According to CoreLogic, house prices across the country rose 7.4% for the 12 months ending 11/12 (6.7% excluding short sales), the best numbers since 5/06! With 30-year mortgage rates at 3.4%, this means that the real cost of financing a home is NEGATIVE 4%! That's like getting paid 4%/year to buy a house. As a result, it's not at all surprising that existing home sales and new residential construction are rapidly improving. (Reprinted with permission).

Love to learn economics-related facts and figures tied to real estate? Look forward to more during Realcomp's 2012 Tools of the Trade REALTOR® Expo as Mr. Eisenberg delivers his FUN "Graphs and Laughs" edu-taining presentation! It's sure to educate, entertain, and possibly change your mind if you ever thought of economics as being a dry topic!