Home prices continued to drop in November, according to the latest report that covers 20 cities across the country in its index. Out of those 20, 19 saw a decline, resulting in a 1.3% dip from the previous month in the index score. [More]
real estate
The Ins And Outs Of Short Sales
By 1.25.12
When you owe more than your ever-plummeting home is worth, a foreclosure or short sale — in which you sell the home for less than you owe — can seem like an attractive escape. The move may make financial sense, but it comes with repercussions to your credit and somewhat strict qualification parameters. [More]
Tips To Sell Your Home During Cold Months
By 1.9.12
It’s tough enough to sell a home when the weather is cooperating, and more difficult still when the cold keeps prospective buyers withdrawn and sluggish. But no matter what factors are stacked against sellers, some will find a way to get rid of their homes. [More]
What You Need To Know If You're Looking For Your First House
By 12.23.11
First-time home buyers are at a disadvantage. They typically lack experience with the real estate market and are eager to seal the deal and get into a house — any house — just to achieve the milestone. But behaving more like a someone who has already screwed up and learned from his mistakes will pay dividends. [More]
If You Can't Sell Your Home, Here Are Some Options
By 11.29.11
If you put your house on the market, there’s a great chance it will stay there for months, leaving you twisting in the wind as you decide what your next move will be. No matter how often you badger your real estate agent, the depressed housing market means buyers can be choosy, leaving otherwise attractive deals hang in the balance. [More]
California City Threatens Legal Action Against Residents With Fake Grass Lawns
By 11.17.11
Three months ago, the city of Glendale, CA, approved a ban on the use of artificial grass on residents’ front yards — and now authorities plan to go after folks who haven’t ripped up their faux greenery and replaced it with the real thing. [More]
BofA Says "Sorry" For Paying Your Real Estate Taxes Late
By 11.14.11
Banks are happy to jump all over you and ratchet up the fees when you’re late. But when they’re late, not so much. [More]
How A Professional Financial Planner Lost His House
By 11.9.11
I’ve always been fascinated by the old expression, “The Cobbler’s children have no shoes.” It refers to a person who is so concentrated on using their specific skill set to take care of others’ needs that they ignore their own. Carl Richards is a professional financial planner, a guy who people paid to manage their money. He shares how while in the middle of telling people what to do with their cash, he ended up buying way more house than he could afford and ended it up losing it all. It may be a long time before he and his wife can be homeowners again. [More]
New Wave Of Mortgage Defaults On Horizon
By 11.9.11
Some of the crappiest mortgages ever made were issued in 2006, and right now those 5-year introductory teaser periods are expiring. That’s leading to a 300% increase in monthly payments for already strapped borrowers, and it’s what’s driving the first increase in delinquent mortgages since 2009, a banking expert tells Credit.com. [More]
More Homeowners Sunk Underwater In Third Quarter
By 11.9.11
Overwhelmed homeowners looking for a life raft splashed around to no avail in the third quarter, but they did receive more company. According to Zillow, the amount of underwater homeowners — those who owed more than their home was worth — rose to 28.6 percent from 26.8 percent in the second quarter. [More]
While Getting House Financed, TWC Dings Score With Unauthorized Credit Report Pull
By 11.7.11
Shawn is peeved. He’s in the middle of securing financing on a new house and the last thing you need during that time period are any surprise people looking at your credit report. These inquiries can bring your score down. But he got exactly one of those, a “hard” one, thanks to an unauthorized peek-a-boo Time Warner Cable decided to do on his credit report when called them up to ask about reducing his cable package. [More]
Drone Helicopters Used To Sell High End Real Estate
By 11.1.11
Helicopter drones looking for work outside the military might look well to apply at their local real estate office for a job. Turns out they’re not just good for conducting unmanned aerial strikes against insurgents, drones can also be used to sell mansions, via in-depth tour videos made with cameras mounted to their frames. [More]
Triple Dip Predicted For Home Prices
By 10.31.11
Home prices are headed for yet a third bottom, their lowest yet, says a new report by financial analytics company Fiserv. [More]
US Expands Mortgage Refi Plan A Smidge
By 10.25.11
The federal government announced on Monday an update to a program for homeowners that would let borrowers who were underwater – owing more on the mortgage than the house is worth – to refinance their loans at the new historically low interest rates of almost 4%. [More]
Planting Trees Increase Value Of Rentals By $21 A Month
By 10.18.11
A new study by the U.S. Forest Service found that planting trees along the perimeter of a rental property increase the rates the landlord could charge by $21 a month. [More]
Escrow Company Error Lands Home In Foreclosure
By 10.11.11
When you’re buying a home, you fork over some cash to pay for title insurance to cover your butt in case there are any existing liens on the property. But what do you do when your home ends up in foreclosure because the company that’s supposed to be providing that insurance screws up royally and then tells you not to file a claim? [More]
Absentee Landlords Help Kill Philly Neighborhoods
By 9.30.11
Investors have been snatching up houses in Philly and then applying a “rent ’em n’ forget ’em” policy. Once-picturesque blocks where neighbors competed to have the nicest flowerbed have degenerated into ones where they seem to be fighting to see who can have the highest unmowed lawn. [More]
4 Debt Traps And How To Avoid Them
By 9.28.11
One of the best ways to keep out of debt is to be mindful of the many pitfalls that are waiting to swallow you up, and how best to avoid them. The problem is, some of these debt traps don’t look so deadly until you consider the consequences. [More]
