No. of housing starts counters drop in foreclosures (5/16/2013)
RealtyTrac: National drop in foreclosures coming on the market is balanced out by a higher number of new home starts. Delray Beach tops for expected inventory.

Real estate reality TV shows: Fact vs. fiction (5/14/2013)
A slew of reality shows offer an insider’s look at the home buying process, but they aren’t necessarily realistic. For one thing, they only show the fun parts.

Job shortage? Builders can’t find enough workers (5/13/2013)
Workers with construction skills – from supervisors to painters, cabinet makers and drywall installers – are in short supply, driving up the cost of new homes.

As prices rise, investor demand falls. What’s next? (5/8/2013)
About 30% of March homebuyers paid cash, and 19% of sales went to investors. When they depart, will families who delayed homeownership take up the slack?

Tight new home supply sparking price hikes (5/7/2013)
Clients prefer a new home? Expect price increases. A higher cost for labor and materials led Pulte to raise home sale prices 10% in the first quarter alone.

Homeowners dismayed as property investors bring in renters (5/2/2013)
You don’t just buy a home, you buy a neighborhood – and when a lot of homes foreclosure and become rentals, a neighborhood’s atmosphere can start to change.

Buyers try their luck at housing lotteries (5/1/2013)
Builders such as Fla.’s GL Homes have more buyers than houses. To avoid bidding wars, they set an acceptable selling price and allow a lottery winner to pay it.

Small builders: We’re shut out (4/29/2013)
Mom-and-pop homebuilders say they can’t take advantage of today’s high buyer demand because banks are lending money only to national, big-name developers.

Later marriage trends don’t postpone homeownership (4/24/2013)
Study: Today’s young adults marry later than their parents did, but they’re not also delaying homeownership. In more cases, a home buy precedes the wedding.

Families still move to suburbs when they have kids (4/22/2013)
Census: In last decade, young adults moved into cities and out when they had kids. But researchers aren’t sure today’s young adults will follow that pattern.

Garages are the new in-home retreats (4/22/2013)
The “man cave” comes into its own. Garage upgrades can have granite-like floors, cabinets at home in pricey kitchens, and audio-video that rivals home theaters.

Younger buyers jumping into retirement real estate (4/9/2013)
Some not-yet-retired, middle-aged adults are buying a retirement home now and renting it out until they’re ready to make the move.

Real estate agent: 2013’s happiest job (4/4/2013)
CareerBliss says real estate agent ranks No. 1 for job happiness. “Realtors say that the way they work, and the rewards … has helped boost overall happiness.”

Housing – a new senior moment (4/3/2013)
Single-family home sales in retirement communities jumped 21% last year and are poised for nearly 25% growth this year, projects NAHB.

Millennials want to buy – boomers want to sell (4/2/2013)
The perfect real estate storm? A survey finds strong demand soon from buyers 18 to 34, while an urban planner expects high inventory from retiring baby boomers.

Young adults’ finances may be hard to repair (3/25/2013)
But Urban Institute finds that buying a home at age 40 rather than 30 can result in a $42,000 home equity loss by the time that homeowner reaches age 60.

More than 50% of builders report labor shortage (3/22/2013)
NAHB survey: Industry can’t keep up with demand. Shortage of supplies and labor causing higher prices, completion delays and slower U.S. economic rebound.

Survey: Buyer age impacts preferred home size (3/21/2013)
NAHB: Median desired home is 2,494 SF at age 30, but 2,065 at 65. Recession trend to smaller new homes reversed as fewer entry buyers qualify for a mortgage.

Study shows home preferences of Millennials (3/14/2013)
Many 18-to-35 year olds seem to prefer fixer-upper houses to the “cookie cutter” luxury homes preferred by their parents; 72% consider themselves “handy.”

Forget ‘improving’ or ‘rebound’ – Fla. is ‘on fire’ (3/8/2013)
Fla.-based John Burns senior V.P. says home and land prices are rising rapidly in the state. Older adults and foreign buyers are back as foreclosures decline.

Single-family renters plan to stay put, buy later (2/27/2013)
Study: Families renting a single-family home are 25% more likely to stay for five years than apartment dwellers. And 60% plan to buy a home when they leave.

More homeowners have equity again (2/25/2013)
Data firms disagree, though it appears 2 to 4 million owners no longer owe more than their home is worth. For some, a foreclosure or short sale may be why.

Homeownership remains essential part of American Dream (2/20/2013)
LendingTree survey: 79% of owners believe homeownership remains an essential; 76% are confident they could sell their current home if they wished.

Could homebuilders’ worker shortage slow rebound? (2/15/2013)
Builders are ready to resume work, but they’re up against an unexpected obstacle: They can’t find enough skilled workers.

Are home prices rising too fast? (2/7/2013)
When home prices skyrocketed in 2005, the real estate industry celebrated. But a few hard lessons later, some experts worry the same thing is happening again.

What’s behind falling housing inventories? (1/29/2013)
The number of for-sale homes dropped 21.6% in one year thanks to demand from investors, underwater owners who can’t sell and other factors.

Fewer young homeowners in wake of housing bust (1/24/2013)
Homeownership among households age 35 or less declined from 43.6% to 36.3% in eight years. Some now rent while others moved back in with parents.

Remodeling market remains strong in 4Q (1/21/2013)
Americans are upgrading property at the fastest pace since early 2004, partially thanks to buyers personalizing new homes.

More young Americans forming households (1/21/2013)
Young adults see an improving economy and increasingly decide it’s time to leave the nest, boosting demand for rental units and home purchases.

CoreLogic predicts 6% home price increase in 2013 (1/14/2013)
Latest CoreLogic report says 2012 saw “an impressive recovery.” Its index based on repeat sales had a 7.5% price increase last year.

Shadow inventory threat wanes (1/8/2013)
CoreLogic: Experts once feared it create too many active listings listings and push prices down, but shadow inventory dropped 11% in one year.

Improving housing market list expands to 242 (1/7/2013)
NAHB: 67% of U.S. markets have improved for at least six months. Fla. has 15 cities on Jan. list, though two dropped off.

Housing may loosen up (12/21/2012)
Many economists now expect higher home values to entice more owners to sell, boosting inventory and total sales in 2013.

Developers scramble to catch up with apartment boom (12/19/2012)
Apartment demand has developers ramping up work. Multifamily building is about 2/3’s what it was before the recession.

Builder confidence at six-year high (12/18/2012)
NAHB: It’s a two-point gain from a slightly revised Nov. reading and its highest level since April 2006.

Real estate field attracts younger agents (12/6/2012)
A SW Florida real estate school says 15% of 2012 graduates were younger than 24 – about twice as many as last year.

Home equity lines of credit return (12/3/2012)
A HELOC resurgence indicates banks’ faith in the market, and it helps the U.S. rebound as owners tap housing equity.

Consumers split on homeownership (11/27/2012)
Americans still value ownership, but reasons changed: It’s seen as important, but maybe not the ultimate investment.