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The Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area is the fourth-best in the nation for home price appreciation, according to a study released by the National Association of Realtors. Wichita’s third-quarter 2008 median price of $125,300 was up 5.5 percent, ranking the area behind Elmira, N.Y., Decatur, Ill., and Bloomington-Normal, Ill. The reason: Housing markets with good economies [...]

WASHINGTON – Pending home sales rose 7.4 percent from July to August, an unexpected piece of positive news for the battered U.S. housing market. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday its seasonally adjusted index of pending sales for existing homes rose to 93.4 from an upwardly revised July reading of 87. The reading was [...]

Next year will bring continued job growth in the Wichita market, despite the national economic downturn, according to the Wichita State University Center for Economic Development and Business Research. The group’s annual economic forecast, released Tuesday, predicts 6,095 new jobs for 2009. Wichita will see “modest broad-based expansion” in the local economy as the city’s [...]

Foreclosure rates for higher-risk mortgages in the Wichita area rose significantly between June 2007 and June 2008. Delinquencies and foreclosures for conventional prime-rate mortgages are up in the Wichita area as well but don’t appear to signal trouble, said one expert. All local foreclosure rates were below national averages. The rise in foreclosure rates means [...]

Recent indication is that first time home buyers are getting tired of sitting on the sidelines. According to a recent online poll taken by the National Apartment Association, 17 percent of renters plan to make the jump to home ownership in the next year; 41 percent of the 2,041 respondents planned to be home owners [...]