Bleak Outlook for Regional Home Prices - 03/31/08 10:01 AM
Two separate housing reports released last week indicate bleak outlook for home values. Data through January 2008, released by Standard & Poor's for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, show declines in the prices of existing single family homes across the United States, with 16 of the 20 reporting metropolitan areas posting … (3 comments)
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How GM Will Save the Housing Market ... According to John McCain - 03/28/08 09:27 AM
The day after Sen. Hillary Clinton delivered a major policy address on the housing crisis, Republican presidential candidate John McCain decided to ratchet up his rhetoric on the issue and toss in his million-dollar idea into the boxing ring. But McCain's proposal lacks the one-two-punch needed to knock out today's housing problems. … (5 comments)
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Mortgage Fraud Scheme: Operation Homewrecker - 03/27/08 09:24 AM
Federal law officials announced the indictments of 19 people Monday in two related California-based foreclosure rescue and equity- stripping schemes, which allegedly netted more than $12 million from over a 100 victims, while cheating them out of their homes.California dreaming The investigation into the housing schemes, which was appropriately coined "Operation … (1 comments)
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Owner Discovers Home Trashed by Boozing Renter - 03/26/08 10:04 AM
To help bring in some extra dough to pay for home amenities and property taxes, I have a couple of friends who have chosen to convert the lower level of their homes into garden apartments and rent them out. They've all shared similar stories of getting the 4 a.m. phone call … (1 comments)
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Homes Sales Up in February...But Don't Pop Open the Bubbly Yet - 03/25/08 12:34 PM
On Monday, after six straight months of falling home sales, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported an unexpected increase in February. But don't break out the bubbly quite yet. Some economists argue that it's still too early to predict a housing turn-around.According to a CNNmoney.com report, though February's pace … (0 comments)
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Getting Rid of Home Odors: Don't Get Snuffed Out of a Sale - 03/24/08 11:37 AM
When a seller is preparing her home for an open house, she usually packs away the clutter, scrubs away stains on the walls and adds some fresh flowers to liven up the ambience. But sometimes not even fresh flowers can help a home when it comes to getting rid of stinky odors. … (4 comments)
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Tiniest Home For Sale - 03/21/08 01:08 PM
Even for the most space-deprived urbanite, this shoebox of a house in Toronto is a bit snug. As one of Toronto's smallest properties, it's squeezed between two towering homes on what used to be a driveway. The 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom hut sits on a parcel of land 7.25 feet wide and 113.67 … (2 comments)
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Is Hillary Clinton's Housing Solution a Fairy Tale? - 03/20/08 10:56 AM
I'm a bit obsessive about issues I care about. Between the Republicans and the Democrats, I watched about 25 presidential debates this campaign season. And as a real estate blogger, I try to pay close attention to what the candidates are saying about the housing crisis, especially because it will be … (5 comments)
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Houseware Show Green with Eco-chic Products - 03/19/08 09:52 AM
On my lunch break yesterday, I stopped in at the 2008 International Home & Housewares Show to see if there were any new gadgets or home accessories worth writing home about. One booth that caught my attention was green-friendly home and garden design company Ecosource. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based company … (5 comments)
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The Wheels on the Foreclosure Bus Go.... - 03/18/08 10:17 AM
February marked the 26th consecutive month with a national year-over-year increase in foreclosure-related filings, according to the latest report from Calif.-based Realty Track Inc. While February foreclosure activity was down 4 percent from the previous month, it remains up 57 percent from the same month a year ago. In addition, … (1 comments)
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Calling All Inmates: Bush wants Lending Industry to Govern Themselves - 03/17/08 09:51 AM
When you break something, you can either do three things: Nothing, replace it, or you can try fixing it yourself. When it comes to fixing one of the worst housing crises in history, it looks like the Bush administration wants the guys who broke it, not to do it again. The … (6 comments)
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Century 21 Gets It - 03/14/08 09:35 AM
About four months ago I wrote a blog about YouTube and its growing popularity among real estate agents across the country as a platform to showcase their stock of homes for sale. With over 40 million visitors a month to the site, YouTube allows home owners to feature their property to … (5 comments)
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The Next Big Mortgage Scam? - 03/13/08 09:29 AM
Some borrowers take out a reverse-mortgage loan to help pay for growing medical expenses.I spend a good amount of the day surfing the Internet looking for interesting and relevant real estate news stories. But on a really good day, without any Web browsing efforts on my part, the stories land right … (4 comments)
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Going Green with Your Grill - 03/12/08 09:30 AM
After getting thrown in the ring and body slammed repeatedly by Mother Nature this winter, I can't begin to tell you how ready I am for spring. With the warm, sun-kissed weather comes my two favorite past times: baseball and barbecuing. I'm no Bobby Flay, but I can grill … (0 comments)
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Countrywide In Trouble … Again - 03/11/08 09:22 AM
Angelo Mozilo is the founder and CEO of Countrywide Financial Corporation.The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the FBI is looking into fraud allegation against Countrywide Financial Corporation. The Calabasas, Calif.-based Countrywide is the nation's largest home lender, responsible for roughly one-fifth of the mortgages in the United States. The … (2 comments)
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Top U.S. Cities See Home Price Declines - 03/10/08 09:38 AM
In last week's housing appreciation blog, I listed 20 metro areas showing home price increases. To keep things balanced, today I've decided to give you a list of 20 cities feeling a little lukewarm when it comes to home appreciation. National home prices tumbled 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, … (2 comments)
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Choosing an Active Adult Community: Don't Buy into the Hype - 03/07/08 11:29 AM
From luxury home developments to active adult communities, new home builders across the country are struggling to get warm bodies into their vacant abodes. During the housing boom, in once thriving markets like California and Florida, people used to camp out on sidewalks along newly developed residential communities just to get … (0 comments)
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Arson in the Name of Green Building - 03/06/08 09:44 AM
Call me old fashion, or a bit too square, but I don't get radical environmental groups. On Monday the New York Times Web site reported that a fire gutted three multimillion-dollar model homes in a Seattle suburb. The acts of arson are believed to have been allegedly sparked by Earth Liberation … (1 comments)
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Is Subprime Fallout Helping Revive Stagflation? - 03/05/08 11:51 AM
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke In a speech to a banking group meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke voiced his concern over the housing market's impact on the country's economy, and advised that "reducing the rate of preventable foreclosures would promote economic stability for households, neighborhoods and … (2 comments)
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End of an Era for Levitt and Sons - 03/04/08 09:10 AM
A post-war Levitt and Sons homeMore than a half century ago, Levitt homes had become synonymous with the notion of middle-class suburbia when the home builders created Levittown, a post-war community of mass-produced housing in New York. Other Levittowns quickly dotted the eastern seaboard in areas throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. … (3 comments)
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Top 20 Metro Areas with Housing Appreciation - 03/03/08 10:00 AM
Wenatchee, WA area ranked number 1 for home appreciation. A new report from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight parallels recent statistics from the U.S. Commerce. Department and the National Association of Realtors, showing declines in housing appreciation.Declines during the fourth quarter of 2007 erased earlier gains, pushing U.S. housing appreciation into … (0 comments)
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