31 January 2007 18:00
1st-Quarter Home Prices Rise, but at Slower Pace
U.S. home prices continued to rise in the first quarter of the year, but in another sign of a cooling market the pace slowed from the last quarter of 2005, according to a report released yesterday. Home prices nationally were 12.5 percent higher in the...
Bubble Trouble? What to make of all the real estate trend news
It's springtime and real estate analysts are busy crunching numbers and spitting out prognostications at terrific speed. Open the paper or switch on the TV news or a radio talk show, and chances are you're going to encounter something about t...
30-year mortgages reach 6.67%
Mortgage rates rose again this week on worries about what the Federal Reserve will do next. One-year adjustable-rate mortgages hit the highest level in nearly five years. (Read More) Source: Baltimore Sun Tags: Home Buying, Home Selling, Mortgages, Mor...
What if you could close without so much paper?
Barriers, doubts remain, but more work of the common closing is being done electronically, and the trend is only growing. These days, you can use a computer to order an entire wardrobe without trying on clothes first. You could earn a college degree wi...
Tax credit can help put home ownership in reach
Mel Schuckenbrock always said that if he bought a house in Washington, it would have to have a view of Mount Rainier. In 1987, after looking at more than a dozen homes that just weren't right, Schuckenbrock found the perfect three-bedroom rambler ...
Younger Buyers Want Better, Not Bigger
A new generation of home buyers is thinking smaller. After their marriage nearly four years ago, Kathryn and Dan Drury decided to move out of their condominium in an Atlanta suburb and build a house. It was "the kind you think you're supposed...
Longer mortgages leave borrowers chipping away for 50 years
Those struggling to afford a home may be wondering how long their mortgage payments can be stretched out. The answer: half a century. A few lenders have begun offering 50-year adjustable-rate loans to buyers who need to keep payments low in the face of...
The Hunt: It's No Fun if You Can't Negotiate
It is important to know when to insist and when to cave. In law school, Alexander Greenberg won a negotiating competition. Did his skill help when it came to negotiating for a New York apartment for himself and his fiancée, Victoria Bronstein? "I...
Market Action Slips Away From Coasts
Could the real estate action be shifting to the heartland, the vast swath of middle America that wasn't really touched by the hyperinflationary housing boom? (Read More) Source: Washington Post
Schemers Beware: The Capital Gains Tax Man Is Not Easily Fooled
Q: My husband and I have owned our home for more than five years. We purchased it at $460,000, and find its value today is around $960,000, putting us at the $500,000 gain mark. We are not interested in moving to a different home now, but likely will w...
Bubble Trouble? What to make of all the real estate trend news
It's springtime and real estate analysts are busy crunching numbers and spitting out prognostications at terrific speed. Open the paper or switch on the TV news or a radio talk show, and chances are you're going to encounter something ab...
Mortgage rates near 4-year high
Rates on 30-year mortgages climbed this week for the eighth time in the past nine weeks, hitting the highest level in nearly four years. (Read More) Source: Baltimore Sun
Sales of New Homes Rose Unexpected 4.9% in April
Sales of new homes rose unexpectedly in April to the fastest pace this year as the housing sector showed resilience in the face of rising mortgage rates. The price of homes sold last month edged up only slightly, however, and the level of unsold homes ...
Fannie Mae must pay a fine of $400 million
Report blames executives, board in accounting scandal Fannie Mae's federal regulator said yesterday that the company's executives and board of directors were to blame for the accounting scandal that rocked the big mortgage company and said th...
The promises of a time-share seldom pan out
I was washing dishes one rainy evening when the phone rang. "You have won a four-day vacation for two at a resort in Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas and Las Vegas," an automated voice said. "To confirm your prize, press 1." I've grown i...
Realtors Crowd Conference in Search of an Edge
The housing market may be cooling, but that didn't put a crimp in the goings-on last week at the National Association of Realtors' legislative convention and trade show. (Read More) Source: Washington Post
Housing futures market opens doors
You can protect yourself against stock market losses, you can get a warranty on many big-ticket items, and you can insure yourself against all sorts of unforeseen events.But you can't do anything to protect yourself if the value falls on one of yo...
Mexico real estate: Buy at your own risk
Doug and Dru Davis sold their San Diego County home several years ago to buy a $200,000 house on the beach. The value of their new place… (Read More) Source: The Seattle Times: Real Estate
Tips can help those buying that first home
Buying a home for the first time can be scary, but as with anything else in life, the right preparation can bring about good results. Remember: The right home for you is one you want and can afford. Here are some tips for first-time buyers: Ask yoursel...
Web Credit Scores Don't Equal FICO Accuracy
Is it a FICO score or a Fake-O? Mortgage brokers and lenders say it happens all the time: A mortgage applicant says, "Oh, I've already checked my credit score online." Then the loan officer pulls the home buyer's FICO score and find...
'Wet' and 'Dry' Settlements, and the Law
Q: My wife and I recently bought a house, which coincided with the sale of our townhouse. I have a real estate license and functioned as the seller's agent. When we went to settlement, we encountered multiple problems stemming from the settlement ...
Housing Cool-Down Is 'Orderly,' Fed Chief Says
Confirming what home buyers suspected and real estate sales figures have indicated for months, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said yesterday that the U.S. housing market was showing clear signs of cooling off. (Read More) Source: Washington P...
Rate on 30-year loans hits 6.6%
Rates on 30-year mortgages climbed this week to their highest point in nearly four years, helping take the exuberance out of the housing market. (Read More) Source: Baltimore Sun
Cooling Market Lifts Lid On Old Debate
Open Houses See a Resurgence, But Their Effectiveness in Luring Serious Buyers Remains in Question Silver Spring residents Mike and Susan Heney are becoming old pros at going to open houses. Over the past three weekends, the couple have trooped to more...
Rent or Buy? Decision Depends on Geography, Finances and Lifestyle.
Jim Sweeney, a computer database administrator and self-proclaimed "numbers guy," watched the value of his Arlington condo double in three years and made his move: He cashed in and went back to renting. Around the same time last year, Karen M...
