The East Bay economy is poised for substantial growth in the coming year, and that’s good news for its local real estate markets. Here’s a look at the factors behind the region’s recovery.

News this week for homebuyers, home sellers, and the home-curious include a variety of announcements from Fannie Mae: The housing recovery continues to pick up steam, short-sale rules will be streamlined, and mortgage qualification standards will be tightened. Elsewhere: further proof that it pays to have a real estate professional on your side, and advice for real estate investors.

Bay Area home sales jumped in April, and home prices, too — putting to rest any question of whether the housing recovery is on solid footing.

An auction of contemporary art Tuesday night at Christie’s in New York blew past pre-sale estimates as buyers paid a record $388.5 million for works by Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollack, and others. It was an incredible sale, by all accounts, and it suggests that real …

The big news this week was the $26 billion mortgage settlement, in which five banks (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Ally, Citi, and JPMorgan Chase) came to a deal with state and federal authorities to give relief to millions of homeowners. It’s news that’s likely …

Ellen Anderson takes a deep look into the conditions that have affected the Contra Costa County housing market in the past months.

As challenging as the real estate market often feels, properties are selling in Sonoma County.  At the end of November, we saw the trend continue to reflect the strength of the lower end of the market with percentages of properties under contract in the “under …

Marin County saw 37% of homes in contract in November 2011 which is within the range (over 35% in contract) of what is usually indicative of a seller’s market. If you are currently looking to buy or sell a home in Marin County, click the …

The East Bay/Alameda County saw 27% of homes in contract in November 2011 which is within the range (25%-35% in contract) of what is usually indicative of a balanced market. If you are currently looking to buy or sell a home in the East Bay/Alameda …

While San Francisco markets do reflect a seasonal constriction of listings as we enter December, there’s significant anecdotal evidence of a greater dearth of inventory than usual, particularly in the just-under-$1M to $2M range.  We see frustrated buyers crowding open houses and placing multiple offers …