Six questions to ask before refinancing

With low mortgage rates creeping up, many homeowners are asking if refinancing is the right choice. Last year refinancing originations nationwide totaled $1.5 trillion.

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Inventory situation improves in June

The overall number of listings on Zillow was down 12.2 percent year-over-year at the start of June, an improvement from the 17.5 percent shortfall recorded in January.

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Nearly 1 million houses float back into positive equity

Approximately 850,000 more residential properties returned to a state of positive equity during the first quarter of 2013, according to the CoreLogic first quarter home equity report.

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Home Builders Building Homes that Young Buyers Want

More than 80 percent of Generation Y home buyers—people born in 1977 or later—said in the National Association of Home Builder’s 2012 consumer preference survey they prefer a highly energy efficient home that results in lower utility bills during the home’s lifetime over a lower-priced home without energy efficient features. Today’s new homes feature ENERGY STAR-rated appliances; windows, doors and insulation that better control the home’s interior climate; and other modern components such as tankless water heaters and HVAC systems that save costs on utility bills.

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FHFA: Home prices continue to climb

Home prices inched up 1.9 percent in the first quarter compared with the previous quarter, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This is the seventh consecutive quarterly price rise in the purchase-only, seasonally adjusted index.

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