Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Housing News Digest, March 16

Housing Starts decrease sharply in February
Total housing starts were at 479 thousand (SAAR) in February, down 22.5% from the revised January rate of 618 thousand, and barely up from the all time record low in April 2009 of 477 thousand (the lowest level since the Census Bureau began tracking housing starts in 1959).

Wholesale prices up 1.6 pct. on steep rise in food
Food prices soared 3.9 percent last month, the biggest gain since November 1974. Most of that increase was due to a sharp rise in vegetable costs, which increased nearly 50 percent. That was the most in almost a year. Meat and dairy products also rose.

Separately, the Commerce Department said home construction plunged to a seasonally adjusted 479,000 homes last month, down 22.5 percent from the previous month. It was lowest level since April 2009, and the second-lowest on records dating back more than a half-century.

New foreclosure filings fall to 30-month low in Colorado
New foreclosure filings dropped to a 30-month low in Colorado's metropolitan counties during February, according to a report released today.

More help available to Coloradans facing foreclosure
DENVER - Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has awarded a two-year, $600,000 grant to the nonprofit Foreclosure Hotline in hopes of helping more homeowners trying to avoid losing their homes. "The Colorado Foreclosure Hotline is the best resource available for consumers facing foreclosure," Suthers said in a Tuesday news release.

Colorado's foreclosure filings hit 30-month low
Month-over-month for February, Larimer County saw a 14.2 percent decline in filings and a 20 percent drop in sales. Looking at year-over-year, Larimer saw a 32.2 percent and a 12.3 percent decline in filings and sales respectively.