The proliferation of services that help homebuyers and sellers complete their own real estate transactions is relatively recent, and it may have you wondering whether using a real estate agent is becoming a relic of a bygone era. While doing the work yourself can save you the significant commission rates many real estate agents command, for many, flying solo may not be the way to go–and could end up being more costly than a realtor’s commission in the long run.

(MCT)—Home prices in large U.S. cities rose sharply in June, marking the fourth consecutive double-digit gain for the nation’s leading home price index. The Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller index for the nation’s biggest 20 cities was up 2.2 percent from May and 12.1 percent over the same month a year earlier. Every city tracked by the measure posted an increase last month, but only six cities saw prices rising faster in June than in the prior month…

Houses are selling faster in America than they have in three and a half years, the height of the homebuyer tax credit, as the recovery continues to roar through the summer months despite predictions the torrid pace of sales will slow. New HousingPulse data show that three key barometers of the health of the housing market—time on market, number of sales offers, and the sales-to-list price ratio—all remained very strong for non-distressed properties in July.

U.S. existing-home sales rose strongly in July, jumping to their highest level in almost four years—with the median price maintaining double-digit year-over-year increases, according to data released yesterday morning by the National Association of REALTORS®. Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 6.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate…

Data released recently by the U.S. Census Bureau in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates that privately-owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 896,000 in July, 6 percent above the upwardly revised June estimate of 846,000 and 21 percent above the July 2012 rate of 741,000. The month-over-month increase in housing starts reflects sizeable gains in multifamily housing.