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North America’s first “active” house

North America birthed its first “active” house in St. Louis, Mo

North America’s first “active” house

North America birthed its first “active” house in St. Louis, Mo. in March of this year. What is an “active” home? Essentially, it incorporates a comprehensive green design on the interior and exterior of the dwelling and uses a variety … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Keep summer cooling costs down

Follow these tips from Time to run your air conditioning units without breaking the household budget. http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,193977721001_2005658,00.html Continue reading →

Low interest rates help buyers and owners

Interest rates for 15- and 30-year fixed mortgages continue to stay low, reports CNN Money. Last year, the 15-year fixed rate averaged 3.07 percent, but last week, it dipped to 2.56 percent. The 30-year fixed rate averaged 3.35 percent, which … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Median sales price way up in King and Snohomish Counties

Houses are moving at the highest prices the market has seen since May 2008, reports The Seattle Times. King County homes sold at a median price of $400,000 in April. That’s 11.1 percent above last year’s level and 2 percent … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Lumber prices go up as housing recovers

Lumber prices in North America are rising as the U.S. housing market recovers, Chinese demand continues, and Canada’s export of lumber is constrained due to a beetle infestation, reports Bloomberg Businessweek. In March, sales of new single-family properties jumped 1.5 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Seattle ranked as one of the best places to live

InvestmentNews.com ranks Seattle as one of the best places to live in the U.S. based on median income, cultural amenities, the area’s colleges, percentage of the population holding graduate degrees, and employment levels. Here’s the full list from twelfth to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

HARP 2.0 more effective than previous version

The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) underwent some significant changes in 2012, evolving into HARP 2.0 and spurring a surge in refinances under the government-run program. Based on the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) 2012 report, HARP volume represented 22 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Housing starts exceed 1 million mark

Housing starts in the U.S. have increased by 7 percent from February to March, surpassing the 1 million mark for the first time since June 2008, reports the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Housing starts from February to March increased to a seasonally … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Are banks in a lending mood?

Historically low mortgage interest rates and relatively low housing prices have created a real win-win situation for home buyers. But some would-be buyers have run into credit challenges with stricter lending standards. That could be changing, based on the quarterly … Continue reading → Continue reading →