U.S. housing is finally lifting itself off the mat.

The latest evidence came from Home Depot (HD). The world's largest home improvement retailer on Tuesday revealed it experienced a record number of transactions in the last three months. On average, shoppers spent more than at any point since 2006 and sales at stores open for a year or more jumped 6%.

All of that suggests Americans are ramping up spending on efforts to spruce up newly-purchased homes or ones they'd like to sell. While housing might not be back to pre-crisis levels, it's certainly looking a lot healthier.

"We continue to see positive signs in the housing market," Carol Tome, Home Depot's chief financial officer, told analysts during a conference call.

Home Depot is confident enough to upgrade its outlook for the rest of 2015. Investors loved the news, driving Home Depot stock up 3% to all-time highs. It's up 47% over the past year.

So are you ready to move up to a larger home?  Or maybe you're a first-time homebuyer?

Give me a call and let's get on with the quest to find your perfect home!

Ken
951-760-3833
KenAHall@gmail.com

Getting a large home loan at Chase just got a little easier

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The bank is easing the lending requirements for its jumbo mortgages, which tend to be loans in excess of $417,000 in many markets and $625,500 in more expensive areas.

A potential buyer now only needs a credit score of 680 and a 15% down payment to qualify for a maximum loan amount of $3 million for a primary-residence home. Borrowers used to need a 740 score and put 20% down.