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Housing starts grew 6.6%  in April, coming out of a lackluster first quarter. Economists expect the trend to continue, modestly, throughout the remainder of the year. An impressive amount of growth in the Midwest helped April’s numbers increase dramatically. Here’s a full breakdown.  

The Wall Street Journal has a piece today comparing luxury summer-home markets from coast to coast. There’s good information on vacation-home buying, in general, but the article’s featured areas are among the toniest in the country. Read more, here.  

NerdWallet has a piece today interviewing members of their Ask An Advisor network about the efficacy of a 15-year mortgage. They discuss advantages—paid off sooner, lower interest than a 30-year loan, and the total cost is generally less than a 30-year loan—and disadvantages—larger payments, and decreased cash flow, among others. Read more, here.  

The Better Business Bureau is suggesting homeowners exercise caution during the home buying process to avoid a scam that could empty your bank account. Apparently, hackers have been posing as real estate and title agents to trick homeowners into sending money. Most importantly, never send financial information via email. Watch a video, and read more…

What you do for a living may inform discounts on mortgages. Dana Dratch at Bankrate has some information on job-related mortgage savings. Working as a teacher, firefighter, doctor, or lawyer—or whether you choose to live near where you work—could amount to substantial savings. You can learn more here.  

What you do for a living may inform discounts on mortgages. Dana Dratch at Bankrate has some information on job-related mortgage savings. Working as a teacher, firefighter, doctor, or lawyer—or whether you choose to live near where you work—could amount to substantial savings. You can learn more here.  

Maryalene LaPonsie at U.S. News and World Report examines the plausibility of another housing bubble, and subsequent collapse. The short answer is, no—but, it’s worth a read here.  

A Pittsburgh law firm, representing visually impaired, hearing-impaired, and other disabled clients, has threatened more than 25 real estate companies with lawsuits if they don’t modify their websites to become usable for those with handicaps. The Chicago Tribune has the report here.  

The Federal Housing Finance Agency will be granting some borrowers the ability to reduce their mortgage debt. The desired outcome is that a portion of delinquent homeowners will be able to avoid foreclosure. Bankrate has an article with additional information, here.  

Diana Olick at CNBC shared a list of the top U.S. cities for real estate investors, and the results are surprising. Florida has more markets on the list than any other state, and Syracuse and Milwaukee were included for the first time. You can see the list and report, here.