Daily Market Update: Zillow mortgages now also on Trulia

Zillow mortgages now also on Trulia…Housing starts lower than expected… Builder confidence rises… Apartment used in ‘Ghost’ goes on sale…

Zillow mortgages now also on Trulia
Zillow has announced that mortgage lenders are now able to reach a wider audience as their mortgages will also be listed on Trulia. Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Zillow said: "Just last month, we welcomed Trulia into the Zillow Rental Network, bringing new opportunities to our multifamily partners and landlords, and today we are giving our lender partners a new way grow their business."

Housing starts lower than expected
New data released Thursday from the U.S. Commerce Department shows that new housing starts in March were not as strong as expected. After a decline in February due to poor weather the rise in housing starts for March was a seasonally adjusted 2% to 926,000 units, not enough to wipe out the decline. A Reuters poll of economists has expected 1.04 million starts. Starts rebounded in the Northeast and Midwest but fell in the South and West. Building permits were down 5.7% to a 1.04 million pace.
 
Builder confidence rises
Builders are increasingly confident in the market for newly-built single-family homes. The latest figures National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index shows a rise of 4 points in April to 56; anything above 50 shows positive sentiment.
“As the spring buying season gets underway, home builders are confident that current low interest rates and continued job growth will draw consumers to the market,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods and the association’s chief economist David Crowe added: “This uptick shows builders are feeling optimistic that the housing market will continue to strengthen throughout 2015.”
 
Apartment used in ‘Ghost’ goes on sale
The apartment that was a central setting for the Patrick Swayze/Demi Moore movie “Ghost” has been listed by Lauren Muss at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The loft at 102 Prince Street, 3-Soho, New York features 4,341 square feet of living space including three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, home office, gym and media room, with plenty of space for a potter’s wheel, should you require one.
The home also benefits from a 400-square-foot storage area in the basement and stunning city views from the oversized windows. The apartment also has a built-in sound system throughout although you will have to supply your own copy of Unchained Melody to play through it. The listing price is $10.5 million.