Lew Sichelman

As of March 31 roughly 6,800 condo units near the Atlantic seaboard in the tri-county South Florida region were still awaiting buyers, according to a report from CondoVultures, a consulting firm in Bal Harbour.

The coming change in the conforming loan limit will have a much larger impact on loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration than on those purchased or securitized by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

If the audience's response during a special session on mortgage credit at the National Association of Realtors' midyear legislative meetings is any indication, appraisals are still a big issue for front-line realty agents.

The surge in refinancing, now down to a virtual trickle, was officially pronounced dead and gone at the MBA's annual secondary market conference in New York.

As the debate warms up about the future of housing finance, panelists at the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual secondary market conference were unanimous in their endorsement of the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

As the debate warms up about the future of housing finance, panelists at the MBA's annual secondary market conference were unanimous in endorsing the 30-year-fixed rate mortgage.

Six years ago, economist Mark Zandi drew the ire of home builders when he predicted housing was heading for a cliff. Now, Zandi's singing a different tune, and builders love it.

A year ago, the folks who worked in Freddie Mac's multifamily section were sitting around waiting for the phones to ring. Now they cannot keep up.

A year ago, the folks who worked in Freddie Mac's multi-family section were sitting around waiting for the phones to ring. Now they can't keep up.

Roughly 3 million houses — two to three years' worth of production — weren't built as a result of the recession, according to the National Association of Home Builders' chief prognosticator.

Only four states and Washington, D.C., registered more new-home closings last year compared with 2009, according to the independent research firm Housing Intelligence.

The National Association of Home Builders is projecting a 16% increase in multifamily housing starts this year. But the 133,000 units that apartment developers are expected to produce will not be nearly enough to meet demand.

The housing market will start its long-awaited recovery this year, two economists said at the National Association of Home Builders convention in Orlando, Fla.

An analysis by CVR Realty, a Miami sell-side firm, said sales at prices less than what the seller owed on the property soared by comparison with 2009.

New Jersey has become the 19th state to restrict the use of private transfer fees, which require a percentage of a home's sales price be paid to a private third party each time the property is sold, often for up to 99 years.

More than 30,000 Florida mortgage professionals appear to be missing in action.

The annual Federal Housing Administration actuarial review could point to the government's future role in housing finance.

Rhode Island enjoys a high success rate when it comes to saving the homes of troubled borrowers, according to housing counselors.

Lenders were given some hope Thursday that the Federal Housing Administration may come down on the side of flexibility when it issues a final rule regarding seller concessions.

Fannie Mae cleared 123 new Florida condominiums for financing in the first eight months of 2010, a huge difference from recent years, according to Condo Vultures LLC.