remax: Credit Card Perks Worth Knowing
- 12/16/09 11:28 PM
Credit Card Perks Worth Knowing By Gregory Karp RISMEDIA, December 15, 2009-(MCT)-Credit cards can lead to a holiday debt hangover. And with card companies cutting credit lines, adding fees and raising interest rates lately, they haven't made many new friends among consumers. But for savvy consumers, credit cards have advantages over other payment forms. Here are a few reasons to use a credit card for your last-minute holiday purchases (check details and restrictions of these perks with your card issuer): -Safety. Credit cards offer the most consumer protections, whether you shop in person or online. By federal law, cardholders are liable … (1 comments)
remax: Check Out NAR's New Consumer Website
- 12/12/09 01:06 AM
HouseLogic, NAR's new consumer website, offers everything homeowners need to increase, maintain and protect the value of their home. The site provides free information and tools to help homeowners with home improvements, maintenance projects, taxes, finances, insurance, and even community involvement. HouseLogic helps consumers make confident decisions about what is often their largest investment - their home. HouseLogic allows you, the REALTOR®, to: · Keep in touch with your clients and customers: HouseLogic offers a free source of ready-to-use content, through its REALTOR® Content Resource (RCR). The RCR contains top-quality content for your Web sites, blogs, and newsletters. Easily integrate … (2 comments)
For the first time in more than a year, the Triangle residential market made a monthly gain in the number of homes sold, with 17.6 percent more homes sold during October compared to the year prior, Market watchers say the data signifies a major turning point in the local housing economy. In the Triangle, 2,009 homes were sold in October compared to 1,709 homes sold the same month the year prior, according to Triangle Multiple Listing Service. Triangle MLS tracks new and existing … (1 comments)
remax: Pending Home Sales Rise 6.1% in September
- 11/16/09 10:46 PM
Pending Home Sales Rise 6.1% in September By Ken Sweet FOXBusiness The number of contracts signed for home purchases jumped for the eighth consecutive month in September, the National Association of Realtors said Monday, as home buyers moved quickly to take advantage of the first-time home buyer’s tax credit. According to NAR, the industry group’s pending home sales index rose 6.1% in September, compared with the 0.1% fall in the index that economists were expecting. Pending home sale activity is now 21.2% higher than it was a year ago, NAR said, making it the largest annual increase in pending home sales … (0 comments)
remax: Expanded Version of Tax Credit Will Allow More Homebuyers to Qualify
- 11/08/09 10:32 PM
Expanded Version of Tax Credit Will Allow More Homebuyers to Qualify RISMEDIA, November 9, 2009-President Obama recently signed an expanded version of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit that was set to expire on November 30. "The new version of the tax credit has the potential to stimulate the housing market even more than the old version due to the fact that more people will qualify under the new rules," said Gibran Nicholas, Chairman of the CMPS Institute, an organization that certifies mortgage bankers and brokers. "Although the tax credit remains at $8,000 for homebuyers that have not owned a primary residence … (0 comments)
remax: It's All In The Numbers
- 10/23/09 01:29 AM
It Is All In The Numbers by Cliff Hockley "The biggest mistake many investors make is to ignore the numbers generated by their properties." Financial statements. Let's start with financial statements, or lack of them. Many real estate investors only track the results of their real estate investments at tax time. Instead investors should be reviewing their results by reading their financials on a monthly basis, or at a minimum on a quarterly basis. I have been working with a client who always files an extension. He really never pays attention to his financial information, because it is always six … (1 comments)
remax: 9 Ways to Stay Safe Online and Protect Your Privacy
- 09/16/09 10:46 PM
9 Ways to Stay Safe Online and Protect Your Privacy By Nerissa Sardi RISMEDIA, September 17, 2009-Nearly everyone is using the Internet these days to find information or connect with others. But surfing the Web can still sometimes feel like the Wild West. Despite technological advances to help reduce the risk of identity theft, becoming the victim of an Internet scam or having your privacy invaded is a persistent threat. And, as a number of recent incidents involving social networking websites have shown us, it can even be fatal. Keeping your guard up is essential to avoid trouble on the Internet. … (1 comments)
remax: RE/MAX International Partners with iQual
- 09/14/09 11:52 PM
RISMEDIA, September 15, 2009-RE/MAX International, Inc. recently announced a partnership with California-based iQual Corporation whose flagship product, the ApprovalGUARDTM Service, is designed to help consumers understand and manage their credit profile. The terms of the partnership will allow RE/MAX to provide consumer credit information and articles written by professional credit experts on real estate website remax.com. "Consumers have always found it difficult to understand their own credit, but in today's market many are also finding it harder to qualify for credit, and are looking for resources to help them proactively manage their personal credit profile," said Marnie Blanco, Vice President … (2 comments)
remax: Homebuyers cashing in $8,000 tax credits
- 09/09/09 09:35 AM
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Hundreds of thousands of first-time homebuyers across the country have begun to claim their tax credits, according to new government data released on Friday. So far, nearly 315,000 people have claimed the tax credit after filing an amended 2008 tax return, according to a Treasury Department report on the status of the Recovery Act. California led all states with 42,304 claimed credits. Eligible first-time homebuyers can claim the credit of up to $8,000 -- or 10% of the home's value, whichever is less -- on either an amended 2008 return or on their 2009 return. Treasury's figures … (0 comments)
remax: Pending Home Sales on a Roll, Up for Sixth Straight Month
- 09/02/09 01:59 AM
RISMEDIA, September 2, 2009-Contract activity for pending home sales has risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen in the history of the index since it began in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in July, increased 3.2% to 97.6 from a reading of 94.6 in June, and is 12.0% higher than July 2008 when it was 87.1.The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it was 100.7. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the … (1 comments)
remax: 'The Housing Market Has Decisively Turned for the Better'
- 08/25/09 03:28 AM
For the first time in five years, existing-home sales have increased for four months in a row, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Existing-home sales - including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops - rose 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.24 million units in July from a level of 4.89 million in June, and are 5.0 percent above the 4.99 million-unit pace in July 2008. The last time sales rose for four consecutive months was in June 2004, and the last time sales were higher than a year earlier was November 2005. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, … (0 comments)
remax: Beware of 8 Spots Where Germs Lurk in Your Home
- 08/21/09 02:11 AM
Beware of 8 Spots Where Germs Lurk in Your Home By Vanessa McMains RISMEDIA, August 20, 2009-(MCT)-Wash your hands. That's a common mantra-and a worthy one-as the H1N1 flu continues to spread around the globe. But all the hand-washing in the world may not be a match for the germs and viruses lurking on household surfaces. "There is a big appreciation for influenza that you can get it from your hands, but a lack of appreciation that viruses can be picked up on surfaces," said John Oxford, who heads the Hygiene Council and is a professor of virology at St. Bartholomew's … (2 comments)
remax: Stock Market Rallies With Good News About Home Sales!
- 07/24/09 02:24 AM
At times I feel like a broken record - our market is different, we haven't been like the rest of the country, we are seeing houses sell, etc. It looks like other areas are beginning to experience what we are experiencing here in Raleigh, North Carolina. In a recent article on MSNBC it was reported that existing home sales are up 3 months in a row - check it out here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32104105/ns/business-real_estate/from/ET. I am not sure if other markets are experiencing the number of multiple contract situations that we are facing in the lower and middle price ranges, but we will find out. However, … (0 comments)
remax: Agents, Don't Get Caught in This Time Trap!
- 07/23/09 08:26 AM
Just when you thought you knew the business and what is happening in the business, a new regulation gets implemented that very few agents are aware of and that will impact our business. The Housing and Economic Recovery Act (H.E.R.A.) requires that lenders provide the borrower with a Truth-in-Lending statement (nothing new) and that the borrower has 3 days to review it and no fees (other than credit report) can be collected from the borrower until the review period is over. Assuming the lender sends this out immediately, 3 days are allowed for mail and 3 days are allowed for review, … (3 comments)
remax: First-Time Home Buyers Eager to Reap Tax Credit Benefits, but Unsure of Details
- 07/22/09 03:38 AM
RISMEDIA, July 22, 2009-The federal tax credit for first-time home buyers is now half way to its Dec. 1, 2009, expiration date, and it seems fair to ask just how much it is helping real estate markets. The RE/MAX network in northern Illinois did just that, interviewing 40 RE/MAX agents from across the region about how the tax credit is impacting the first-time buyers with whom they work. "The overall conclusions we draw from the survey are twofold," said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX northern Illinois real estate network. "First, buyers are generally aware of the fact that there is … (0 comments)
Our Floundering real estate recovery has a deadly new threat. As if the economic crisis and the woes of the financial and mortgage lending industries hadn't already taken enough prisoners, now the government imposed regulation of the Appraisal industry will wreak further havoc on the fragile real estate market throughout the US.
Effective May 1, 2009 the HVCC guidelines began to govern the process of appraising property for the purpose of a mortgage. HVCC or the Home Valuation Code of Conduct requires in many instances that an appraisal is ordered through an AMC or Appraisal Management … (0 comments)
remax: Home Sales Edge Higher Across the Nation
- 06/01/09 12:30 AM
Print Article RISMEDIA, June 1, 2009-RE/MAX Monthly Housing Report, a survey of 55 metro areas across the country found that April sales of residential properties were up an average of 6.3% from March, and up 4.7% from April, 2008. The report shows that for the last six months home prices have been 20% to 24% below the previous year. April's median home price was $182,913, down 0.7% from March, but still down 21.9% from April, 2008. An impressive 44 metropolitan areas experienced a monthly increase in sales, with 16 metros experiencing double digit increases. The largest annual increase in residential … (0 comments)
Credit Card Perks Worth Knowing
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