Resales
Fixer-uppers are selling like hotcakes in Fairfax County, Virginia where investors are seeing a prime market for resale.
Named as the third-fastest growing city and one of the top 100 best retirement towns, Tucson, Arizona offers a lot of home, sunshine and scenery for the money.
Realtors in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma are remarking that sales and prices remain strong in summertime housing.
Toronto Realtors report a strong seller"s market in waterview condos.
Local Realtors in towns around Nashville, Tennessee report strong housing markets, as the spring turns into summer.
Alberta, Canada communities such as Calgary and Edmonton are experiencing softer sales, but local Realtors believe there is opportunity in rental investments.
Realtors in Phoenix, Arizona say the city and surrounding areas are still in a strong seller"s market.
New construction is blending with the classic Craftsman style homes that characterize Tacoma on the Sound. Local Realtors say sales are slowing but still brisk for the spring.
San Antonio, Texas is historically significant, romantic to visit and offers good quality of life, say local Realtors.
Home appreciation is on a spree in Bellingham, Washington where home prices are rising between one and two percent monthly lately, say local Realtors.
Rocky Mountain-loving Colorado Springs Realtors are shifting into high gear as real estate sales start to climb again.
In Chesterfield, Missouri, local Realtors report that housing sales aren"t so much picking up for the spring season as never slowed from the winter.
Realtors are celebrating a slight rise in housing inventories in San Jose, California which should allow more buyers to buy homes, they say.
Continuing low interest rates have lifted February home sales from the letdown in January, say Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Realtors, who now expect a better spring season.
Madison, Morristown and Mendham, New Jersey offer easy access to New York City, says Realtor Janice Morton, which is another reason, besides low interest rates, that the towns are important to first-time buyers.
Tulsa, Oklahoma has become a thriving city by diversifying its economy from oil to technology, telecommunications and aerospace, creating jobs and great opportunities for homebuyers, say local Realtors.
Milwaukee housing sales are slowing down for the season, say local Realtors, but the city"s location on Lake Michigan make anytime the right time to buy.
Home prices have risen and sales continue to rise, say local Venice, California Realtors.
Albuquerque, New Mexico Realtors report that in August and July, home sales reached over 1000, an area record, with fall sales continuing with lower numbers of listings.
A "small town" city with European sophistication, Savannah is reporting more jobs and greater home sales, largely due to its reputation as the "Hostess of the South."
Some experts fear that a second home mortgage crisis may be on the real estate horizon.
It"s still a buyer"s market in Charlotte, North Carolina, but local Realtors say business is picking up.
One of the most famous residential names in the world is Beverly Hills, a wealthy star-studded section of Los Angeles, California.
A new survey reveals that savvy consumers cashing in on the new and improved homebuyer tax credit are helping fuel economic recovery.
Irondequoit is a well-established, closely-knit community, say local Realtors, with plenty to offer residents.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana is relaxed and casual, say local Realtors, and it"s real estate market is taking a snooze.
Although its name evokes a country lifestyle where big bowls of ice cream are served for dessert, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania is actually located in Montgomery County, part of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-New Jersey metropolitan area, and doesn"t have an ice cream factory in sight.
Ocala is situated in the midst of one of the largest horse breeding and training areas in the world, but local Realtors say there is something for everyone.
If the housing crisis is keeping you in your current home longer than you expected, maybe it"s time to get your house in order.
Located on the south end of Salt Lake Valley, Draper, Utah is just beginning great business opportunities with car dealerships, malls, country stores and a wide variety of living options with rising prices, say local Realtors.
Despite California"s now-famous affordability problem, buyers are still flocking to its coastal communities like Capistrano Beach to enjoy the incomparable views, weather and lifestyle, say local Realtors.
The results of a Harris interactive poll commissioned by Move.com reveals that potential home buyers value "green" building features more than luxury amenities. When given the choice of features like solar energy panels or energy-saving appliances, a whopping 49 percent considered them important, while only 31 percent rated luxury amenities as important.
There was a time when you couldn"t give a condominium away in the land-rich Dallas, Texas area. But traffic congestion (bad), the revitalization of downtown (good) and other factors have contributed to a loft, townhome and condominium-friendly housing environment.
Tucson, Arizona offers gorgeous views of the Catalina, Tortillita and Tucson Mountains, say local Realtors, but there"s more to attract buyers.
Only a train ride away to Manhattan, some New Jersey, including Berkeley Heights, Summit, Short Hills, Warren Township and Watchung, are showing declines in home sales, says a local Realtor.
The towns of Cary, Fox River and Crystal Lake, Illinois are small growing communities that offer rivers, lakes and nearby Chicago.
On the coast, halfway between Los Angles and San Diego is the beach town of San Clemente where home prices continue their upward trend, but great beach buys are still available say local Realtors.
Question: Can individual unit owners prepay their fees in order to fix just their unit"s roof?
Over the past few months, the once white-hot San Jose market has cooled, but some price ranges are still selling quickly, say local Realtors, and activity is picking up.
Local Realtors say that El Segundo reminds them of small town living in the mid-west, but with the amenities of the nearby California coastal beaches.
Peachtree City, Georgia offers an abundance of new homes, say local Realtors.
The Lewiston valley offers a wide variety of mountain and stream recreational choices for the outdoorsman, and its beauty has the Lewiston real estate market rising.
Marina Del Rey is one of the largest small boat harbors in the world, and known for beaches, casual living, and dining. No wonder the attractive area is still firmly in the grip of a seller"s market, say local Realtors.
While Plantation, Florida is showing a slight seasonal slowdown, the area remains red hot, say local Realtors.
While multifamily builders and developers eagerly await publication of the National Green Building Standard from the National Association of Home Builders, the first and only consensus-based standard for all residential construction, renovation and development, our friends from across the pond recently released research on rural England that could provide a blueprint for success here in America for savvy builders looking to stay ahead of the competition.
Not many places can boast the town camaradie with December holiday parties and Halloween events that Saddle River, New Jersey can, says a local Realtor.
Homes in Los Angeles have appreciated over 10 percent a year for over four years, say local Realtors, but the market shows no signs of slowing down.
Home of the historical Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano attracts tourists and residents to its charming small community.
Savannah is the second fastest-growing city in Georgia, with a diverse economy and a warm welcome for entrepreneurs, say local Realtors, yet the market is slowing creating buying opportunities in all kinds of housing.
Buyers and sellers are getting further apart on home prices, report Massachusetts Realtors in upscale communities, and that could lead to price adjustments.
From walking horse farmland to mountain views, Tennessee towns offer beautiful scenery along with job and homebuying opportunities for residents and investors, say local Realtors.
Denver, Colorado, one of the darlings of the expansion in the West only a few short months ago, is no longer experiencing one percent a month inflation in homes, but prices aren"t dropping the way buyers anticipated either.
Richmond, Virginia starter home equity is building faster than in move-up homes, according to the law of supply and demand and low interest rates, say local Realtors.
Coastal cities along Orange County are on the rise.
Made up of four prestigious bedroom communities, Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates and Rolling Hills, the Palos Verdes Peninsula is one of the prettiest locations in Los Angeles county, built over hills with great views of the Pacific Ocean, Santa Catalina Island, downtown Los Angeles, and the basin, say local Realtors.
Dallas, Texas, one of the hottest relocation destinations in the nation, is starting to show signs of easing from the overheated housing market of the last seven years. Dallas area Realtors say certain price ranges are still hot, but that million dollar properties are starting to drop in price as the summer homebuying season winds down. Is it time for buyers to jump in?
Popular American war (1812) hero Stephen Decatur is the namesake for at least 11 cities across the United States, including Decatur, Georgia. Part of the growing Atlanta metroplex, Decatur would have been a sprawling city like Atlanta, had forefathers not turned down the opportunity to be a depot for a national railroad in the 1830s. The railroad chose a spot seven miles away, and that township sprawled into the city known as Atlanta.
Located along the Southern Outer Banks of North Carolina, the "Crystal Coast" is 65 miles of beaches that attract visitors and commercial interests year-round. Morehead City, on the Crystal Coast, was developed by North Carolina"s former governor John Motley Morehead in about 1857, as a great commercial city.
First spotted by a French expedition in 1699, the area that was to become Baton Rouge, Louisiana was an Indian hunting ground, where a red maypole (hence the name Baton Rouge) was stuck in the ground to separate the lands between Indian nations. The city was incorporated in 1817, where it remains the one of the nation"s busiest ports, and second largest in the state only to New Orleans.
Founded in 1812, Columbus, Ohio is an historic and cosmopolitan city of over 1.5 million in the metro areas. About 23 percent of its well-educated residents hold a bachelor"s degree and more than 66,900 hold graduate or professional degrees. The city is youthful, with a median age of 33, and approximately 48 percent of its population is in the 18-44 age group.
If you can remember Connie Francis crooning "Where The Boys Are," you"ll know that Fort Lauderdale has been a popular beach destination for decades. In fact, you can still cruise by the famous Elbo Room which was featured in the 1960 movie starring sun worshipper George Hamilton.
"Can you recommend any exit strategies for my real estate investor friend who has too much inventory now and not enough funds to cover his mortgages?" asks a reader from somewhere in cyberspace.
Any great vacation location is also a good risk for investment real estate. Whether you want to own or rent, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina is a beach resort island full of possibilities worth consideration.
The North Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas was once a farming community, but aggressive growth northward from Dallas area transferees as well as the addition of a much needed new turnpike has made Plano one of the most desirable locations in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. In just twenty years, from 1980 to 2000, Plano has grown from a population of 72,331 to 222,030 with an average median age of 34.1 years.
Like other big cities that want to improve home and business values by cleaning up, Cincinnati has launched "The Big Cincinnati Sweep." The city is known for its civic pride, including hiring the first career firefighters in the nation.
Tiny Connecticut has a population of a little over 3.2 million and just over 5,000 square miles, but it packs a wallop in the history books and as a relocation destination.
Las Vegas is reputed to be the fastest-growing city in America. Take a gamble and wait, or place your bet on today"s home prices at this top-ten relocation destination.
SmartMoney Magazine has predicted that Fort Worth will be the fifth best real estate market in the country in two years. However, Fort Worth and its surrounding areas were hit hard by layoffs after September 11th. As business heals, good homebuying deals are being snapped up by savvy Fort Worth homebuyers.
Since the 1950s, Realtors have served as key partners in leading the development of policy on housing and private property rights on the international front. By working to establish sustainable partnerships with numerous nations, NAR has helped maintained its lead role in this effort abroad.
According to the 2000 National Association of Realtor’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, young people buying their first home, with a median age of 32, make up a significant part of today’s housing market. An astounding 52 percent of entry-level buyers are between the ages of 25 and 34, and an additional 11 percent are under the age of 25. First-time buyers accounted for 42 percent of all home sales over the last few years. They were a driving factor in setting a new record for the housing market in 1999, and without this strong level of young entry-level buyers, people would be unable to sell their existing homes to meet growing family needs, or trade down to smaller, easier-to-maintain properties as lifestyle preferences change. In short, the overall health of the housing industry depends on this critical segment of the market.
The leadership of the House Financial Services Committee has introduced legislation that would allow national banks and their subsidiaries to engage in real estate brokerage activities.
New research sets the parameters by which residents will accept affordable housing in their communities. If new neighborhoods do not hurt property values, contribute to overcrowding or make traffic any worse, people are more likely to support affordable housing in their own backyards, the third annual National Housing Opportunity Pulse survey found.
The apartment market out west stalled during the first quarter this year, extending a longer than expected flat rental market that can"t seem to find enough tenants to justify rental increases.
I"ve been thinking a bit about retirement, and where I"ll live when the time comes.
Standard & Poors, a provider of independent credit ratings, risk analysis and investment research, recently turned its attention to the proliferation of new mortgages in the subprime market.
Lenders will gladly finance 100 percent of a second home purchase provided you qualify for the no-down loans, but buyers are not selling the farm to make the purchase.
In an effort to take a bite out of the growing crime spree in mortgage fraud, federal regulators proposed this week that mortgage mammoths, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac promptly report real and suspected mortgage fraud and create the internal control systems to detect the financial scourge.
Single-family home builders continued to slow the pace of new construction in June, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Commerce Department today.
Returning to the throne as a citadel of safety, Newton, MA was once again crowned this year as the nation"s safest city overall -- an honor that slipped out of reach for the past four years.
Question: I am considering buying a single-family house, and the real estate broker has presented me with a form contract to sign. I am concerned that I may be acting emotionally and not rationally. How do I determine the value of the house? I have a nagging feeling that I may be paying too much for this property, but do not know how to solve this problem.
A new concept in private mortgage insurance coverage for cash-short home buyers tackles an issue even Congress found troublesome: Mandatory cancellation of monthly premium payments at a date-certain, fixed in advance.
When"s the last time you checked out your credit scores? A lot of us don"t think much about our credit until it"s time to purchase a home and then it may be too late. Avoiding these five common financial fiascos can save you money and headaches.
Two of the country"s biggest private mortgage insurers are yanking the plug on a popular way to buy or refinance a home without disclosing virtually anything to the lender -- so-called NINA loans.
It was Friday and the world"s best loan officer was on the line:
Question: We are first time homebuyers, and plan to stay in the new house for a long period of time. We have been offered two kinds of mortgages: a fixed 30-year mortgage for 5.5 percent with no points, or a 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) at 4.25 percent, again with no points. We recently read that Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, indicated his preference for an ARM. This has been a difficult decision for us, and we seek your opinion.
In a market where prices are continually rising, should a potential buyer or seller/buyer ever wait for home prices to drop before diving in?
Aiming to prop up the sagging manufactured housing market, Fannie Mae last week said it will once again buy 30-year loans with as little as 5 percent down on factory-built houses.
If your family is growing, you"re earning more money than you were five years ago, you want to live in a more desirable neighborhood, or you want a larger or better-appointed house, you might be considering selling your house and "moving up."
The decision of whether to buy a house in 2004 may seem daunting. Will prices increase? Will interest raises rise? How will the economy fare this year?
Raison d"etre (re-zon´ de´tr) is a French term that means: "The justifying reason for the existence of something." Another source defines it as: "A reason or excuse for existing."
Real estate has been one of the primary sources for investors to place their money for the last thousand years. There have always been investment opportunities for money lenders (a.k.a. banks) of all kinds, but real estate has been one of those investments which includes your home, and this is where the story starts.
Question: We recently purchased an older home. We included a home inspection contingency in our sales contract, and hired a home inspection company recommended by the real estate broker. The inspector found of couple of minor problems, which the seller fixed prior to settlement.
With interest rates for 30-year fixed mortgages still hovering at around 6 percent, the end of the year is a great time for renters to become homeowners, growing families to move to more accommodating homes, and Baby Boomers to find houses that fit their evolving lifestyles.
[Note: To follow is an excerpt of an interview with Aric Krause, PhD, a graduate faculty member at Westminster College in Salt Lake City and RealSource Chief Economist, [www.realsource.net]. To listen to, or download the show archive MP3, go to www.IncomePropertyInvestmentTalk.com.]
It"s been a mixed bag for first-time homebuyers this year. Interest rates continue to hover near record lows and the number of Americans purchasing their first house continues to stay strong. On the other hand, home prices that continue to nudge upward - in some cases soar - can be discouraging when you"re gearing up to buy. But with patience, diligence, and some flexibility, you can become a homeowner.
Canadians, bombarded by change on all fronts, may really need their summer "get away" time to prepare for more of the same -- plus some -- as the year rolls on.
Deferred Maintenance vs. Subject To. Live it, love it, learn it. These terms are sometimes bandied about without much thought when getting a property appraised. But knowing the difference between the two and how it can make or break your deal may be your biggest concern when reading an appraisal.
Going through the arduous process of buying a house may leave you with all
Q: I am currently in escrow on a house. We had the inspection done yesterday. There are a few major concerns of which we were unaware. The largest is a faulty shower pan, which has been leaking for several years and has caused substantial damage to the sub-flooring.
New-home buyers are spending more money on options than ever before.
As an increasing number of Americans are snatching up new homes at record
Question: I’m developing a business plan to purchase real estate as an investment. This will be primarily single-family homes that will either be rehabilitated, flipped or lease optioned. I have been in contact with a Realtor who wants me to sign an exclusive buyer’s agreement. Is there a particular advantage/disadvantage in limiting myself to one Realtor?
A bipolar gentleman called me this week to see what it would take for him to buy a foreclosure property. It was kind of sad, having to talk with a man who apparently had been beaten down by his circumstances, but who also had no concept of the homeownership process.
Just as summer temperatures heat up in sections of the country, home sales in pockets of the nation are sizzling, too. That"s great news for sellers, but is enough to make a potential buyer"s stomach churn watching prices mount on a monthly basis.
If you’re a buyer in search of affordable housing for your first purchase, don’t overlook condominiums as an alternative to the highly touted 3-bedroom, 2-bath single-family house. In most areas, a condominium provides many of the benefits of homeownership without some of the home-care hassles.
While it may sometimes appear that your home inspection is the end-all,
Lancaster, CA is tops when it comes to the number of people putting down stakes versus those pulling them up, but Atlanta, GA is the nation"s top go-to town for households moving more than 50 miles, according to two annual U-Haul International, Inc. reports released last week.
Never mind that the commute time to work is long. Never mind that the kids may have to take an extended bus ride to get to school. There are far more important issues for us as new home buyers: We want maximum house for our money. We want lot sizes that give us plenty of room between us and our neighbors. And we want to be located in a neighborhood we consider “right” for all our needs--even at the cost of more time spent on the road.
A new breed of lease-purchase home buying programs are springing up like daisies and they couldn"t be sprouting at a better time.
Q: We recently signed a contract to purchase a house, and thought we were smart enough to insist (over the real estate broker’s objections) on having the contract contingent on our obtaining – at our expense – a satisfactory home inspection. We selected the home inspector, and paid for the inspection.
Buyers of energy-efficient houses in Oregon now have something to crow about besides lower utility bills. Under a new statewide program, they won"t have to make a downpayment, and their mortgage rates will be under 6 percent.
As you embark on your venture to buy a home, one of the first decisions to make is whether to buy new or purchase an existing home. Each choice has its advantages, and there is no single answer which works for everyone.
Since Sept. 11, more and more Americans have pushed safety and security high on their list of requirements for the community where they might buy a home.
When it comes to today"s marketplace, take your pick: You can focus on the economy"s bright spots -- mortgage rates and rising sales in scattered local markets -- are tops on the list at the moment.
Each year more than 40 percent of all homes are purchased by first-time buyers according to the National Association of Realtors, a percentage which should offer some comfort if you"re about to buy a first home. Others have done it, others are doing it, and you can too.
Lease options are coming back into vogue, updated with some unique consumer-friendly provisions, just in time for a changing market.
For some, making the decision to become a homebuyer is one filled with sleepless nights, endless research and plenty of angst. Not so with my own experience. A promotion at work suddenly triggered the idea that maybe it was time to buy. Finances were better, I was happy at work (particularly now) and confident that Dallas would remain my home for many years to come.
It"s ironic that a document of such great importance to homeowners is one that they often don"t consider until disaster strikes. Unfortunately, that"s precisely the time when they discover that they"re not covered for the things they desperately need when nature rears its sometimes ugly head or when a simple case of bad luck strikes. As we"ve mentioned before in
If your home purchase sailed through the appraisal and lending process without a hitch, you might not have known (nor cared) that the appraiser sent to appraise the home had to first be approved by the lender.
The importance of performing your own inspection of a home before you
If you"re a potential first-time buyer wishing you"d taken the home buying plunge while rates were low, it"s not too late to dive into the market. In fact, even with interest rates on the rise, waiting to purchase a home could end up costing you money.
Last year, Darrin Lipscomb and his family moved from Richmond, VA, one of the nation"s most affordable communities, to San Jose, CA, one of the nation"s least affordable cities.
Real estate agents are finding pet-ownership to be such an important factor
A survey released Wednesday by Prudential Real Estate and Relocation says
Millions of people make investments in timeshare properties every year. For
Helping your kids buy a house is wonderful and generous, but beware the
LAS VEGAS -- Fewer than 10 percent of Massachusetts" real estate agents
Some of the best bargains to be found in the housing market are discovered
Try to make up for rising home heating oil prices by investing in commodity futures that promise to warm up your portfolio and you could lose your flannel shirt and suffer an especially frosty winter.
If you thought the cost to insure what"s likely your most valuable asset was getting out of hand, hold onto your wallet.