The Providence-Fall River-New Bedford area foreclosure rate fell 0.11 percentage points for March compared with the same period in 2012, CoreLogic said Thursday. more

Construction hiring surged in February by the most in almost six years, highlighting the benefits to the U.S. economy from a revitalized housing market. more

As lawmakers consider renewing Rhode Island’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, we thought it important to highlight how this tax credit in particular is good for Rhode Island; and how incorporating long-term affordable housing into the program is a strategic investment for Rhode Island’s economy. more

Got a beef with your mortgage company or loan servicer? Lots of people do, and thousands of them have been turning to a federal complaint hotline for action – or at least a quick response from the lender. more

Who says lenders need to charge you a cash down payment when you take out a mortgage in this era of hyper-strict underwriting? more

The South Boston waterfront was long a bleak area separated from the rest of the city by the Fort Point Channel, its docks and warehouses recalling a faded shipping past. Now, rechristened the Seaport district, construction cranes dot the landscape as builders put up high-end condominiums, offices and hotels in one of the biggest neighborhood transformations in Boston history. more

Bill Bohmbach, founder and president of Portsmouth-based Home Healthsmith, recently earned the National Association of Home Builders’ certified aging-in-place specialist designation. Bohmbach has more than 30 years of experience in adaptive-mobility equipment and previously served in the Navy as an electrician. He founded Accurate Elevator and Lift in 1994, which he sold in 2010 to a major international elevator company. Bohmbach is currently pursuing his certification for home modifications through the University of Southern California. more

Are large numbers of homeowners who have negotiated short sales with lenders at risk because of a startling omission in the American credit system? Do their credit reports and scores indicate that they were foreclosed upon, rather than having negotiated a mutually agreeable resolution with their lender? more

With full-fledged sellers’ markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months or more with no takers. more

How hot is hot when it comes to housing markets across the country right now? Crazy hot: Some houses sell within days, sometimes within hours, of listing. Then there are the growing numbers that sell even before they formally hit the market – sold through a controversial technique known as “pocket listings.” more