survey. However, renters still moved at a higher rate than owners (21.7 percent compared with 5.5 percent, respectively). “Although renters…
HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for September 2017
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for September 2017: NEW HOME SALES Sales of new single-family houses in September 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the Department…