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housing: It's a Good Time to Buy a Vacation Rental - 11/30/10 02:32 PM
Right now, the languishing housing market offers some lingering upsides for those who have a pot of investment dollars to burn.
Home prices are low, financing is cheap and inventories are bulging.
The planets have aligned over vacation rental acquisitions.
The road's been rocky for real estate in recent years, but that means it's a buyer's market and good time to grab a piece of the American Dream as a solid, long-term investment.
"Vacation homes are almost always a good investment," says vacation rental guru Christine Karpinski, director of Owner Community for HomeAway.com, the global leader in vacation rentals, hosting some 540,000 vacation … (0 comments)
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housing: Active Adult Housing Sector is Stalled - 11/30/10 02:10 PM
Even as members of the baby boomer generation make their way into retirement, the active adult housing sector is stalled.
Builder confidence in the 55+ housing market has been tepid. The National Association of Home Builders studies this effect in the 55+ Housing Market Index, which evaluates markets based on a scale "50" or greater as "good confidence" and less than "50" indicating "poor confidence." Results for the third quarter 2010 weren't stellar, with the index basing its findings on current sales, prospective buyer traffic and anticipated six-month sales.
According to the National Association of Home Builders' Chief Economist, David Crowe, … (1 comments)
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housing: A Housing Analyst's Top 10 Forecasting Tips - 11/29/10 02:43 PM
Keeping track of Canada's volatile housing market hasn't been easy during the last several years. After almost a decade of extremely strong growth, the market took a dive during the recession. In 2009 it roared back and made up everything it had lost, catching most observers by surprise. Then 2010 was a tale of two markets – busy and active during the first half, then dropping into a stable, calmer state in the second half of the year.
Adding to the confusion is that everyone in the housing industry issues monthly reports and forecasts – the local, provincial and … (0 comments)
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housing: Equilibrium Communities Initiative: Your Start Point? - 11/23/10 01:53 PM
In 2009, housing activity, including new home construction, and the sale and renovation of existing homes, contributed C$307 billion to the economy. According to the 2010 Canadian Housing Observer, a publication released by the national housing agency, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), this housing activity was more than one-fifth of Canada's total gross domestic product.
Since housing represents such a significant segment of the national economy, the lack of a national housing policy seems strange, but through CMHC the federal government does keep itself associated with many community-based housing initiatives. By announcing CMHC's involvement in promoting these projects, the federal … (2 comments)
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housing: Mortgage Rates Rise For the First Time in Eight Weeks - 11/22/10 03:21 PM
McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) and the 15-year (FRM) rose dramatically this week, as did the 5-year ARM. The 1-year ARM remained unchanged from the previous week.
30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.39 percent with an average 0.9 point for the week ending November 18, 2010, up from last week when it averaged 4.17 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.83 percent.
15-year FRM this week averaged 3.76 percent with an average 0.7 point, up from last … (1 comments)
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housing: Kitchen Remodeling Trends - 11/16/10 11:49 AM
If you're shopping for a new home, chances are, whether you cook or not, the kitchen is an area of great interest. The bathroom is also likely high on the list to inspect. That's because we spend a lot of time in both of these rooms, socializing and taking care of the, ahem, important stuff.
These two areas of homes are so vital that there's even an association to educate, certify industry professionals, and promote ideas for these rooms. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), founded in 1963 as The American Institute of Kitchen Dealers, has nearly 40,000 … (0 comments)
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housing: Special Homeowner Relief Extended to More 'Hardest Hit' States - 11/05/10 01:59 PM
More qualified homeowners struggling with unemployment or under-employment in additional states have been targeted by two expanded foreclosure-prevention efforts from the Obama administration.
First, from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets (the Hardest Hit Fund), comes $2 billion in additional assistance available for HFA programs for homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments due to unemployment.
Earlier this year the Hardest Hit Fund launched with $1.5 billion going to only five states Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada, where home values have fallen more than 20 percent from peak 2006 and 2007 markets.
… (0 comments)
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housing: Real Estate Outlook: Existing-Home Sales Rise Slightly - 11/05/10 01:41 PM
Are the economy and housing market finally showing marked improvements on the road to recovery?
The National Association of Realtors' latest survey shows that existing-home sales rose again in September, a positive sign that the market is moving in the right direction.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said, "A housing recovery is taking place, but will be choppy at times depending on the duration and impact of a foreclosure moratorium. But the overall direction should be a gradual rising trend in home sales with buyers responding to historically low mortgage interest rates and very favorable affordability conditions."
Helping the market on … (0 comments)
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housing: Assistance For Buyers - 11/04/10 03:06 PM
When it comes time to buy a home, you may need to strap on your thinking cap to come up with some creative ways to boost affordability. This can come in the form of assistance programs, special financing, leasing, and mortgage ideas.
Let's take a moment to explore a few of these options.
The first order of business could be to sit down with your family to see what assistance they'd be happy to offer. You may find that a father or grandmother would be more than happy to co-sign on a loan, or even offer you a loan … (0 comments)
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housing: Social Benefits of Housing - 09/15/10 11:03 AM
Recent research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) outlines the importance of homeownership's relationship with the economy, but of the social benefits it provides.
NAR reports, "The economic benefits of the housing market and homeownership are immense and well documented. The housing sector directly accounted for approximately 14 percent of total economic activity in 2009."
What sorts of social benefits are provided through homeownership?
According to the study entitled, "Effects of Homeownership on Children: The Role of Neighborhood Characteristics and Family Income", teens from households of homeownership have a higher rate of staying in school than … (0 comments)
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housing: Handling Neighborly Disputes - 09/14/10 11:59 AM
It may be difficult to reach amicable decisions when it comes to neighborly disputes, where relationships can be stretched and boundaries pushed if issues are not handled carefully.
When you share a property line with another individual, there will come a time when you will be involved in joint decisions. Should your fence be replaced? Who is responsible for the cracking sidewalk? And can you cut down that overgrown vegetation obstructing your view?
Here are some of the most common causes of neighbor disputes, and how to handle them in a "neighborly" way.
1. Trees: In general terms, you … (1 comments)
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housing: Staging a Photo Ready Home - 09/14/10 11:09 AM
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housing: Your New Construction May Be at a Higher Risk for Growing Mold - 04/03/10 06:49 PM
There are so many pros when it comes to buying a newly constructed home or condo—modern appliances, choosing your own colors, structural integrity—but there is one con that you may not be aware of. Because most new buildings are made primarily with products like drywall and particle board, rather than brick, concrete and plaster (like most older homes), they are more likely to grow mold. And mold can more than just a nuisance, it can be hazardous to your health.
Another contributing factor is that new homes are sealed much better. That is a pro because it means more efficiency with … (1 comments)
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Miro Fitkova
Boston,
MA
More about me…
Fitkova Realty Group
Address: 1318 Beacon St., Suite 16, Brookline, MA, 02446
Office Phone: (617) 232-3220 x 101
Cell Phone: (617) 921-9952
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