The home ownership rate took another dip in the fourth quarter of 2011, falling for the seventh year in a row as fewer Americans own their homes.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Investors Jump in to Turn Foreclosures into Rentals

The government and private equity firms are gearing up to start marketing foreclosed homes as rentals in an effort to help lessen the downward impact foreclosures have on the price of nearby homes.
___________________________________________________________________________________
States have until the end of this week to decide whether they will agree to sign onto a settlement over mortgage abuses with the nation’s largest banks, Reuters News reports.
___________________________________________________________________________________
While nationally, the median list price has been on the rise the last year, increasing 5 percent year-over-year to $188,000, according to December 2011 housing data published by Realtor.com.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Forty-two percent of Americans say they wouldn’t want a celebrity as a neighbor, and they especially wouldn’t want to live anywhere near the cast of the reality TV show “Jersey Shore,” according to the fifth annual Zillow Celebrity Neighbor Survey for 2012.
___________________________________________________________________________________
In the details released today, President Barack Obama fleshed out a proposal he announced in his State of the Union speech to boost the housing market by helping more underwater home owners than are currently being served by lenders.
____________________________________________________________________________________
The National Association of REALTORS® commends President Obama for pledging to assist home owners and the struggling housing market, because restoring the health of the housing market is critical for the nation’s economic recovery.
____________________________________________________________________________________