real estate news: Homescape is a Hit at 2008 NAR Conference - 11/13/08 08:58 AM
While we here at Homescape are optimistic about the future of the real estate market across the country, we also recognize that these are trying times.
And in today's challenging market, Homescape has become more committed than ever to providing our customers and consumers with a comprehensive set of online marketing … (0 comments)
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real estate news: Homescape Goes Mobile - 11/07/08 10:56 AM
I'm going home,And when I want to go home, I'm going mobile. Well I'm gonna find a home on wheels, see how it feels,Goin' mobile. Keep me moving...
- The Who, "Going Mobile"
Searching for a home on the go is simple with Homescape's new property listings for smartphones.
There's nothing … (2 comments)
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real estate news: The American Dream - 11/04/08 08:41 AM
Today's election day, and I'm feeling extra patriotic - even without sporting my American flag lapel pin. I got out of bed bright and early this morning to cast my votes for the next president of the United States and other candidates running for office in my area. But I'll keep … (2 comments)
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real estate news: Homescape to Show New Products at NAR - 11/03/08 09:08 AM
This has been a very exciting year for us here at Homescape. From the new, übercool redesign of our home page to the launch of our home buying guides and green property listings, we've worked hard in 2008 to give you a top-notch real estate Web site.
We'll … (3 comments)
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real estate news: New Plan to Help Troubled Home Loans - 10/31/08 09:14 AM
Put away the pitchforks and torches, there may be some help on the way for struggling homeowners. The $700 billion bailout of Wall Street and private banks has been under heavy scrutiny from taxpayers, who say the government has done little or nothing for Main Street Americans on the … (1 comments)
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real estate news: Back to the Future of the Housing Market - 10/30/08 08:49 AM
In the film, "Back to the Future," Marty McFly meets Doc as planned in the parking lot of Twin Pines Mall. Doc presents a DeLorean DMC-12 which he has modified into a time machine. As Marty videotapes, Doc explains the car travels to a programmed date and time upon reaching 88 … (8 comments)
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real estate news: Home Prices Continue Dropping in August - 10/29/08 08:35 AM
The housing market has been slightly uplifted in recent weeks with positive news from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors about increases in new and existing home sales. But don't start celebrating yet. Prices of existing homes in August continue to show broad declines across the … (1 comments)
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real estate news: New Home Sales Up in September - 10/28/08 08:59 AM
As median home prices dropped to the lowest level in four years, many economists appeared pleased that the housing market is beginning to chip away at the inventory glut. The U.S. Commerce Department said Monday that sales of new single-family homes rose by 2.7 percent in September to a … (8 comments)
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real estate news: Home Sales Up in September - 10/27/08 09:19 AM
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported on Friday that existing home sales increased last month as buyers responded to improved housing affordability conditions. Existing sales - which consist of single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops - rose 5.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million units in … (4 comments)
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real estate news: NAR Wants Additional Housing Rescue from Washington - 10/21/08 09:27 AM
From Wall Street to the nation's automotive giants, everyone wants a piece of Congress's $700 billion bailout pie. And last week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) called for housing stimulus legislation that would tap the rescue pot. The stimulus legislation NAR is proposing would include eliminating the repayment of … (3 comments)
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real estate news: Housing Starts Plummet in September - 10/20/08 09:28 AM
Privately owned housing starts fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 817,000 in September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department report on new residential construction. The rate was down 6.3 percent from August's revised reading of 872,000 and 31 percent lower than September 2007. Building permits also sank. … (1 comments)
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real estate news: Pending Home Sales Rise in August - 10/09/08 08:40 AM
A glimmer of good news on the housing front! Pending sales of U.S. resale homes increased 8.8 percent in August compared to the same month last year, the National Association of Realtors reported on Tuesday, rising to the highest level since June 2007.
The index offers an indication … (3 comments)
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real estate news: Will Coldwell Banker's 10 Percent Home Price Reductions Be Enough? - 10/08/08 09:18 AM
When I was down in Orlando, FL, a few months ago visiting my dad, I decided to take a quick jog around his neighborhood. Like many of the newly constructed subdivisions in the Florida area, the streets were dotted with homes, still exposing their naked wood beams and dirt yards. As … (8 comments)
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real estate news: The Bush Administration's $700 Billion Bail Out Plan - 09/24/08 09:12 AM
The Associated Press reported that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke bluntly warned Congress on Tuesday it risks a recession, with higher unemployment and increased home foreclosures, if lawmakers fail to pass the Bush administration's $700 billion plan to bail out the financial industry.
Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee that inaction … (0 comments)
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real estate news: Keeping Agents and Home Owners Safe - 09/23/08 08:43 AM
September 14-20 marked the fifth annual Realtor Safety Week, and with October kicking off Open House Month for many brokerage offices across the country, it's important for agents and home sellers to prepare with some basic safety tips before welcoming strangers into their homes.
Here are some basic and practical safety … (2 comments)
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real estate news: Florida Homes Built on Former Bombing Range - 09/22/08 10:02 AM
Homeowners across the country have been seeing their property values sink with the slumping housing market, but residents in one Florida community have a more explosive reason behind their depreciating home values. According to a Foxnews.com report from the Associated Press, an 8-year-old development in Orlando, FL, was built on a … (0 comments)
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real estate news: Florida Homes Built on Former Bombing Range - 09/22/08 09:53 AM
Homeowners across the country have been seeing their property values sink with the slumping housing market, but residents in one Florida community have a more explosive reason behind their depreciating home values. According to a Foxnews.com report from the Associated Press, an 8-year-old development in Orlando, FL, was built on a … (3 comments)
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real estate news: Top Home Builders Leaving Buyers Satisfied - 09/16/08 03:02 PM
No one is going to argue that we're in a housing slump. Although declining new-home prices and high inventory levels have dented the coffers of some top builders, many of them are still succeeding in improving overall customer satisfaction in 2008, compared with 2007, according to the J.D. Power and Associates … (2 comments)
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real estate news: Foreclosures, Loan Delinquencies Impact the Housing Market - 09/15/08 08:43 AM
For many homeowners helplessly watching their property values take nose dives and housing experts observing the market like hawks, the question on most peoples' minds these days is: Are we close to the bottom of this housing mess yet?
Many industry experts are saying the minute a significant … (1 comments)
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real estate news: Where and Why People Move - 09/12/08 10:20 AM
The United States Census Bureau recently released numbers showing that when most people move, they stay within their own county, and the overwhelming majority remains within their own state.
The Bureau found that between 2006 and 2007, 38.7 million people moved in the U.S. Of that number, 25.2 million stayed in … (4 comments)
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real estate news: What First-Time Home Buyers Really Want - 09/10/08 09:01 AM
For first-time home buyers, one of the driving factors that influences their decision is figuring out if it's more affordable to rent or buy right now. According to a recent Coldwell Banker survey conducted among its brokers, first-time home buyers are primarily concerned with affordability when choosing a new home. However, … (0 comments)
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real estate news: What the Fannie and Freddie Takeover Means for Home Buyers - 09/09/08 09:29 AM
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson helped engineered the government's plan to takeover Fannie and Freddie.
With their hands on about half of all mortgages in the United States, totaling an estimated $5 trillion, lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have a huge impact on swinging the housing pendulum. And … (4 comments)
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real estate news: Cities Where Home Values Expected to Rise - 09/04/08 09:59 AM
Over the last year, news for once-booming housing markets like Las Vegas and Phoenix have had a less-than-rosier outlook. According to data from the National Association of Home Builders, housing starts in Las Vegas are expected to drop by 32 percent in 2008 and actually get worse in 2009, falling an … (1 comments)
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real estate news: Why Real Estate Agents Matter in the Internet Age - 09/03/08 08:32 AM
Are you looking to sell or buy a home and are desperately seeking a helpful real estate agent? You're not alone. A J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Home Buyer/Seller Study released in July found that real estate agents still remain key to customer satisfaction despite the popularity of home … (5 comments)
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real estate news: Cities With Robust Home Equity - 09/02/08 09:39 AM
While a recent report from the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index released last week showed that housing values have dropped by 15.4 percent nationally, there remains a good handful of cities that have retained healthy home-equity values.
Last month Forbes.com named their top five metro areas that showed … (4 comments)
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real estate news: Housing Market on its Way to Recovery? - 08/27/08 09:12 AM
Despite a 15.4 decline in national home prices during the second quarter from the same period a year ago, there are signs of a silver lining in the sky. The rate of single-family home price declines slowed from May to June, according the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index … (4 comments)
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real estate news: Home Prices Down, Foreclosures Up - 08/18/08 12:07 PM
According to the latest National Association of Realtors (NAR) quarterly survey, the increasing number of foreclosure and short sales, which account for about one-third of all real estate transactions, are dragging down the median home price in the United States.
In the second quarter, the median existing single-family home price … (0 comments)
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real estate news: Centex Home Builders Go Green - 08/14/08 08:52 AM
In the sprint to attract new buyers, home builders across the country are finding creative incentives to whet consumer appetites. From tax breaks to free homes, developers are promising everything under the sun to win over new customers. But Dallas-based Centex Home Builders recent launch of their Energy Advantage package will … (9 comments)
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real estate news: NAR's Pending Home Sales Index Rises - 08/13/08 08:46 AM
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the recently passed Housing and Recovery Act of 2008, may just be the spoonful of medicine needed to help remedy the housing market flu.
In their latest forecast on pending home sales, NAR said some improvement is projected for existing-home sales in … (5 comments)
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real estate news: Using Google's Street View to Scope Out Neighborhoods - 08/08/08 12:33 PM
Earlier this year my friend invited me out to a party which was held at a restaurant in the Lakeview neighborhood here in Chicago. While I knew the general area of where the restaurant was located, I was planning on driving and needed to get a better idea of where … (9 comments)
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real estate news: Pulte Homes Offers Tax Credit for Home Buyers - 08/07/08 08:47 AM
With residential construction spending falling for the 15th straight month in June, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, home builders across the country are looking for new ways to get people interested in home buying again.
Pulte Homes, based in Bloomfield Hills, MI, plans to match the $7,500 tax credit … (2 comments)
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real estate news: Tax Credits for Going Green - 08/04/08 10:08 AM
About a few months ago, I attended a seminar at a local park in my neighborhood on how to make your home more energy-efficient. While many people at the meeting were grumbling over the price tags on some of the latest energy-efficient appliances, they were happy to learn … (4 comments)
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real estate news: Home Values Continue to Decline in May - 08/01/08 09:17 AM
For anybody still arguing that the real estate market is bottoming out, it doesn't look like the fat lady is singing just yet. Home prices tumbled by the steepest rate ever in May, according to the lastest report from the Standard & Poor's/Case-Schiller Home Price Index.
Home values have fallen 18.4 … (7 comments)
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real estate news: Extreme Makeover: Foreclosure Edition - 07/31/08 08:58 AM
I'm not going lie, I'm a reality-TV junky. I know there's a fair share of garbage being cranked out by some tasteless Hollywood television producer, but there are a few shows that just tug at your heartstrings and make you believe that there is some good in this world. One of … (6 comments)
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real estate news: Best Cities to Invest in a Home - 07/30/08 09:22 AM
While I have called Chicago my home for the past 10 years, I grew up in the "Lou," or better known as St. Louis by outsiders. So with my allegiance split between the two cities (sorry Redbirds, I'm an official Cubs fan now), it put a smile on my face to … (4 comments)
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real estate news: Famous Jazz Musician's Home Saved from Foreclosure - 07/29/08 08:47 AM
While the recently passed housing-rescue bill will bring some much needed aid to some 400,000 cash-strapped homeowners struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments, the legislation may be too little too late for many others. That is, unless you're a famous jazz vocalist with some prominent friends willing to lend a … (2 comments)
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real estate news: Foreclosure Activity Still Soaring - 07/28/08 09:20 AM
As Congress finally passed its landmark housing-rescue package over the weekend, which aims to help some 400,000 strapped homeowners from losing their homes, foreclosure filings across the country continued to pile up.
During the second quarter of this year, 739,714 homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice, or one in every … (3 comments)
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real estate news: Existing Home Sales Fall in June - 07/25/08 08:57 AM
Home sales continued their downward slide in June, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors. The real estate trade group's latest report indicated a 2.6 percent drop in home sales last month. The continued decline has also depressed home prices, bringing the median price last month … (2 comments)
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real estate news: House Passes Housing Bill - 07/24/08 09:08 AM
While it wouldn't be the first time President George Bush backpedaled on his position on a hotly contested political issue, Democrats in Congress this time around are welcoming his change of heart.
The Associated Press reported that "President Bush dropped his opposition Wednesday to legislation aiming to calm the chaotic housing … (0 comments)
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real estate news: Craigslist Real Estate Scammers Charged in New York - 07/23/08 09:10 AM
About a month ago, fellow Homescape blogger Frank Schulte-Ladbeck, wrote a great post alerting our readers about real estate and apartment scams on Craigslist.org, the popular classified advertising Web site. While the Internet can be an easy breeding ground for scammers, law officials across the country have started to aggressively … (2 comments)
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real estate news: Most Walkable Places to Live - 07/21/08 09:38 AM
Walk Score, a relatively new civic-minded Web site, recently ranked 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help people find the most walkable places to live.
Walk Score helps you calculate the "walkability" of a certain address. A score of 90 to 100 is considered a Walkers' Paradise, where … (7 comments)
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real estate news: Home Listing Photos: Quanity vs. Quality - 07/17/08 09:10 AM
I spend a good amount of my day looking at various photos of homes listed on Homescape.com. From luxury abodes to foreclosed properties, what I've determined is that some agents just don't get it when it comes to marketing their client's properties. One of the most important tool an agent can … (18 comments)
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real estate news: Best Small Cities to Live in 2008 - 07/16/08 09:18 AM
From affordable housing to low crime rates, great job diversity and the best schools in the nation, CNNMoney.com recently ranked the top 100 small cities to live in 2008. You won't be finding big name metropolises like New York and Chicago on this best-of list. The news site analyzed the nation's … (3 comments)
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real estate news: Government Bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - 07/15/08 09:36 AM
With their hands on about 50 percent of all mortgages in the United States at an estimated $5 trillion, lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have a huge impact on swinging the housing pendulum. The Federal National Mortgage Association, nicknamed Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, or … (6 comments)
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real estate news: Population Growth in New Orleans - 07/14/08 10:18 AM
Looks like good times are coming back to the Big Easy. New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was the fastest-growing large city in the nation between July 2006 and July 2007, according to a new report released by the U.S. Census Bureau. This follows the city having the largest … (3 comments)
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real estate news: Foreclosure Activity Decreases in June - 07/11/08 09:03 AM
RealtyTrac, an online company that tracks foreclosure filings, default notices, bank repossessions and auction sale notices nationwide, recently reported a 3 percent decrease in foreclosure activity from May to June. But the recent findings might not yet be a sign of a market turnaround. Nationwide, 252,363 homes received at least … (1 comments)
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real estate news: Report Finds Nationwide Price Declines Possibly Slowing - 07/10/08 08:53 AM
A recent report published by Altos Research, which measures current real estate data in major markets around the country, shows that Las Vegas is the weakest U.S. housing market, with real estate prices down 3.6 percent in June. Denver's housing market showed the strongest growth among major metropolitan areas, enjoying … (4 comments)
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real estate news: New Fed Rules to Protect Future Home Buyers - 07/09/08 09:07 AM
It looks like big papa Ben Bernanke is ready to put the lending industry in the time-out corner. According to an Associated Press report, "in an effort to prevent a repeat of the current mortgage mess, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that the Fed will next week issue … (8 comments)
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real estate news: Top Cities for Retirees to Buy a Home - 07/08/08 11:09 AM
Fortune magazine recently named six cities where real estate deals are looking attractive for financial-savvy retirees. With inventory high and prices continuing to plunge, active adults looking for their retirement dream home may be in luck in finding discount deals that didn't exist during the housing boom of yesteryear. Sun-filled cities … (7 comments)
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real estate news: Manhattan Feels the Housing Crunch - 07/07/08 09:00 AM
When I attended a real estate conference earlier this year in New York City, I remember many industry experts and local Realtors talking about how the Big Apple had weathered the storm after the housing bubble burst. At the time, some said Manhattan's high-priced dwellings made it difficult for unqualified buyers … (0 comments)
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real estate news: Best Cities to Build Wealth and Raise a Family - 07/03/08 09:32 AM
When I graduated college, many of my friends packed up a moving van and headed to big cities. From New York City to Los Angeles to Washington, DC, they crammed into their tiny new apartments and started their post-collegiate careers. Now six years later, and a few job changes along the … (6 comments)
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real estate news: Historic Homes for the Golden-Age Aficionados - 07/02/08 09:33 AM
I'm a throwback kind of gal, and nothing tickles my fancy more than visiting gorgeous historic homes. From an elaborately ornamental Queen Anne to a classic Greek Revival, golden-age architecture boasts features that are intricate, bold and elegant.
With some assistance from the historic-housing experts at PreservationDirectory.com, the editors from This … (1 comments)
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real estate news: Florida Woman Puts House, Love Life on the Market - 07/01/08 08:51 AM
This 2,000 square-foot-West Palm Beach property comes with a single, tall, blonde woman looking for love.
I've seen a lot of crazy marketing gimmicks this year when it comes to desperate home sellers trying to unload their properties. One man in Wisconsin offered the title to his $500,000 life insurance … (6 comments)
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real estate news: Housing Aid Bill Could Pass the Senate - 06/30/08 09:11 AM
With consumer confidence at its lowest levels in 16 years and new reports that the housing market is continuing its downward spiral, politicians in Washington have been eager to clip on their capes and rescue the floundering market. By a vote of 83 to 9, the Senate agreed to end debate … (6 comments)
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real estate news: Countrywide Gets Smacked with Lawsuits - 06/27/08 10:52 AM
The attorneys general of Illinois and California both filed lawsuits on Wednesday against lending giant Countrywide. The lawsuits allege a wide range of suspect dealings with customers, which led to spiking foreclosures. The Illinois suit, filed in Cook County Court, names the company and CEO Angelo Mozilo; the California lawsuit, filed … (13 comments)
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real estate news: Home Prices Plunge in April - 06/26/08 01:48 PM
The S&P/Case-Schiller index, the closely watched barometer of home prices, showed prices in 20 major cities declined a record 15.3 percent in April, compared with April 2007 - essentially rolling prices back to 2004 levels. In a separate report from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, which oversees … (0 comments)
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real estate news: NFL Player Adam 'Pacman' Jones Files for Foreclosure - 06/25/08 09:43 AM
NFL bad boy Adam "Pacman" Jones ain't no Ed McMahon, but the two have a little more in common these days then they'd like to admit. The recently signed Dallas Cowboy cornerback joins the infamous list of celebs hit with foreclosure notices this year. I recently blogged about the housing woes … (8 comments)
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real estate news: Pedestrian-Friendly Neighborhoods Cut Down Gas Cost - 06/24/08 09:15 AM
The housing market meltdown, along with the energy crisis, have many people rethinking where they're going to buy their next home. Recently a segment on ABC News "Good Morning America" reported that U.S. suburbs are slowly loosing residents due to high gas costs and home-value depreciations in certain neighborhoods.
As a … (7 comments)
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real estate news: Home Builder's Giving Away Homes, Literally - 06/19/08 08:55 AM
When my best friend moved away to San Diego five years ago, I thought she was crazy. There's no subway system, the cost of living is ridiculous, and on top of that, she's deathly afraid of stepping into the ocean. When I finally went to visit her, I could understand why … (3 comments)
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real estate news: NAR Reports Home Sales Up, But Prices Expected to Fall - 06/12/08 09:04 AM
After unprecedented home-price declines in the first half of the year, many markets can anticipate stabilizing price trends in the second half, according to report released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on Monday. The number of homes under contract to be sold rose unexpectedly in April, as … (6 comments)
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