home owner: New Stimulus and Stability Plans Equal Opportunities!
- 03/09/09 09:57 AM
President Obama unveiled his plan to help stabilize the housing market and keep millions of borrowers in their homes. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan includes two initiatives to help struggling homeowners. One is an incentive for homeowners who have less than 20% equity in their homes, or who owe more than their home is worth. The second part attempts to lower monthly payments for homeowners at risk of losing their home. Here is a brief overview of both initiatives. Less than 20% equity in your home? Under current rules, those families who own less than 20% equity in their homes … (0 comments)
home owner: Did You Know How Much of a TAX Shelter You Live in?
- 03/05/09 11:22 AM
Your home likely provides more tax relief than any other acquisition, thanks, in part, to new federal laws designed to ease financial suffering in the recessionary economy. Building on a host of existing tax benefits for homeowners, new breaks help you save money on buying a home, owning a home and selling a home. Check your state for specific rules on income tax breaks levied by your state or other jurisdiction. They don't all match the federal deals. First up? Breaks made available from the federal "Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007". • Forgiveness of Debt Tax Break. When a … (1 comments)
home owner: Do You Know How Much of TAX Shelter you live in?
- 03/05/09 11:12 AM
Your home likely provides more tax relief than any other acquisition, thanks, in part, to new federal laws designed to ease financial suffering in the recessionary economy. Building on a host of existing tax benefits for homeowners, new breaks help you save money on buying a home, owning a home and selling a home. Check your state for specific rules on income tax breaks levied by your state or other jurisdiction. They don't all match the federal deals. First up? Breaks made available from the federal "Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007". • Forgiveness of Debt Tax Break. When a … (0 comments)
home owner: MLS Coming to Close to Ethical Situations? What is Right?
- 03/02/09 01:08 PM
MLS How Many Situations get you angree? Here's something I've observed while selling homes in League City, TX. The rise of MLS-only listings is leading to sticky ethical situations for buyer agents. When a seller has their house listed in MLS with an agent that provides NO other services, the seller is hesitant to ask questions or communicate with their listing agent for fear that they will incur additional charges. The natural result of this is that they turn to buyer agents for advice as they come into contact with them. This is the case whether the agent was one who … (7 comments)
home owner: Buying a new home?
- 02/18/09 10:26 AM
Finding the right first home starts with a price range and a short list of desirable neighborhoods. But there are many other factors you'll need to consider before investing in what may be your biggest asset. Before You Start:
Grab your current household budget so you can consider your financial situation and your ability to make mortgage payments. Ask family and friends if they can recommend experts, like a lawyer and an inspector, who can help with the home buying process. Think about your lifestyle and how it might affect your choice of home and neighborhood. Do a little research … (0 comments)
home owner: How do you get the Value of your home?
- 02/04/09 09:28 AM
Two things to consider in valuing a home are, first, how does it compare to similar homes that have sold recently? Is the asking price fair? And second, what value do you place on the advertised features and amenities? Yes, other people might value them highly, but do you? Zestimate home valuation, RealestateABC.com, Reply.com are among the many algorithmic (generated by a computer model) starting points in figuring out the value of a home. It shows you how the home is relative to other homes in the area, but you need to add in all the things that only someone who … (0 comments)
home owner: Advice to help manage DEBT in these tough times
- 01/28/09 01:07 PM
Debt Management is typically performed by type of credit repair company that a debtor pays one monthly fee to. The company then takes the funds from the fee paid to them and uses the funds to pay the various creditors of that debtor. These companies will typically be able to work out lower payments or lower interest rates with the creditors than the debtor would have been able to on their own. These plans sometimes have very strict rules, and if the debtor misses even one payment, the company can cancel the plan, leaving the debtor right back where they started. … (2 comments)
home owner: Buyer's Guide to Buying a Bank-Owned or Foreclosured on Property's
- 01/28/09 12:52 PM
In today's market, nearly four out of every five homes sold are bank-owned foreclosure properties. These are commonly referred to as Real Estate Owned (REO) properties Buying an REO property is very different than a traditional buyer/seller transaction. The process is much more taxing and several more entities are involved in the REO transaction. This can create more time and challenges. Many REO homebuyers, especially those buying a home for the first time or their first bank-owned property, get frustrated during the process. Since the REO phenomenon started dominating sales, not coincidently, customer service scores in title, escrow, lending and real … (2 comments)
home owner: What will help get your home ready for a speedy sale?
- 01/22/09 12:45 PM
Always remember first imressions are lasting when it comes to houses so in order to do this your home must shine! Do it yourself or hire a professional cleaning crew. While you home is for sale it's probably a pretty good investment to have a cleaner come in every week. Most cleaners do not do windows, so have them professionally cleansed inside and out and be prepared to redo the windows after major storms. The two most important areas are the kitchen and the bathrooms. Deep cleaned all counter and tile surfaces to a spotless condition. Another critical area is the floors - all … (1 comments)
home owner: An upside to a down Market
- 11/12/08 02:11 PM
Well, there's little you can personally do to change the market's direction. Even big shots like Treasury Secretary Hank "Bazooka" Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben "Helicopter" Bernanke haven't been able to manage that. But you may be able to take a bit of the pain out of falling stock prices by harvesting some investment losses in your taxable accounts and trimming your tax bill in the process. If you want those losses to trim your taxes for 2008, however, you've got to take them by the end of the year. The process of booking tax losses is fairly straightforward, … (0 comments)
home owner: Best Time to Buy a Home
- 11/12/08 02:01 PM
November 4, 2008 8:11 pm No one knows when we'll reach a bottom, but you can get a great bargain, if you shop around. Questions: Given all the foreclosures and other problems in the housing market and the economy, do you think this is a good time for someone to buy a house? Or would I be better off waiting for the housing market to recover? -Mari, San Francisco Answers: If you're asking me to predict when the housing market will hit bottom and when prices are likely to start climbing again, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. My … (0 comments)
home owner: Need to Squeeze More Money From Your Home
- 11/03/08 12:50 PM
Sales of new homes rose unexpectedly in September--2.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 464,000 homes. Good news, right? Not so fast. The median price of a new home dropped 9.1% from a year earlier to $218,400, and September sales were still 33.1% behind the numbers posted a year ago. In Depth: How To Squeeze More Money From Your Home If you're a homeowner looking to unload your property and finding few buyers, there are alternatives to dropping the price below what's palatable. These options allow you maximize your cash flow so that you can stay afloat. And if … (0 comments)
Real Estate News with a Value added punch Clear Lake Texas Real Estate
I think this is a good rule to live by!
"We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are always there for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you."
~ Jeff Warner
President Obama unveiled his plan to help stabilize the housing market and keep millions of borrowers in their homes. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan includes two initiatives to help struggling homeowners. One is an incentive for homeowners who have less than 20% equity in their homes, or who owe more than their home is worth. The second part attempts to lower monthly payments for homeowners at risk of losing their home. Here is a brief overview of both initiatives.
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