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Six Mistakes Housing Investors Make

Traditional investments are delivering low returns, and home prices are at bargain levels. Is it time to consider buying some rental housing? Investing in real estate right now can be surprisingly profitable, if everything goes well. Rents are climbing in many areas, and more properties may be coming on the market. Last month, the Obama Read More

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows In Freddie Mac Survey

Mortgage rates have plunged to all-time lows amid concerns the economy is stalling again, Freddie Mac said in its weekly survey. Lenders were offering the 30-year fixed-rate home loan at an average rate of 4.12% this week, down from 4.22% last week, Freddie Mac said Thursday. The 15-year fixed loan was at 3.33%, down from Read More

How To Lower Your Property Taxes

Home prices are still going down in many markets. But your property-tax bill might well be going up. The good news: There are ways to fight back. Property taxes across the U.S. have increased by nearly 20% from 2005 to 2009, the most recent data available, according to an April study by the National Association Read More

Home Listings Fall but Woes Persist

The number of homes listed for sale declined sharply in a number of U.S. cities during the second quarter, offering glimmers of hope that some housing markets are starting to recover. At the end of June, nearly 2.34 million homes were listed for sale on multiple-listing services in more than 900 metro areas, the lowest Read More

Debunking Popular Real Estate Myths

When it comes to real estate, all is not always as it seems. Many buyers — and some sellers — labor under misconceptions that could sink their housing aspirations. Take the notion that you will hunt for a house until you find the “perfect” one. Sorry. There is no such thing as the perfect house. Read More

Short Sales, Long Waits: Buyers And Sellers Find Process Frustrating

Short sales are among the most arduous real estate transactions, often taking six months or more to close — if they get done at all. They can be a life raft for distressed homeowners who owe more on their houses than what they’re worth, but the experience depends on a variety of factors, such as Read More

Survey Shows Opposition to Down Payment Requirements and Elimination of Mortgage Interest Deduction

The National Association of Realtors’ (“NAR”) ninth housing pulse survey reflects that, as the housing market continues to struggle, Americans worry that policy proposals coming out of Washington could drag the market down further or deter potential new homeowners. There is particular concern surrounding calls for a required down payment of 20 percent on home Read More

Riskier Loans Make A Comeback, As Private Firms Take The Field

After years as the lending market’s undesirables, aspiring home buyers with less-than-stellar credit are being offered home loans again—with some of the same conditions and catches critics say tripped up subprime borrowers five years ago. According to analysts, a handful of private investment firms have started making home loans to borrowers who fail to meet Read More

Sellers Brace For New Mortgage Caps

The federal government is readying its first retreat from the mortgage market, with the size of loans eligible for government backing set to decline in October. As an emergency measure three years ago, Congress raised to as high as $729,750 the maximum loan amount that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and federal agencies could guarantee. That Read More

For Home Prices, It’s Back To At Least 2004

Is your home worth as much as it was seven years ago? If so, you’ve done better than most Americans. What is most impressive about the decline in home prices is the ubiquity of the fall and how many years of gains were wiped out. Real estate agents, using some dubious statistics, used to claim Read More

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