Recent reports that the Phoenix housing market is finally showing signs of a rebound were bolstered Wednesday with the release of the FNC Residential Price Index’s latest home value figures. Phoenix-area home prices in March, which is traditionally a strong sales month, were up about 1.4 percent from the month prior, tying with Detroit for the seventh-best month-to-month gains in the nation, according to the FNC report, which tracked 22 markets. The national average growth from February to March...

Across the board, San Antonio’s housing market showed impressive gains in April, according to the latest analysis by the San Antonio Board of Realtors (SABOR). Meanwhile, the latest nationwide study by Oxford, Miss.-based real-estate information technology company FNC Inc. is shining a spotlight on the San Antonio housing market as well. At the end of April, the average price for a home in greater San Antonio stood at $193,560 — marking an 8 percent increase from the average price of $179,820...

Kansas ranked seventh among the states for house price appreciation in the first quarter, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s seasonally adjusted house price index released Wednesday. The index showed a 3.16 percent improvement in prices in Kansas from a year ago. Prices were up 1.49 percent from the fourth quarter. Over five years, prices are down 3.91 percent. The index is calculated using home sales price information from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages, according to an...

Business news from around the Web: Police investigate $158 million Reebok fraud (USA Today) Groupon customers offered class action payout over expiration dates (CNN) Jury says Google did not infringe on Oracle patents (Reuters) Oil prices slide to seven-month low (CNN) Housing market recovery gains traction (Reuters)

The average existing Kansas City-area house sold for $149,610 in April, up 9 percent from a year prior. New home prices in the metro area dipped modestly, falling 1 percent to $314,079, according to the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors. Johnson County commanded the highest prices for existing and new homes in April — $223,146 and $381,542, respectively. Overall, home sales activity has increased each month in 2012. In January, 1,313 existing homes sold; that figure reached 2,104...

Crescent Resources has started construction of a new phase at its Springfield community in Fort Mill. David Weekley Homes has agreed to purchase 38 of the 43 home sites in the new section, and Evan Coghill Homes will build on the other five. Financial terms of those agreements were not disclosed. Crescent expects to complete development of the site in October, and home construction will start before the end of the year. “Homes have been selling swiftly in Springfield, and there is a notable...

The Hawaii Land Use Commission has approved a plan to reclassify some 545 acres of land in Central Maui for A&B Properties' Waiale master-planned subdivision. The Maui News reports the project will now go before the Maui Planning Commission and Maui County Council for review, according to Grant Chun, vice president of A&B Properties, the real estate arm of Honolulu-based Alexander & Baldwin (NYSE: ALEX).

Sales of new, single-family homes rose 3.3 percent in April, according to the Commerce Department, mirroring gains seen last month in sales of existing homes. Sales of new homes last month were up 9.9 percent from a year ago. Median prices rose 0.7 percent in April and prices were up 4.9 percent from a year earlier. Tuesday, the National Association of Realtors reported sales of existing homes, the vast majority of residential real estate transactions, rose 3.4 percent last month and were up 10...

Toll Brothers Inc. has recorded a profit for its fiscal second quarter and saw orders for new houses substantially rise as the recovery in the housing market continues to gain momentum. The Horsham, Pa., homebuilder (NYSE:TOL) reported net income of $16.9 million, or 10 cents a share, compared with a loss of $20.8 million, or 12 cents, for the same period a year ago. It beat analysts’ estimates of 3 cents a share. CEO Douglas C. Yearley Jr. said, “It appears that the housing market has moved...

The Bowie City Council has unanimously approved the sale of an acre of surplus land for $25,000 to the developers of the Harmony Place high-end apartment complex near Bowie Town Center, The Maryland Gazette reported. Harmony Place needed the undeveloped site to meet tree-conservation requirements. The transfer is part of a settlement reached in April 2011 by Harmony Place with the city and a separate settlement with eight residents, who agreed to drop their appeals of the plan in exchange for money...

Rockville Economic Development Inc. has named Laurie Boyer executive director. Boyer replaces Sally Sternbach, who left the organization earlier this year to take a deputy director job at the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development.

As homelessness among families doubles in the District, dozens of homeless veterans will be fast-tracked to a roof over their heads Wednesday in a D.C. Housing Authority event, WTOP reports.

Education Michael Poll has been named vice president for enrollment management at Seton Hill University. Health Care Dr. John Luellen has been promoted to vice president and chief quality officer at Heritage Valley Health System. Legal Services John McIlvaine III has been promoted to president at the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association. McIlvaine is a director at The Webb Law Firm. Organizations & Associations Angela Mayer of KU Resources Inc. was elected vice president of...

Distressed properties declined as a percentage of home sales in the Sacramento market in April, according to a new report from the California Association of Realtors. Short sales and transactions involving bank-owned and other distressed properties accounted for 61 percent of single-family home sales in the month, down from 67 percent a year earlier. A similar pattern was seen statewide, where the percentage dropped to 42 percent from 48 percent in 2011. ...

Sales of new, single-family homes rose 3.3 percent in April, according to the Commerce Department, mirroring gains seen last month in sales of existing homes. Sales of new homes last month were up 9.9 percent from a year ago. Median prices rose 0.7 percent in April, and prices were up 4.9 percent from a year earlier.

Record low mortgage rates continue to attract existing homeowners looking to lower their monthly mortgage payments, with mortgage refinance applications up for the third consecutive week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The Washington-based association says overall mortgage applications rose 3.8 percent last week, though applications from potential buyers fell 3 percent from the previous week.

Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. has proposed that customers who don’t want smart meters instead pay a $50 fee upfront and then $10 to $60 a month for upkeep, the Maryland Gazette reported. The plan was announced Tuesday at a Public Service Commission hearing on whether customers should have the right to opt out of having to switch to smart meters. BGE says the meters would be more accurate and save money.

The Bowie City Council has unanimously approved the sale of an acre of surplus land for $25,000 to the developers of the Harmony Place high-end apartment complex near Bowie Town Center, The Gazette reports. Harmony Place needed the undeveloped site to meet tree-conservation requirements. The transfer is part of a settlement reached in April 2011 by Harmony Place with the city and a separate settlement with eight residents, who agreed to drop their appeals of the plan in exchange for money and other...

Preservation advocates have been writing to owners of historic properties in Frederick, pointing to options and tax advantages as alternatives to demolition, the Frederick News-Post reported. The demolition, since halted, of an 1870 manor house raised awareness of regulations concerning historic properties. City officials say some are outside a historic district or Maryland Historical Trust easements, but many are eligible for designation that would offer advantages to their owners.

Distressed properties declined as a percentage of home sales in the Sacramento market in April, according to a new report from the California Association of Realtors. Short sales and transactions involving bank-owned and other distressed properties accounted for 61 percent of single-family home sales in the month, down from 67 percent a year earlier. A similar pattern was seen statewide, where the percentage dropped to 42 percent from 48 percent in 2011. Distressed-property sales have declined...