How do you stack up as a potential mortgage candidate in this year’s increasingly tough underwriting environment? Do you have the right stuff – credit score, debt-to-income ratio, equity or down payment – to get you through the minefield? more

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes climbed in April to the highest level in more than three years even as the market remained constrained by a lack of inventory and strict borrowing rules. more

As of March 31, more than 2,000 homeowners in Rhode Island have received some type of relief through the National Mortgage Settlement, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced Tuesday. more

Here’s a heads-up for the growing ranks of seniors whose post-retirement monthly incomes aren’t sufficient to qualify for a mortgage under today’s tough underwriting standards: Thanks to a rule change by the largest players in the home-loan business, you may be able to use imputed income from your 401(k), IRA and other retirement assets to qualify for the loan you want. 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

Rhode Island single-family home sales rose 7 percent in April compared with the same period last year, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors said Thursday. more

Julie Longtin, owner of RE/MAX Cityside, was recently named a 2012 CoStar Power Broker by CoStar Group. Longtin qualified as one of the top commercial brokers in Providence based on the total sales transactions she closed during the year, which include multimillion-dollar transactions of multiple real estate portfolios located on the East Side and West End of Providence. These portfolios consisted of 67 apartment rental units, three parking lots and two vacant lots. Longtin was evaluated against other commercial real estate brokers active in the region by CoStar Group. more

BOSTON – As part of $563 million set aside by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Narragansett Indian Tribe has received a grant of $499,110 to support efforts to maintain … more

The number of homes in Rhode Island with underwater mortgages increased to 25.8 percent during the first quarter of 2013, CoreLogic reported Wednesday. more

Rhode Island single-family home sales rose 15 percent in May compared with the same period last year, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors said Thursday. more