John Mulkey, Housing Guru

In an article in Friday’s WSJ it was reported that foreclosures don’t always relate to the owner’s ability to pay the mortgage. It’s becoming increasingly common for borrower’s to walk away simply because their home is no longer a good investment. In a process defined as “strategic default,” the ...

With the economy in turmoil and the housing market still in crisis, are you waiting for the economy to rebound or preparing to deal with a changing market? Both the housing and real estate industries are expected to see significant changes in the coming decade, and those who aren’t mired in the o...

I received the following email today from David Kent, a home designer and friend who lives near one of our recent fallen soldiers. There is a video attached that I recommend you watch.   This is a video of the home coming for Staff Sergeant John Beale. He was killed in Afghanistan. He lived in th...

What if the reports of “green shoots” are wrong? What if we really are on the edge of financial collapse? Would you plan differently? Spend differently? Save differently? What if all the news from Washington had been manipulated to give the impression that the economy was rebounding, but the oppo...

While sales of existing homes have begun to show some evidence of life, new home sales appear to be practicing the art of “cliff diving.” Sales of new homes reached a new record low for the month of May, and builders across the U.S. are struggling to make ends meet. But why aren’t the ratios betw...

Home sellers competing with foreclosures and poor sales traffic can get the latest tips to make their home rise above the competition. John Mulkey, The Housing Guru, will be featured tomorrow on BlogTalkRadio at 12:00 eastern time. John will address the difficult issues that sellers face in makin...

With billions of dollars infused into the banking industry and promises to rescue millions facing foreclosure, some are beginning to wonder if the government has been serious about helping struggling homeowners. One of the early efforts, the Hope for Homeowners program, announced in the fall of 2...

In a post today in Calculated Risk, there is an interesting graph that tracks the jobless rate and housing prices. And the graph shows what most of us already knew. Housing prices increase during periods of high employment and decrease when jobs are scarce. It‘s really a pretty simple concept, wh...

Many financial “experts” have called for the end of the recession by mid year; and with improving employment numbers, consumer confidence, increased housing starts, and mid year upon us, can we call the recovery now? While I’m not trying to soil the optimism with a bit of dirty truth, let’s exami...

In a buyer’s market, it’s necessary to take extra steps in order to sell your home. Removing clutter, cleaning, and touching up paint are just not enough. Below I have outlined several strategies that will make an average home rise above the competition. This list assumes that the home already sp...