Single Family Sector is Rare Winner in Construction Spending Report

Posted To: MND NewsWire

The total amount of construction put in place nationally fell in April, but continues at a pace higher than at the same point in 2016. The U.S. Census Bureau puts the seasonally adjusted annual rate of spending on all types of construction during the month at $1.22 trillion , a decrease of 1.4 percent from the March total, but up 6.7 percent from April of last year . The month-over-month decline was nearly universal; the only sector to post a gain was "water supply." Total spending on residential construction was down 0.9 percent from March but was 15.6 percent higher than a year earlier. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, there was $98.10 billion spent in total, compared to $94.79 billion in March. Year to date expenditures, at $359.53 billion, are 5.8 percent ahead of the same period in...(read more)

Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it.

from Mortgage News Daily http://ift.tt/2qFBkDd

Single Family Sector is Rare Winner in Construction Spending Report

Posted To: MND NewsWire

The total amount of construction put in place nationally fell in April, but continues at a pace higher than at the same point in 2016. The U.S. Census Bureau puts the seasonally adjusted annual rate of spending on all types of construction during the month at $1.22 trillion , a decrease of 1.4 percent from the March total, but up 6.7 percent from April of last year . The month-over-month decline was nearly universal; the only sector to post a gain was "water supply." Total spending on residential construction was down 0.9 percent from March but was 15.6 percent higher than a year earlier. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, there was $98.10 billion spent in total, compared to $94.79 billion in March. Year to date expenditures, at $359.53 billion, are 5.8 percent ahead of the same period in...(read more)

Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it.

from Mortgage News Daily http://ift.tt/2qFBkDd

An Isolated Glass Farmhouse, No Curtains Required — Dwell

Glass houses can be very beautiful, but then there's the difficulty of shielding yourself from the prying eyes of your neighbors. One solution? Just don't have any neighbors.

READ MORE »

from Apartment Therapy | Saving the world, one room at a time http://ift.tt/2ru2ax8

Before & After: Combining Two Apartments into One Lux Pad

(Image credit: Photos by H5)

Look, we know you're not even reading this paragraph right now. We get it! Why would you when there is floor-to-ceiling yellow tile to stare at right above this? This bathroom, by way of a '70s Scorsese film, was not the only part of the two (yes, two) apartments Nataliya was renovating that needed an update, but it was certainly the most dramatically outdated. By moving walls, buying hallway space, turning baths into kitchens and (shockingly) replacing that yellow tile, a bright and almost unrecognizable space was created.

READ MORE »

from Apartment Therapy | Saving the world, one room at a time http://ift.tt/2rINyev

2017 is the Year of the Sofa — Dispatches from the Front Lines of Design

In my ramble through this year's International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF — basically the design world's answer to a runway show), I noticed something unusual: there were a lot of really, really great sofas. Usually the chair is the darling of the design world, presenting myriad ways to iterate. The sofa is a bit more of a challenge: it's bigger, and because people think of it as a bit more of a practical piece, it needs to take into account comfort as well. But this year's designers rose to the occasion, creating sofas that were strikingly beautiful, and even, dare I say, comfortable. (I tried a few.) Here are 10 of my favorites.

READ MORE »

from Apartment Therapy | Saving the world, one room at a time http://ift.tt/2qH6HZh

Collateral and Appraisal News - Fed Addresses Delays

Posted To: Pipeline Press

Some may have the perception that no MI company has ever paid a claim, which isn't true. USMI, the trade group for the majority of MIs, states that MI companies have paid over $50 billion since Fannie & Freddie entered conservatorship, having paid roughly 97 percent of valid claims to date with the remainder due over time. Employees of MI companies will tell you that reminding lenders of this has been an ongoing challenge. (The head of Bank of America Corp. said that banks would be able to supply a bigger share of funding for home purchases if the standard down payment for buyers was cut to 10 percent from 20 percent. Huh?) Appraisal Issues Appraisals taking too long in your county, and thinking that it should be attributed to shortfalls in the availability of state-certified and...(read more)

Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it.

from Mortgage News Daily http://ift.tt/2qJR4QV

MBS Day Ahead: Bonds Teetering Between Trends

Posted To: MBS Commentary

Bond markets had been in a clearly-delineated positive trend from mid-March through mid-April followed by a clearly-delineated negative trend though mid-May. After breaking out of that uptrend--something that was only confirmed on May 17th,--bonds have trended generally sideways . In other words, we're still waiting for the next trend to take shape. All we know for sure is that the most recent uptrend in rates is over. While some of the recent movements have been alternately ominous and promising , yields have stopped short of confirming a strong move in either direction. One way to think about this visually is with the Bollinger Band study overlaid on the 10yr Treasury candlesticks below (purple-ish lines). If the candlesticks were pushing the lower band, it would be a vote in favor of...(read more)

Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it.

from Mortgage News Daily http://ift.tt/2qEICHn