coral springs: Mortgage Guidelines Resume Tightening Nationwide
- 04/30/12 11:40 PM
Despite an improving U.S. economy, the nation's banks remain cautious about what they will lend, and to whom. Last quarter, by a margin of 3-to-2, more banks tightened residential mortgage lending standards for "prime borrowers" than did loosen them. A "prime borrower" is defined as one with a well-documented credit history, high credit scores, and a low debt-to-income ratio. The insight comes from the Federal Reserve's quarterly survey of its member banks. Last quarter, of the 54 responding banks : 0 banks tightened mortgage guidelines considerably 3 banks tightened mortgage guidelines somewhat 49 banks left guidelines basically unchanged 2 banks eased … (0 comments)
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coral springs: How To Clean Your Outdoor Gas Grill In Less Than 30 Minutes
- 04/30/12 12:22 AM
Regardless of your hometown's climate, outdoor gas grill cooking can be a four-season endeavor. Just remember to keep your grill clean. According to Weber's annual GrillWatch Survey, less than 40% of grill owners clean their equipment with any bit of frequency, and 6 percent admit they've never cleaned their grill at all. There are three main reasons to keep a clean grill. The first is that a clean, well-maintained grill will have a longer useful life than a dirty, sloppy one. Grills can be expensive and it's often less costly to maintain them than to replace them. The second reason to … (3 comments)
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coral springs: The Fed Starts A 2-Day Meeting Today. Make A Strategy.
- 04/24/12 02:00 AM
The Federal Open Market Committee begins a 2-day meeting today in the nation's capitol. It's the group's third of 8 scheduled meetings this year. Mortgage rates are expected to change upon the Fed's adjournment. Led by Chairman Ben Bernanke, the FOMC is a 12-person, Federal Reserve sub-committee. The FOMC is the group within the Fed which votes on U.S. monetary policy. "Making monetary policy" can mean a lot of things, and the action for which the FOMC is most well-known is its setting of the Fed Funds Funds. The Fed Funds Rate is the overnight interest rate at which banks borrow … (0 comments)
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coral springs: Nevada Relinquishes "Top Foreclosure State" Title
- 04/19/12 12:28 AM
According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings fell to 199,000 in March 2012, a 17 percent decrease from March 2011. Last month marks the first time since July 2007 that foreclosure filings numbered less than 200,000 on a monthly basis -- a span of nearly 5 years. The generic term "foreclosure filing" is used to group all types of foreclosure activity into a single reading. It includes default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions. As in most months, foreclosure density varied by region. 6 states accounted for more than half of the nation's repossessed homes in March. Florida : 13.6 percent … (1 comments)
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coral springs: Single-Family Housing Starts Slip 0.2% In March
- 04/18/12 12:02 AM
Tuesday, the government released its March 2012 New Residential Construction report. The report is made up of three sections, each related to a phase of the "new home" market. The report's first part is Building Permits; the second is Housing Starts; the third is Housing Completions. Of the three sections, it is Housing Starts that gets the most attention from the press -- mostly because, of the triad, it's the simplest for a layperson to understand. However, the manner in which Housing Starts data is reported can be misleading. Today's newspapers offer up an excellent example. According to the Census Bureau, … (0 comments)
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coral springs: How To Use Newspapers To Kill Garden Weeds
- 04/16/12 12:29 AM
April 22 is Earth Day, a day to raise awareness about, and to celebrate, the Earth's natural environment. It's also a day for people of Parkland & Coral Spring to do something good for the planet. There are lots of ways to help the environment, including by reducing your net electricity usage, by conserving fresh water supplies, and by planting trees. You can also reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides in your home's garden or yard. One such trick is replace chemical-heavy pesticides used for weed killing with your local newspaper instead. Newspapers can be effective in killing weeds, and … (2 comments)
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coral springs: Tax Tips : What To Do With Your Tax Refund
- 04/12/12 02:01 AM
The typical U.S. taxpayer will receive roughly $3,000 in federal income tax refunds this year -- an average of $250 per month. So, what would you do with an extra $250 monthly? This segment from NBC's The Today Show offers some advice. Whether you've already filed your annual taxes for 2011, filed an extension, or will squeak by on the deadline, you could probably be doing more with your taxes. The above video shares some tips. It's four minutes of solid insight on tax refunds, tax withholdings, and reducing your household's overall "bad debt". There's something for everyone. Among the points … (15 comments)
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coral springs: Build Your Own Rain Barrel To Save Money, Environment
- 04/09/12 02:52 AM
According to the EPA, during summer months, lawn and garden watering account for roughly 40% of a typical home's water use. It's a statistic that reminds us how "green lawns" can be wasteful to both the environment and household budgets -- especially with drought conditions expected and water costs rising in many U.S. municipalities. As a homeowner in Parkland or Coral Springs , to help Mother Nature and your wallet, consider added a rain barrel to your home. A rain barrel is a rain-capturing system that collects and stores water runoff from your roof. Often attached to a home's gutter system, … (0 comments)
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coral springs: Fed Minutes Causes Mortgage Rates To Rise Suddenly
- 04/04/12 03:32 AM
The Federal Reserve has released the minutes from its last FOMC meeting, a 1-day affair held March 13, 2012. Mortgage rates in FL are rising on the news. For the un-indoctrinated, 3 weeks after it meets, the Federal Open Market Committee, the sub-group within the Federal Reserve that votes on U.S. monetary policy, publishes its meeting minutes. Similar to the minutes from a corporate event, or condominium association meeting, the Fed Minutes recounts the conversations and debates that transpired throughout the meeting. The Fed Minutes is a lengthy publication, often filling 10 pages or more. By contrast, the more well-known publication … (0 comments)
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coral springs: Spring Cleaning Shortcuts
- 04/02/12 01:56 AM
It's April in Parkland & Coral Springs and warmer weather is coming (Yes, it will get warmer). It's Spring Cleaning season. Do you have a checklist? In some households, spring cleaning is an annual ritual, taking anywhere from a full day to an entire week to complete. Room-by-room, foot-by-foot, dust, dirt and grime are replaced with cleanliness and shine. No matter in which way to you choose to tackle your chores, though, the people at Real Simple have you covered. The magazine's website provides a thorough, detailed walk-through of the most common spring cleaning tasks. It also offers a "shortcut" series. … (2 comments)
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coral springs: Pending Home Sales Index Remains Strong Into Spring
- 03/28/12 03:15 AM
The housing market took a step back in February, but remains near post-recession highs. According to data from the National Association of REALTORS®, February's Pending Home Sales Index slipped 0.5 percent from the month prior, to 96.5. The Pending Home Sales Index is a monthly report which measures the number of homes under contract to sell, but not yet sold, nationwide. The index is benchmarked to a value of 100, the average level of home contract activity in 2001, the first year that pending home sales data was analyzed. It also happened to be a year of historically-high levels of home … (1 comments)
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coral springs: How To Replace Cracked, Dirty Grout
- 03/26/12 12:21 AM
Tile is among the most versatile home surfacing materials. It can be as functional and good-looking on your home's walls as it can be on counter tops, adding a polished look to your kitchen or bathrooms. Tile is also easy-to-clean -- so long as it's well-maintained. Proper tile cleaning is more than just a daily wipe-down. Cleaning tile requires a periodic resealing of the tiles themselves, as well as a re-grout for when the existing grout cracks, or stains. Replacing grout is a job that's low on skill but large on elbow grease. You can hire it out to a handyperson … (0 comments)
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coral springs: Loans For Underwater Homeowners : HARP 2.0 Now Available
- 03/19/12 11:30 PM
The new, revamped HARP program is now available in FL and nationwide. It was officially released Saturday, March 17, 2012 by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. HARP is an acronym. It stands for Home Affordable Refinance Program. HARP is the conforming mortgage loan product meant for "underwater homeowners". Under the HARP program, homeowners in Parkland and Coral Springs and Coconut Creek can get access to today's low mortgage rates despite having little or no equity whatsoever. HARP is expected to reach up to 6 million U.S. homeowners who would otherwise be unable to refinance. HARP is not a new program. It … (0 comments)
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coral springs: How To Store Your Winter Clothes For The Summer Season
- 03/18/12 11:05 PM
As the Parkland and Coral Springs weather turns warmer and the days grow longer, it's time to pack away your winter clothes to make room for spring and summer things -- just make sure to store your cold-weather clothes properly. They'll look better, wear longer, and will be ready to go when winter rolls around again next year. Here's what to do. First, you'll want to launder your winter clothes before you pack them up -- even if they were never worn and/or don't appear to be soiled. Clothes can sometimes have spots or stains that aren't readily visible. Use unscented … (1 comments)
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coral springs: A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (March 13, 2012)
- 03/13/12 09:02 AM
Tuesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. For the fourth consecutive month, the Fed Funds Rate vote was nearly unanimous. Just one FOMC member dissented in the 9-1 vote. The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008. It is expected to remain near-zero through 2014, at least. In its press release, the Federal Reserve noted that the the U.S. economy has "expanded moderately" since the FOMC's January 2012 meeting, adding that growth is occurring despite "strains in the global financial markets" that … (0 comments)
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coral springs: The Fed Meets Today : Protecting Your Housing Payment
- 03/13/12 02:08 AM
The Federal Open Market Committee meets today, its second of 8 scheduled meetings this year. As a home buyer or would-be refinancing household in Parkland FL , get ready for changing mortgage rates. The Federal Open Market Committee is the 12-person sub-committee within the Federal Reserve that votes on the nation's monetary policy. Led by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the FOMC's most prominent role is as steward for the Fed Funds Rate. The Fed has said repeatedly that it intends to keep the Fed Funds Rate near 0.000 for an "extended period of time", through 2014 at least. Unfortunately, this … (0 comments)
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coral springs: How To Remove Soap Scum From Shower Doors
- 03/12/12 12:42 AM
Dirty shower doors can ruin an otherwise sparkling-clean bathroom. The soap scum that accumulates isn't just unsightly; it contains body oils and skin particles that provide for a perfect bacteria breeding ground. Supermarket shelves in Parkland and Coral Springs are filled with bathroom cleaners that promise to cut through soap scum, but the cleansers don't always work and those that do often contain harsh chemicals that can irritate your skin. Cleaning shower doors can be more safe and more pleasant, then, when you use chemical-free household products, many of which you likely have in your kitchen already. White vinegar makes an … (2 comments)
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coral springs: Are You Wasting $471 Per Month On Your Mortgage?
- 03/07/12 12:31 AM
According to Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage rate survey, for 13 straight weeks, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage has held below 4.000% for mortgage applicants willing to pay up to 0.8 discount points plus a full set of closing costs. These are the lowest mortgage rates in history and now -- with a bevy of loan programs for the nation's 11 million "underwater homeowners" including HARP, the FHA Streamline Refinance, and the VA IRRRL -- millions of U.S. homeowners can exploit the current mortgage rate environment. In this 4-minute clip from NBC's The Today Show, you'll learn about today's mortgage market … (0 comments)
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coral springs: Home Affordability Reaches An All-Time High
- 03/06/12 12:11 AM
Home affordability moved higher last quarter, boosted by the lowest mortgage rates in history, a rise in median income, and slow-to-recover home prices throughout FL and the country. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the quarterly Home Opportunity Index read 75.9 in 2011's fourth quarter. More than 3 in 4 homes sold between October-December 2011, in other words, were affordable to households earning the national median income of $64,200. Never in recorded history have U.S. homes been as affordable on a national level. Even on a regional and local level, affordability soared. Affordability was highest in the Midwest; 7 … (0 comments)
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coral springs: How To Keep A Stainless Steel Product Shining
- 03/04/12 10:39 PM
With their sleek, modern look, over the past 10 years, stainless steel appliances have moved from "hot trend" to commonplace. However, as any Parkland and Coral Springs homeowner with stainless steel appliances will tell you, to keep a stainless steel surface free from marks, drips and fingerprints can be a futile exercise. Streaks and smudges will happen -- they can't be avoided. There are tricks, however, for keeping your stainless "shining". You'll need a microfiber cloth and a small bowl, plus some dish detergent, and some WD-40 or furniture polish. First, start with a single teaspoon of dish detergent in a … (2 comments)
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Despite an improving U.S. economy, the nation's banks remain cautious about what they will lend, and to whom. Last quarter, by a margin of 3-to-2, more banks tightened residential mortgage lending standards for "prime borrowers" than did loosen them. A "prime borrower" is defined as one with a well-documented credit history, high credit scores, and a low debt-to-income ratio. The insight comes from the Federal Reserve's quarterly survey of its member banks. Last quarter, of the 54 responding banks : 0 banks tightened mortgage guidelines considerably 3 banks tightened mortgage guidelines somewhat 49 banks left guidelines basically unchanged 2 banks eased … (0 comments)
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