A rare double shot of good news about the U.S. economy sent stocks strongly higher Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 82 points despite lingering fear about Europe's debt turmoil.
Relentlessly gloomy reports about the health of the world economy rocked Wall Street on Thursday, stirring more worry about the stalled recovery and sending the stock market to its second-worst decline this year.
While there's no such thing as one home style that fits every buyer, many younger, first-time buyers prefer a home with an open floor plan, plenty of natural light, a modern kitchen and renovated baths. Buyers who also are searching for an affordable first home may find a disconnect between those desires and some of the older homes on the market.
A gauge of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes fell in April from nearly a two-year high in the previous month.
Americans bought more previously owned homes in April, a hopeful sign that the weak housing market gradually is improving.
Stocks are closing mixed after news out of Greece yanked indexes lower shortly before the closing bell.
Moving and selling a house is rarely an easy proposition, but perhaps the hardest scenario is when the owner has lived there for 40 or 50 years and is now unable to live independently because of age or health issues.
On a day that brought both good and bad news about the economy, investors chose to see the glass as half-full.
An index that tracks the number of signed contracts to buy U.S. homes rose to its highest level in nearly two years last month, the latest sign the battered housing market is improving slowly.
