With the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting this week, many are wondering if an interest rate hike is in the works. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the current market expectation of a 0.50 percent rate increase in June is extremely low – 4 percent. However, the likelihood jumps to 27 percent in July. But, whether the Fed ... Read More ›

Nominal house prices have been increasing nationally in the US for several years, and some markets have seen significant appreciation in nominal house prices. But, nominal house prices are not adjusted for any inflation. The price of a house today is not directly comparable to the price of that same house 30 years ago because of the long-run ... Read More ›

Rhonda Schaffler at TheStreet.com interviews First American Chief Economist Mark Fleming regarding the duality dilemma keeping home sales below potential. The interview offers additional insight into the findings in this month’s Potential Home Sales model. You can watch TheStreet.com interview here. Read More ›

This week, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is holding their March meeting where they could, just possibly, decide to increase the benchmark Federal Funds Rate again. According to one survey by CNBC, the vast majority expect rates to remain unchanged. In that same survey, nearly all the respondents believed a rate hike was likely in the ... Read More ›

In case you hadn’t heard last week, a Twitter debate exploded between the well-known rapper B.o.B and the also, although possibly not equally, well-known astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The debate centered on B.o.B’s belief that the world is actually flat and Tyson’s scientifically reasoned explanation of how we know the world is actually ... Read More ›

The fourth quarter 2015 First American Real Estate Sentiment Index, which measures title agent sentiment on a variety of key market metrics and industry issues, is based on a quarterly survey of title agents that do business with First American. In fact, more than 3,000 title agents from 50 states have participated in the first two editions of the ... Read More ›