Tracy Davidson

Age has its perks, especially when it comes to real estate. Real estate agent Gina Romano explains.  

Falling home prices have shrunk the equity Americans have in their homes to nearly the lowest percentage since World War II. Average home equity plunged from more than 61% at the start of 2001 to 38% in the January-March quarter this year, the Federal Reserve said in a report Thursday. That drop comes as home [...]

Among the most hotly contested ideas bank regulators have proposed to reduce the risk of another financial crisis is rule making a 20 percent down payment mandatory on some new home loans. Consumer advocates, civil rights groups and lending industry groups alike have said the proposed rule would deter many families from ever buying a home. [...]

Nationally, 34.9% of occupied homes were rented in 2010 compared with 33.8% in 2000, according to Census data. In the aftermath of the nation’s housing-market collapse and recession, more than 500 midsize and large cities have seen a rise in the share of homes that are rented rather than owned, according to a USA TODAY [...]

Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year loan fell to 4.60 percent from 4.61 percent. That’s the lowest point since mid-December. The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage, a popular refinance option, slipped to 3.78 percent from 3.80 percent. That marked the lowest level since late November. Rates have fallen for [...]

Wilmington has a great program that can help would-be homeowners pay for a renovated house.

Find out which home improvements add the most value if you’re thinking about selling your home, and which two will only drain your wallet.  

Existing-home sales nationally slipped 0.8 percent in April from March, even as the market in many areas remained glutted with heavily discounted foreclosures and fixed interest rates fell. “Another disappointing housing report,” said IHS Global Insight housing economist Patrick Newport. Sales were 12.9 percent below April 2010, when the federal tax credit expired, the National [...]

Mortgage rates have hit lows for the year and could soon near the decades-low levels of last year. Those rates are providing an incentive for buyers, along with falling home prices. They’re tempting for refinancers, too. Still, analysts say the combination isn’t likely to lift the depressed housing industry or contribute much to the overall [...]

Can’t afford to buy a home? You might have a tough time finding a cheap place to rent too. A record number of renters are spending more than half their income on housing, according to a report released Tuesday by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. One in four renters — or about 10.1 [...]