Foreclosures in the third quarter sold, on average, for about a 34 percent discount compared to the average sales price of homes not in foreclosure, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac.

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Mortgage Rates Rise After Posting Record Lows

Mortgage rates started to edge higher this week, after a series of recent positive reports showing the housing market on the mend, Freddie Mac reported in its weekly mortgage market survey.

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2011 Marks Worst Year on Record for New-Home Sales

Sales of new-home declined in December, dropping 2.2 percent, and marking the end to the worst year on record for new-home sales, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
New-home sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 307,000 in December — less than half the 700,000 pace that economists consider healthy for the sector.

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First-Time Buyers More Willing to Compromise

When it comes to space and upgrades, first-time home buyers are more willing to compromise than repeat buyers, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2011 “Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.”

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President Ford’s Home on Market for $1.7 MillionThe 6,316-square-foot Rancho Mirage, Calif., home belonging to the late President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford is up for sale at $1.699 million.
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With Marcus & Millichap’s National Apartment Report showing that the U.S. average for asking rents in 2011 came in at $1,061 a month, housing analysts believe more apartment tenants will look to own.
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