Homes

mortgages

ReFi Time: Mortgage Rates Drop On New $800 Billion Intervention

If you're looking to refinance a home and have cash and good credit, now is a good time to pull the trigger. Yesterday the government announced the latest Federal golden bandaid: a pledge to inject $800 billion directly into the credit markets, news which pushed national average mortgage rates for a 30 year fixed to 5.81%, down from 6.07%, according to bankrate. Bankrate also suggest that if you're trying to refi to act quickly, before rates rise or home values drop.

Fed, Treasury offer 800 billion dlrs more to credit markets [AFP] (Photo: jenzwick)

10:16 AM on Wed Nov 26 2008
By Ben Popken
4,088 views, 35 comments

Most discussed pixiegirl1: If home values are going to continue to go down why would I want to pounce now why not wait? more »

cool housing

Make Your Next House A Shipping Container

These 12 ideas for converting shipping containers into homes are pretty cool, if not always practical or cheap. Our favorite is the one that's probably among the most expensive to make, not to mention that added cost of relocating to New Zealand to get the awesome view. Runner up: Ross Steven's three-story fortress built into a hillside (see page 2).

"Crate Expectations" [Treehugger via Digg]

5:55 PM on Wed Oct 15 2008
By Chris Walters
11,839 views, 33 comments

Most discussed forgottenpassword: [uk] + Watch video ^^^ Inside of simple $10,000 converted shipping container home. I would personally LOVE to live in it. more »

money meltdown

Woman Buys House For $1.75 On EBay

Joanne Smith from Chicago now owns an abandoned home in Saginaw, Michigan, and she only paid $1.75 for it on eBay. Well, there's also $850 in "back taxes and yard cleanup cost," reports MSNBC. Smith says she hasn't seen the house yet or visited the town, but we're thinking hello summer home! Or maybe it's a good place to put the parents when they retire. More »

5:52 PM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By Chris Walters
22,349 views, 69 comments

Most discussed intellivised: I'm from the Tri-Cities, I grew up in between Midland, MI and Saginaw. Saginaw is often referred to as "Saginasty". more »

decorating ideas

Decorate Your Walls For Less By Gluing Random Crap Together

My friend and I used to pretend to be crafters, and we would email elaborately ridiculous project descriptions back and forth to each other as examples of that past time gone wild. Now we must put down our imaginary glue guns and denim swatches to pay homage to Pamela Cole Harris, who does this stuff for real. Below, see what happens when a kindly scrapbooker goes insane. More »

3:54 PM on Tue Sep 9 2008
By Chris Walters
11,025 views, 47 comments

Most discussed howie_in_az: I'd love to see some of her "designs" in action. In fact, I'm rather upset that she didn't post more »

Animal House

This Foreclosed Property Is An Excellent Home For Bobcats

Unlike prospective homebuyers, this pair of bobcats went absolutely wild over a foreclosed Lake Elsinore home. According to the L.A. Times, the bobcats were likely attracted by an outdoor koi pond, which isn't just decorative, but serves as a fabulous source of drinking water. Like any suburban couple, the pair is expected to stay until the kids are old enough to leave. More »

12:00 AM on Sun Sep 7 2008
By Carey
11,844 views, 69 comments

Most discussed smartwatermelon: Those cats are lucky they aren't in the SF Bay Area. Around here the animal control officers shoot first and more »

extreme makeover home edition

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Leaves Homeowners In Perdition

Some of the winners of ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition (EMHE) got a boobie prize. The Free Money Finance blog has found a few examples of EMHE recipients now in foreclosure, because after the workmen, camera crews, and glitz left, they were left with more house than they can afford. In one case, the town is hosting dinner raffles to help keep the family afloat. Here's an extreme makeover for you: how about giving the people a house that fits their budget? I guess that doesn't sell as many Twinkies.

Two More Extreme Makeover Home Edition Homes in Trouble [FreeMoneyFinance] (Photo: Newtownia)

5:35 PM on Mon Aug 4 2008
By Ben Popken
18,615 views, 87 comments

Latest by LibraryGeek: Quite a few people are commenting that the families should "just" sell the new houses and move into more affordable more »

mortgage meltdown

What It Takes To Qualify For A Mortgage In A World With Standards

The party is over. If you want a mortgage you're going to have to be able to afford it. Oh no! Now what are you going to do? Kiplinger's has an article that explains how mortgage lending works when there are "standards" involved. How quickly we all forget... More »

10:54 AM on Mon Jul 21 2008
By Meg Marco
10,767 views, 54 comments

Latest by jayheavner: My wife and I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get an FHA loan. We ended up more »

Movearoo

Moving With Movearoo's Help? Hope You Like AT&T, Verizon, And Qwest

Movearoo.com is a new website that appears to offer free assistance with your move, helping you set up things like phone service, gas, and electricity at your new address. The site calls itself "Your Total Moving Resource." It's a helpful site, sure, but you should be aware that it's funded by AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest, and exists primarily to promote their services. In other words, you won't find a comprehensive list of competing phone service providers through Movearoo, only those offered by the three sponsor companies. A consumer advocate points out the drawback of making Movearoo your sole relocation resource:

"If you go online and you only have one choice of a subsidiary of one of these companies, it's not one-stop shopping," [Ev Liebman of New Jersey Citizen Action] said. "It's simply misleading. Consumers need to be aware that there are other companies providing similar services and possibly at lower prices."

More »

11:46 AM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Chris Walters
2,528 views, 6 comments

Latest by Derv: Also nothing new, USPS does something similar...ever filled out a change-of-address form in person at a post office before? They more »

real estate

33% Of Homeowners Say Their Homes Depreciated In Value In February

A new survey from Reuters and the University of Michigan found that a third of homeowners felt their homes lost value in February, compared to 16% a year ago. For the first time in the survey's history (we don't know how long they've been doing it, but they cite numbers from as far back as 1992), "the proportion of homeowners who reported falling home prices was greater than the proportion that reported gains."
More »

7:09 PM on Fri Feb 22 2008
By Chris Walters
1,669 views, 39 comments

Latest by Starfury: I bought long enough ago that the current decline still means my places is 250%+ more in value than I more »

pests

Orkin "Lifetime Guarantee" Costs $214 A Year?

Chris writes,

Last year we had Orkin come and get rid of a termite problem in our 60 year old house. It is a small three bedroom house and we were putting concrete siding on and discovered some termite trails. We spent around $1,700 for what we were told by the sales man and his supervisor was a life time guarantee. Its been a year and I just got a bill for $214 including tax for the yearly Orkin termite service. I was told by customer service and my local Orkin office that in order to keep my lifetime guarantee I need to pay the $214 for as long as I live in the house.

More »

10:40 AM on Mon Feb 11 2008
By Chris Walters
4,928 views, 14 comments

Latest by GZA: Yup what you paid for was for the initial treatment. In order for them to cover any damages after more »

SUBSCRIBE TO Consumerist