Conroe, TX New Homes

Green roofs can only represent a very small part of the total U.S. residential market, but the industry still saw triple-digit growth last year.

Steven W. Peck, president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, an association that promotes the development of green roofs and walls in North America, stated, “The green roof industry grew by 115 percent over the course of 2011, up significantly from 28.5 percent growth recorded in 2010."

Jeffrey L. Bruce, chair of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, has a theory for the growth over the last year, stating, “We are definitely beginning to see results from policy support that has increased over the past few years. The industry is also benefiting from the more than 500 accredited green roof professionals in the market, who are committed to driving future industry growth.”

At the same time, the group released its figures, announcing that Washington, D.C., for the first time increased to top of the metro rankings with over 800,000 square feet of green roofs installed in 2011.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent C. Gray states it shows that the city’s adoption of green infrastructure continues to pay off.

Source: builderonline.com

Mortgage rates remained close to record lows in the week ending April 26, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average decreasing to 3.88% from 3.90% in the prior week, according to Freddie Mac.

A year earlier, the rate was 4.78%.

In order to obtain the latest rate, payment of an average 0.7 point was required, according to Freddie, a buyer of residential mortgages.

Charged in prepaid interest, a point is 1% of the mortgage amount.

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, stated, "Fixed mortgage rates held near record lows this week as the markets waited for the Federal Reserve’s April 25th monetary policy announcement following two days of deliberations."

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 3.12% in the most recent week from 3.13% in the prior week.

The average rate on the 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage jumped to 2.85% from 2.78%.

The 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM slipped to 2.74% from 2.81%.

Source: marketwatch.com

Currently, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is 3.76 percent, which is up three basis points from 3.73 percent at this same time last week.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate remained between 3.7 and 3.77 percent for the majority of the week, decreasing to the current rate this morning.

Erin Lantz, director of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, stated, "With a lack of significant U.S. or international news to rattle the markets, mortgage rates stabilized close to historically low levels this week. Looking ahead, we expect this trend to continue through at least the next week, which will open the door for underwater homeowners to take advantage of prevailing low rates for both the HARP 2.0 and FHA Streamline refinance programs."

Zillow’s real-time mortgage rates are based on thousands of custom mortgage quotes submitted on daily a basis to anonymous borrowers on the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace site, and reflect the most recent changes in the market.

These are not part of a weekly survey or marketing rates.

Currently, the rate for a 15-year fixed home loan is 2.98 percent, while the rate for a 5-1 adjustable-rate mortgage is 2.49 percent.

Source: yahoo.com

The average U.S. rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage was mostly unchanged this week, as the cost of home-buying and refinancing remained near record lows.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac sttaed that the rate on the 30-year loan decreased to 3.98 percent from 3.99 percent last week.

In February, the rate hit 3.87 percent, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage slipped as well, to 3.21 percent from 3.23 percent.

That’s above the record low of 3.13 percent reached last month.

In the West, a 30-year home loan averaged 3.94 percent, while a 15-year fixed mortgage averaged 3.19 percent.

Both rates were the lowest of any region in the U.S.

Mortgage rates have been under 4 percent for all but one week since early December.

Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week to calculate the average rates.

The average rates don’t include extra fees, known as points, which the majority of borrowers are required to pay to get the lowest rates.

One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

Source: oregonlive.com

Currently, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is 3.81 percent, down seven basis points from 3.88 percent at this same time last week.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate remained between 3.8 and 3.85 percent for the majority of the week, slipping to the current rate this morning.

Erin Lantz, director of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, stated, "Despite some late-week volatility instigated by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments around persistent unemployment, and weak demand for a five-year Treasury note auction, mortgage rates ended essentially flat for the week."

Lantz added, "Looking ahead, unless the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs report significantly exceeds expectations, we expect rates to remain relatively unchanged this coming week as weak economic news out of Europe continues to overshadow moderate improvements in the U.S. economy."

Zillow’s real-time mortgage rates are based on thousands of custom mortgage quotes submitted on a daily basis to anonymous borrowers on the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace site, and reflect the most recent changes in the market.

These are not a weekly survey or marketing rates.

Currently, the rate for a 15-year fixed home loan is 3.04 percent, while the rate for a 5-1 adjustable-rate mortgage is 2.57 percent.

Source: yahoo.com

The following is a list of restaurants and retailers that recently opened or signed new leases in the Houston, Tx area:

SOUTHWEST
– Frost Bank, land purchased at the southwest corner of Texas 6 and University Drive
– Terry Lee DDS, located at 3800 N. Shepherd
– Melrose Apparel, located at Beechcrest Shopping Center located at Beechnut and Wilcrest
- Shell/Popeyes, land purchased at the Crossing at Ft. Bend Parkway

WEST
– P.S. from Aéropostale, located at Katy Mills
– School of Rock music studio, located at Mason Place Shopping Center at 3750 Mason Road
– Angel Nails Salon, located at Eagle Ranch Shopping Center at 6115 N. Fry Road
– Cricket, located at Eldridge Briar Retail Center at 1635 Eldridge Parkway
- Bikini’s Restaurant, located at 25657 Interstate 45 North, The Woodlands, in the former Tortuga’s building

NORTH
– Cricket, located at 25424 Aldine Westfield
– Tastee Plates, located at Peppermill Shopping Center at 1644-A FM 1960
- Elite Beauty Beautique, located at Venus Plaza Shopping Center, 3455 Dairy Ashford

SOUTH
- Sam’s, land purchased at Interstate 45 and FM 1764 in La Marque

EAST
– Cricket, located at Dayton Shopping Center in Dayton
– Cricket, located at Walmart shadow-anchored center, Liberty Center, in Liberty

NORTHWEST
– Celebrity Entertainment Center, located at 5819 W. Gulf Bank

Source: chron.com

According to HSH.com’s Weekly Mortgage Rate Radar, rates on the most popular types of mortgages eased again.

The average rate for conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped by 3 basis points (0.03 percent) to 4.01 percent.

Conforming 5/1 hybrid ARM rates slipped by 2 basis points, closing the Wednesday-to-Tuesday wraparound weekly survey at a new record-low average of 2.92 percent.

Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH.com, stated "Mortgage rates continue to present opportunities for borrowers. Many underwater homeowners will get their first chance at refinancing this week as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac roll out software to make it easier for lenders to comply with Home Affordable Refinance Program guidelines."

Source: prweb.com

The following list is a list of restaurants and retailers that recently opened or signed new leases in the Houston, Tx area:

SOUTH
– Wake Nation Houston, located at 4411 County Road 418 in Rosharon
– FRSTeam of Houston, located at 10611 Fuqua Street
- Guitar Center Stores, located at southeast corner of Pansy and Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena

NORTH
– LEGO is under construction on the lower level of The Woodlands Mall near Vera Bradley
– PINK in The Woodlands Mall by Victoria’s Secret will open in early summer
– Clarks will open in The Woodlands Mall in early summer
– Fossil is moving into a larger space on the upper level in The Woodlands Mall near between the Food Court and Forever 21
– Martin Deutsch State Farm, located at The Spring Cypress Center at 9803 Spring Cypress
- Cartridge World, located at Town Square Shopping Center at Highway 6 and West Road

SOUTHWEST
– DD’s Discount, located at northwest corner of Fondren and Bellfort
– Ulta Cosmetics, located at Brazos Town Center at Hwy 59 and FM 762 in Rosenberg
- Made Ya Smile, located at Brazos Town center

WEST
– Southpark at Cinco Ranch, located at the Westpark Tollway and Spring Green Boulevard (FM 723)
– ICare Boutique, located at Seven Meadows Office Complex in Katy
– Nom Nom Noodles, located at Crescent Plaza Shopping Center at Eldridge Parkway and Briar Forest

CENTRAL
– Found, located at 3433 W. Alabama

Source: chron.com

Currently, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is 3.76 percent, which is up six basis points from 3.7 percent at this same time last week.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate remained between 3.67 and 3.76 percent for the majority of the week, peaking at 3.79 percent on Friday before dropping to the current rate.

Erin Lantz, director of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, stated “Rates drifted slightly up this past week, on expectations of progress in Greece’s bailout negotiations and improving U.S. economic news. With a shortened and relatively slow week for U.S. economic data, we expect rates to remain fairly steady.”

Zillow’s real-time mortgage rates are based on thousands of custom mortgage quotes submitted on a daily basis to anonymous borrowers on the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace site, and reflect the most recent changes in the market.

These are not a weekly survey or marketing rates.

Currently, the rate for a 15-year fixed home loan is 3.0 percent, while the rate for a 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage is 2.75 percent.

Source: yahoo.com

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, U.S. mortgage activity increased 7.5 percent in the week ending Friday, as long-term interest rates reached record lows.

Interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate conforming mortgages dropped from 4.09 percent to 4.05 percent with average points growing from 0.41 to 0.44.

The Mortgage Bankers Association stated that interest rates for the 30-year, fixed-rate conforming loans were at an all-time low for the history of its weekly survey.

Also, rates for 15-year, fixed-rate contracts declined to lows for the survey’s history.

Rates decreased from 3.36 percent to 3.33 percent.

For 15-year loans, points slipped from 0.41 to 0.37.

Along with the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Index, the Refinancing Index rose as well, rising 9.4 percent compared to the previous week.

Source: builderonline.com