Realty Check with Diana Olick

Friday, 17 May 2013 | 10:07 AM ET

Even as Housing Revives, Apartment Growth to Boom

Posted By: Diana Olick

Image Source | Getty Images

With housing now in recovery and apartment rents rising, there is new concern that tenants and investors alike will move out of the multi-family space.

A huge drop in the number of new apartment buildings started in April only fueled that fear, but it may be unfounded, according to one noted analyst.

Multi-family is in the, "calm before the [development] storm," according to Ivy Zelman, who is known for calling the housing crash and for recently turning bullish on the home builders.

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Wednesday, 15 May 2013 | 9:01 AM ET

Why Rising Rates Are Rattling the Mortgage Market

Posted By: Diana Olick

Comstock Images | Getty Images

A sudden turn in mortgage rates made for an equally fast turn in mortgage applications. After falling for seven weeks straight, the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($417,500 or less) increased to 3.67 percent from 3.59 percent, according to a weekly report from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

This is the highest rate in just over a month.

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Tuesday, 16 Apr 2013 | 3:44 PM ET

Map: Tracking the US Real Estate Recovery

As the national housing recovery gains steam, CNBC is going local. Use this interactive map to track the latest numbers in some of the largest housing markets across the country.

As a home owner, home buyer or multi-market investor, you are just one click away from the latest moves in sales, prices and inventory.

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Tuesday, 14 May 2013 | 12:17 PM ET

REITs Trounce Stocks as Investors Pour In

Posted By: Diana Olick

Investors Flock to REITs For Returns

Real estate investment trusts are shooting past the stock market, reports CNBC's Diana Olick.

Even as the stock market soars into record territory, real estate investment trusts (REITs) are shooting past it. U.S. REIT returns were more than three times those of the broader equity market in April, according to a new report from NAREIT, the REIT industry association. REITs have also outperformed the market in the first four months of this year.

"The REITs are direct beneficiaries of Ben Bernanke and his fellow global central bankers who are all following the same QE/currency debasement playbook," said Alexander Goldfarb, of Sandler O'Neill. "Investors continue to scramble for total return, and that pressure is pushing up prices and thus compressing yield. REITs offer earnings and dividend growth as well as inflation protection."

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Monday, 13 May 2013 | 2:28 PM ET

The Other Housing Recovery: Agents' Pay

Posted By: Diana Olick

Housing new home sales real estate construction

Getty Images

More home sales and higher home prices are adding up to bigger incomes for local real estate agents. With approximately two million actively licensed agents in the United States, that is a welcome relief for a workforce that was decimated by the housing crash.

The median gross income of a realtor (a member of the National Association of Realtors) jumped 25 percent in 2012 from the previous year, according to a new NAR survey.

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Thursday, 9 May 2013 | 2:47 PM ET

Fannie Mae: From Ward of the State to Cash Cow

Posted By: Diana Olick

Getty Images

Capitol Building

Mortgage giant Fannie Mae has now been turning a profit for more than a year. In fact, it has turned record profit: $8.1 billion in its latest quarter.

Yet here's the catch: The chief beneficiary of Fannie's newly discovered riches is none other than the federal government—the same entity that bailed it out at the height of the financial panic nearly five years ago.

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Wednesday, 8 May 2013 | 11:49 AM ET

Mortgage Lending Loosens...But Far From Loose

Posted By: Diana Olick

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Mortgage applications are rising as rates are falling, and credit availability may finally be easing. Sounds like the perfect storm, in a good way. The question is: How long can it last? The tailwinds of this storm could easily turn.

The surge in mortgage applications is a sign that more mortgage-dependent buyers are coming back to the housing market, which for a while had been fueled by all-cash investors. Rising home values and cheap credit are just the incentives these buyers needed. Applications to buy a home are up 11.5 percent in the past year, to a three year high—although they are still well off their pre-crash levels.

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Tuesday, 7 May 2013 | 11:02 AM ET

Here's What Is Really Behind Home Price Gains

Posted By: Diana Olick

Getty Images

The numbers just keep going up. Home prices are defying gravity and expectations, which has some asking exactly how real they are and what is driving them. The answers lie, again, in the numbers, which vary depending on what particular report you choose.

Home prices nationally, including sales of distressed properties, rose 10.5 percent in March from a year ago, according to a new report from CoreLogic.

That report is based on repeat sales of homes over time. Another widely-watched report, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows home prices were up 9.3 percent in February in the top twenty markets.

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Monday, 6 May 2013 | 11:27 AM ET

As Mortgages Improve, Old Ills Still Hit Big Banks

Posted By: Diana Olick

NY's Attorney General Going After Two Big Banks

New York's AG Eric Schneiderman is going after Wells Fargo and Bank of America for mortgage settlement violations, reports CNBC's Diana Olick.

The number of homeowners falling behind on their mortgages for the first time has finally fallen close to pre-housing-crisis levels, but those already in trouble on their mortgages may still not be getting a fair shake from their lenders.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Monday he is suing Bank of America and Wells Fargo for, "339 violations of standards agreed to," under the National Mortgage Servicing Settlement. That settlement, signed by the nation's five largest lenders in early 2012, was the result of so-called "robo-signing," or foreclosure paperwork infractions and fraud.

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Friday, 3 May 2013 | 11:44 AM ET

Housing Recovery Shows Up In Job Gains

Posted By: Diana Olick

Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Stronger housing means more jobs, not just construction jobs, all jobs. When consumers feel more confident about the value of their homes, they spend more money. Their homes, after all, are likely their single largest investment.

They may not take the money out of their homes, but they just feel more financially comfortable, and that comfort sends them out spending. They also spend more on home improvement.

"People are much more willing to part with their paychecks and spend when they know they are restoring the wealth in their house," said Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial.

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