heron bay: Existing Home Sales Jump; Home Supplies Falling
- 09/27/11 02:40 AM
Existing Home Sales Jump; Home Supplies Falling
Are home resales rebounding?
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, Existing Home Sales rose 8 percent in August from the month prior, and 19 percent as compared to August of last year.
“Existing homes” are homes that are previously owned; ones that cannot be considered new construction.
A total of 5.0 million existing homes were sold last month on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis. This is slightly better than the 12-month home resale average, a statistic partially powered by “distressed sales”. Distressed homes — homes in various stages of foreclosures or sold via … (0 comments)
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heron bay: How To Clean Your Home Gutters
- 09/26/11 03:01 AM
How To Clean Your Home Gutters
With the change of season, it’s a good time to make sure your home’s gutter system is clean and well-functioning.
Home gutters serve a specific purpose. By capturing and funneling rainwater away from a home “footprint”, water damage to walls, windows and roofing can be minimized. A well-functioning gutter system can keep a home’s yard from flooding, and a foundation safe from long-term structural damage.
Damaged or dirty gutters can lead to major home damage that may not be covered by insurance.
For homeowners in Parkland FL, keeping clean gutters is essential. Luckily, with the … (1 comments)
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heron bay: The Fed Adjourns At 2:15 PM ET Today : What It Means For Mortgage Rates
- 09/21/11 10:28 AM
The Fed Adjourns At 2:15 PM ET Today : What It Means For Mortgage Rates
The Federal Open Market Committee adjourns from a two-day, scheduled meeting today, the sixth of 8 scheduled meetings this year, and the seventh Fed meeting overall.
The FOMC is a designated, 12-person committee within the Federal Reserve, led by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. The FOMC is the voting members for the country’s monetary policy. Among its other responsibilities, the FOMC sets the Fed Funds Rate, the overnight rate at which banks borrow money from each other.
Note that the “Fed Funds Rate” is different from … (0 comments)
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heron bay: Improve Your Home’s Air Quality
- 09/19/11 05:08 AM
Improve Your Home’s Air Quality How healthy is the air in your home?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a common class of airborne toxins known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is ruining indoor air quality, and causing some U.S. homeowners to become dizzy, asthmatic, and ill.
VOCs are gases emitted by certain, common household products, including paint and paint strippers, cleaning supplies, and copiers and printers — even when the aforementioned products aren’t in use. You can find VOCs “everywhere” because organic chemical compounds have become essential in everyday life.
VOCs are what give cars that “new car smell”. … (0 comments)
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heron bay: Choosing A 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Over A 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage
- 09/16/11 06:09 AM
Choosing A 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Over A 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage
It’s not just 30-year fixed rate mortgages that are posting all-time lows these days. The 15-year mortgage has been plunging, too.
If you’ve ever considered a 15-year loan term, it’s a terrific time to talk to your lender. According to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage rate survey of roughly 125 U.S. lenders, at 3.30 percent, the 15-year fixed rate mortgage is at its lowest point in history.
The 3.30% rate doesn’t come for free, however. Based on average loan term nationwide, borrowers in FL choosing to “go 15″ should … (0 comments)
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heron bay: Annual Foreclosure Filings Down For 11th Straight Month
- 09/15/11 05:48 AM
Annual Foreclosure Filings Down For 11th Straight Month
On an annual basis, foreclosure filings fell last month. As compared to August 2010, last month’s foreclosure filings dropped 33 percent. ”Foreclosure filing” is a catch-all term, comprising default notices; scheduled auctions; and bank repossessions.
The study was published by foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac and this month’s report reveals a slowing rate of foreclosure within each of the Top 10 most foreclosure-heavy states.
All news is not good, however.
On a monthly basis, foreclosure filings spiked, led by a surge in default notices. Default notices made their biggest one-month jump since August 2007 on the … (1 comments)
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heron bay: Everyone Lives In A Flood Zone. Are You Covered?
- 09/12/11 03:45 AM
Everyone Lives In A Flood Zone. Are You Covered? Everyone lives in a flood zone. Flooding is the top-ranked natural disaster in the United States, with a dozen potential causes ranging from heavy rains, tropical storms and hurricanes to new housing developments and rain after fire. Floods can occur in all 50 states and, when they do, they leave massive damage in their wake.
Flood damages exceed $2.7 billion annually.
As a homeowner, you carry homeowners insurance to protect against theft and loss. Typical homeowners insurance, however, excludes damages from flooding. Homeowners in Coral Springs, Parkland & Boca Raton , therefore, … (0 comments)
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heron bay: Home Affordability Still Tops Nationwide
- 09/09/11 03:51 AM
Home Affordability Still Tops Nationwide Home affordability slipped slightly last quarter, dragged down by rising mortgage rates and recovering home prices in South Florida and nationwide.
The National Association of Home Builders reports a Q2 2011 Home Opportunity Index reading of 72.6. This means that nearly 3 of 4 homes sold last quarter were affordable to households earning the national median income of $64,200.
Home Affordability Still Tops Nationwide
Q2 2011 marks the 10th straight quarter — dating back to 2009 — in which the index surpassed 70.
Prior to 2009, the index had never crossed 70 even one time.
However, … (0 comments)
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heron bay: After A Pause, Mortgage Guidelines Resume Tightening
- 09/08/11 03:22 AM
After A Pause, Mortgage Guidelines Resume Tightening Mortgage guidelines appear to be tightening with the nation’s largest banks.
In its quarterly survey to senior loan officers nationwide, the Federal Reserve uncovered that a small, but growing, portion of its member banks is making mortgage approvals more scarce for “prime” borrowers.
A prime borrower is described as one with a well-documented payment history, high credit scores, and a low monthly debt-to-income ratio.
Of the 53 responding “big banks”, 3 reported that mortgage guidelines “tightened somewhat” last quarter. This is a tick higher as compared to prior quarters in which only 2 banks … (0 comments)
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heron bay: How To Rotate Your Bedroom Mattress
- 09/06/11 02:53 AM
How To Rotate Your Bedroom Mattress With the change of seasons, it’s a good reminder to rotate your bedrooms’ mattresses. Most brand manufacturers recommend a semi-annual “flip”, at least.
Mattress manufacturers recommend a mattress flip because, over time, mattresses can wear unevenly, the result of sleeping in the same position each night, or applying too much continuous pressure to one area of the mattress.
By the time your mattress shows signs of “sag” or imprints, it’s often too late.
Rotating a mattress is exactly what it sounds like; it’s pivoting your mattress on its axis — either horizontal, vertical, or both … (0 comments)
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heron bay: Home Values Rose In June 2011 - Parkland Homes
- 09/02/11 03:49 AM
Home Values Rose In June 2011
Has housing turned the corner for good?
The June 2011 Case-Shiller Index reading posted strong numbers across the board, with each of the index’s 20 tracked markets showing home price improvement from May.
Some markets — Chicago and Minneapolis — rose as much as 3.2 percent.
Home Values Rose In June 2011 - Parkland Homes
The rise in values is nothing about which to get overly excited, however. The Case-Shiller Index is just re-reporting what multiple data sets have already shown about the summer housing market; that it was stronger than the spring market, and … (0 comments)
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heron bay: With The Jobs Report Looming, Mortgage Rates May Rise
- 09/01/11 02:43 AM
With The Jobs Report Looming, Mortgage Rates May Rise
If you’re shopping for a mortgage rate, today may be a good day to lock one down. That’s because Friday morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its Non-Farm Payrolls report for August 2011.
The “jobs report” tends to have a big influence on mortgage bonds and mortgage rates in Parkland FL.
With The Jobs Report Looming, Mortgage Rates May Rise
The jobs report is a monthly issuance, providing sector-by-sector analysis of the U.S. workforce. It also report the national Unemployment Rate.
Wall Street expects the August Non-Farm Payrolls data to … (1 comments)
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heron bay: Fed Minutes : Fed Considered Additional Stimulus In August
- 08/31/11 02:31 AM
Fed Minutes : Fed Considered Additional Stimulus In August
The Fed publishes meeting minutes 8 times annually – three weeks after each scheduled Federal Open Market Committee get-together. The Fed Minutes summarizes the FOMC meeting.
The Federal Reserve released the minutes from its August 9, 2011 Federal Open Market Committee meeting Tuesday.
The Fed Minutes contained no surprises and, as a result, mortgage rates across South Florida and nationwide have idled.
Fed Minutes : Fed Considered Additional Stimulus In August
Although it gets less press attention, the Fed Minutes is every bit as important as the more highly-publicized, post-meeting statement from the FOMC. With … (0 comments)
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heron bay: Pending Home Sales Slip In July; Creates Buyer Opportunity
- 08/30/11 02:33 AM
Pending Home Sales Slip In July; Creates Buyer Opportunity After 3 straight months of gains, the Pending Home Sales Index slipped 1 percent in July. The monthly report is published by the National Association of REALTORS® and measures the number of home under contract to sell nationwide.
The Pending Home Sales Index is closely watched by Wall Street and analysts because it’s a forward-looking housing market indicator. Unlike most housing market data, though, Pending Home Sales forecasts a future housing market event. In this case, the Existing Home Sales report.
In its methodology, the Pending Home Sales Index states that 80% … (0 comments)
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heron bay: How To Weatherize Your Home With Caulk
- 08/29/11 05:02 AM
How To Weatherize Your Home With Caulk
How To Weatherize Your Home With Caulk
With seasons changing, it’s a good time to look at weatherizing your home. Whether you live in a single-family home, a multi-family property, or a condominium, your home has windows and, through those windows, air escapes.
Even with your windows closed.
In this brief tutorial from Lowe’s, you’ll learn how to use caulk to seal the gaps between your windows and doors and their respective framing to keep your home’s inside air in, and the outside air out.
How To Weatherize Your Home With Caulk
Weatherizing … (0 comments)
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heron bay: Ranking The Best Places To Live In The U.S. (2011 Edition) – What number is Parkland?
- 08/25/11 04:27 AM
CNNMoney recently released its Best Places To Live 2011 list.
Parkland is number????
Coral Springs is number ?????
The annual survey is based on data from Onboard Informatics. Using Quality of Life factors such as education, crime and “town spirit”, and focusing on towns with between 8,500 and 50,000 residents, the CNNMoney survey ranks the country’s best “small towns”.
To be eligible, towns must be have a median household income greater than 85 percent, and less than 200 percent of the state median income; must not be a categorized as a “retirement community”; and must be racially-diverse.
From a list of 3,570 … (0 comments)
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Existing Home Sales Jump; Home Supplies Falling 
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