By ALAN ZIBEL AP Real Estate Writer Washington — Home resales surged last month to the highest level in nearly three years, reflecting an extraordinary level of federal support that has pulled the housing market back from the worst downturn ...

Tagged with: Great Depression home sales housing market National Association of Realtors tax credit Thomson Reuters

By ALEX VEIGA AP Real Estate Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even a holiday gift from Uncle Sam couldn’t brighten the homebuilders’ outlook in December. The National Association of Home Builders said Tuesday its housing market index fell by one ...

Tagged with: builders Congress homebuilders homes housing market index National Association of Home Builders new home sales tax credit unemployment

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed a tax incentive for small businesses that add workers, even as Congress struggles to figure out how such an idea would work. Lawmakers have been ...

Tagged with: jobs Obama small business tax credit Treasury Department unemployment

By J.W. ELPHINSTONE AP Real Estate Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The number of homebuyers who signed contracts to buy previously occupied homes rose for the ninth straight month as buyers rushed to take advantage of a tax credit for ...

Tagged with: Congress homebuilding homebuyers NAR National Association of Realtors tax credit

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Construction spending posted a tiny increase in October, the first advance in six months, as a surge in home building offset continued weakness in nonresidential construction. The small gain is a ...

Tagged with: Commerce Department construction spending GDP home building homebuyers loan mortgage Obama tax credit

By ALAN ZIBEL AP Real Estate Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — First-time buyers taking advantage of a special tax credit gave sales of existing homes their biggest surge in a decade, raising hopes for a turnaround in the housing market and ...

Tagged with: economy foreclosure homebuyer mortgage Mortgage Bankers Association National Association of Realtors tax credit

By ALAN ZIBEL AP Real Estate Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Home sales far exceeded expectations last month, surging to the highest level in 2½ years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of an expiring tax credit. The National Association ...

Tagged with: foreclosure home sales homeowner National Association of Realtors realtors tax credit

By ALAN ZIBEL and MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Business Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — The budding economic recovery is getting little help from the home building industry, which normally creates jobs and boosts growth as a recession ends. Construction of homes unexpectedly ...

Tagged with: BMO Capital Markets building permits cash for clunkers Commerce Department Construction economy foreclosure home building homebuyer homes inflation Labor Department National Association of Home Builders Obama recession tax credit Wall Street

By STEPHEN BERNARD and TIM PARADIS AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks slid early Wednesday as an unexpected drop in home construction raised concerns about the pace of the economy’s recovery. The Commerce Department said construction of homes ...

Tagged with: Commerce Department Construction homebuyers homes tax credit

By ALAN ZIBEL AP Real Estate Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Construction of new homes unexpectedly plunged last month, as builders waited to see whether lawmakers would extend a tax credit for homebuyers. The results show how much the housing market ...

Tagged with: Commerce Department National Association of Home Builders new homes tax credit