Houston, we don't have a housing problem. The city's $152,500 median home sale price is up 6.6% from 2005. It boasts a low vacancy rate and an oil-rich economy. Throw in a bubbling entrepreneurial tech scene, and you've got four factors that put Houston on the top of our list of best places to bu
...
07/30/2008
Will a new U.S. President improve the housing market? Most home buyers think not. Less than half, only 44 percent, believe the housing market will improve once the U.S. has a new president, according to a Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Move, Inc., the operator of the Realtor.com Web si
...
07/23/2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Wachovia Corp. reported a surprisingly large second-quarter loss Tuesday, deflating Wall Street's hopes that the nation's big banks are weathering the credit crisis well. The bank said it lost $8.86 billion, is slashing its dividend and eliminating 10,750 positions after losses
...
07/23/2008
There are no quick fixes for improving your credit score. But you can raise your score over time by demonstrating that you consistently manage your finances responsibly. Any of the following ten tips can help you to improve your credit score: 1. Pay your bills on time. This is the best way to imp
...
07/23/2008
Advertising costs can strain your budget, but you can gain a lot more advertising real estate for less money by using remnant ads, also known as stand-by advertising. Various media outlets often have more advertising inventory than they can possibly sell, so they end up with advertising gaps in t
...
07/23/2008
How hard is it to get prospective new homebuyers to drive out to the hinterlands to walk through, let alone purchase a new home? Just to get them to hit the highway, homebuilders across the nation are going to great lengths. According to a recent report by BUILDERonline.com, Kimball Hill Homes is
...
07/23/2008
It is already July. Where has the year gone? While some are enjoying summer vacations, others are changing careers. And as you might guess, many of these folks are connected somehow, and in some way, to the real estate industry. Since its membership peak in October 2005, National Association
...
07/21/2008
Recently I read about an automobile dealer who fired all his salespeople because their "pushiness" annoyed his customers. He replaced them with four "managers" who were to answer questions, give demonstration rides and quote "bottom-dollar, take-it-or-leave-it prices." Now I ask you, "What's wron
...
07/21/2008
Selling cycles often take longer than they need to. Our job is to shorten them in the interest of survival in the field. Waiting to be seen, for our proposal to be evaluated, for the bid opening, for someone to return our call-are all counterproductive. We must constantly work to stop all of the
...
07/21/2008
ALTA Action Alert on RESPA Reform Please Contact Your Representative and Ask Them to Sign the Dear Colleague Letter to HUD If you are a title insurer or agent, lawyer, escrow officer, or provide closings, HUD's proposed RESPA rule could have dramatically negati
...
07/21/2008
