home sales

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now own some 200,000 foreclosed-upon homes, and they're spending $500 million a year on upkeep. That's a lot of lawn mowing. If only there were a cheaper way to get it done -- a way that benefited Americans. Here's an idea ...

The National Association of Realtors reported this week that sales of existing homes rose 4.3% in January, their third rise in four months. But there are other housing trends to consider that are much more telling than a modest uptick in sales.

Fewer people bought new homes in December, making 2011 the worst sales year on record. The Commerce Department said Thursday new-home sales fell last month to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 307,000. The pace is less than half the 700,000 that economists say must be sold in a healthy economy.

Home sales rose in December to the highest pace in nearly a year. The gain coincides with other signs that show the troubled housing market improved at the end of last year. Still, sales remain depressed and ended 2011 well below healthy levels.

Americans bought slightly more new homes in November, but 2011 will likely end up as the worst year for sales in history. The Commerce Department says new-home sales rose 1.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 315,000. That's less than half the 700,000 new homes that economists say should be sold to sustain a healthy housing market.

The number of Americans who bought previously occupied homes rose last month. But the National Association of Realtors says it overstated more than 3 million sales during and after the Great Recession, showing the housing market was weaker than previously thought.

In a surprising twist, some of the best housing numbers in eight months surfaced Tuesday. But is it all good? We checked in with AOL Real Estate Editor in Chief Laura Goldstein for some insight about what the latest data really means.

For nearly two years, economists and real estate experts have been on the lookout for the bottom of the housing market. That time is here, says Russell Price, a senior economist with Ameriprise Financial, a financial services company.

If you're on the fence about whether or not it's the right time to buy a piece of real estate, one expert says there is no doubt about it. According to best-selling author Adam Leitman Bailey, "this is the best time in modern real estate history to be buying a home."

Fewer Americans are having trouble paying their mortgages now compared to a year ago, according to a new survey. The bad news? Fewer Americans have mortgages. Some of those who were struggling last year have since sold or foreclosed.