consumer: 12 Hidden Costs of Homeownership - 04/12/10 03:00 AM
 
12 Hidden Costs of Homeownership
 
As the spring season gets underway, many Americans will be looking to take advantage of the lower real estate prices, attractive mortgage rates, and federal tax credit by purchasing a home. But remember: Not all of the costs associated with homeownership are reflected in the listed price.
 Indeed, many buyers -- particularly first-time buyers -- may be surprised by the amount of cash they'll need to set aside for housing-related expenses that they hadn't previously considered.
These often-overlooked expenses can include everything from title insurance to lawn mowing. To give would-be home buyers a … (5 comments)

consumer: Program Will Pay Homeowners to Sell at a Loss - 03/14/10 02:43 PM
Program Will Pay Homeowners to Sell at a Loss
  by David StreitfeldMonday, March 8, 2010

In an effort to end the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration has been trying to keep defaulting owners in their homes. Now it will take a new approach: paying some of them to leave.
 This latest program, which will allow owners to sell for less than they owe and will give them a little cash to speed them on their way, is one of This latest program, which will allowthe administration's most aggressive attempts to grapple with a problem that has defied solutions.
More … (4 comments)

consumer: Housing Opportunity Program - 02/05/09 01:15 PM
Housing Opportunity Program
REALTORS® are ideally situated to improve housing opportunities where they live. They are the first stop for the prospective homebuyer or renter. Accordingly, REALTORS® can reach out - through personal involvement in their own communities - to those who need greater access to quality, affordable homeownership and rental opportunities.
NAR's Housing Opportunity Program was created in 2002 with the vision of positioning, educating and assisting REALTORS® to create housing opportunities for all. The Housing Opportunity Program offers programs, grants, trainings, and resources that help REALTORS® and REALTOR® associations expand housing availability and insure an adequate supply of rental … (2 comments)

consumer: Law of Contrast - 09/11/08 01:37 PM

Law of Contrast
by Bob Hafer
Think about how much income you've lost because of your inability to persuade. How many times have you been unable to convince a good prospect to buy a home you knew met all criteria but couldn't close the sale? I believe the way to improve sales lays in your ability to incorporate the law of contrast into your sales presentation.
When people visit a home they immediately do three things. They look, compare and contrast. They look to understand what is offered. They compare to make sure what they see satisfies their buying criteria … (5 comments)

consumer: Fed plans new rules to protect future homebuyers - 07/08/08 08:04 AM
 
Fed plans new rules to protect future homebuyers
By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve will issue new rules next week aimed at protecting future homebuyers from dubious lending practices, its most sweeping response to a housing crisis that has propelled foreclosures to record highs.
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Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke of the much-awaited rules in a broader speech Tuesday about the challenges confronting policymakers in trying to stabilize a shaky U.S. financial system. To that end, Bernanke said the Fed may give squeezed Wall Street firms more time to tap the central … (3 comments)

consumer: Investor Report: Section 1031 - 06/08/08 07:18 AM
 
Investor Report: Section 1031
 by Kenneth R. Harney
Here's some great news for the thousands of real estate investors and brokers who use "Section 1031" (ten thirty-one) tax-deferred real exchanges every year: Congress has backed off its latest plan to narrow the definition of "like kind" for real estate swaps.
That's important because under current tax law, real estate investors have broad flexibility in choosing properties and structuring exchanges. For example, they can exchange a rental house for farmland, an apartment building for a commercial shopping strip. They can even exchange office buildings for mineral rights.
 

San Antonio … (2 comments)