Melissa Bayles's (melissabayles) Blog

Existing Home Sales rose in March, as expected. U.S. home buyers closed on 7 percent more homes as compared to February. Furthermore, versus March 2009 -- a month many people equate to the low point of the U.S. economy -- sales volume was up 16 percent. "Existing home sale" is the technical term ...

More than 60 percent of U.S. homes are "over-assessed", says an industry trade group. Homeowners pay more in property taxes than they otherwise should have to.  You might be one of them. Have you considered fighting your real estate tax bill? In this 4-minute piece from The Today Show, you'll le...

Mortgage rates and home affordability have improved lately, thanks to an unlikely ally -- Mother Nature. In the 7 days since Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull erupted, ash clouds have grounded planes, disrupted businesses, and stranded exports in warehouses worldwide. It's a drag on commerce that's spil...

After a strong March showing and a surprise upward-revision for February, Housing Starts are, once again, trending better. It's yet another signal that the housing market nationwide is stabilized. A Housing Start is a new home on which construction has started and, over the last 6 months, home bu...

Fold-up speakers for your MP3 players? You better believe it. OrigAudio's eco-friendly Fold-N-Play speakers let you take your favorite playlists on the road to your office, hotel rooms and the beach. Made from recycled materials, the Fold-N-Play speakers and arrives in a similarly-recycled box. I...

I know millions of you out there are having a financial crisis in one form or another.  The promise of help is on its way, but don’t wait for help start acting now. If you have not spoken to your lender do so and see what they can do for you. For other options contact The Real Estate Geeks 714-2...

Each week, government-led Freddie Mac publishes a weekly mortgage rate survey based on data from 125 banks across the country.  According to this week's results, the relative rate of a 5-year ARM in California is extremely low versus its 30-year fixed-rate cousin. Consider this comparison: In Ap...

Foreclosure filings rose close to 20 percent nationwide last month versus February, according to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac.com, and for the 13th straight month, total filings topped 300,000. In addition, bank repossessions reached an all-time, quarterly record. Through the first three ...

The federal home buyer tax credit expires April 30 and the deadline is sparking a home sale surge. It figures to burden real estate, mortgage and title offices nationwide over the next 60 days so plan your closing date accordingly. Especially because the last Friday in May is the Friday before Me...

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