Foreclosure Articles

The Homeowner’s Voice - 09/25/2013
With homeownership rates on the decline, a newly established national alliance wants to be the voice in Washington for those who own. America’s Homeowner Alliance is the first-of-its-kind lobbying group charged with protecting and advancing the rights and interests of America’s homeowners. It calls itself a nonpartisan...Read More

How to Remake a Bedroom - 11/04/2009
A Realtor with whom I have worked for many years asked me to meet with the owners of a cute, Arts and Crafts period home. They wanted to maximize their sale price so they could invest in a larger home in another state, and they knew they'd need to take care of some deferred maintenance and stage it. Their home was charming but small, and it...Read More

Investors Provide Certainty for Sellers, Frustration for Buyers - 06/30/2021
“Will I ever beat the competition?” That’s the question home buyers, waiting in lines to enter an open house, only to have their offer rejected again, are asking themselves. Frustrated shoppers, go easy on yourself. Currently, says Rick Palacios Jr., principal of John Burns Real Estate Consulting,...Read More

Keeping Your 4K Ultra HD TV? Put It In Writing - 02/10/2016
Gourmet cooks covet their ovens and clean freaks dote on their front-loaders, but most Americans would probably agree there’s one appliance they love above all others: the TV. And when the attachment not just emotional, but physical – like a big screen TV attached to a wall – the smart homeowner need a plan for what...Read More

Real Estate Gets Greener - 05/03/2017
When it comes to buying or selling a home, it can pay to be green. Those are the results of a new study released by the National Association of Realtors. The 2017 Realtors and Sustainability report found that over half clients (56 percent) express interest in sustainable issues and practices. Four out of five realtors (80 percent)...Read More

Down Payments on the Rise - 12/07/2016
In a positive signs for the market, the residential real estate market continues to heat up, and the average down payment is growing. The percentage of first-time homebuyers is also on the rise, according to a new report from online loan marketplace LendingTree.com. The average down payment amount – when compared to the total home...Read More

Still Paying High Rates - 10/17/2012
Despite record-low mortgage interest rates available for the past few years, far too many borrowers are holding onto high-interest loans. That’s the alarming conclusion of a recent CoreLogic study, which reveals that approximately 69 percent of American homeowners had mortgage interest rates higher than 5 percent and a third had rates...Read More

Find the Right Senior Community - 07/15/2015
Demand for age-restricted communities continues to rise, and now older adults have more options than ever, with communities that fit every lifestyle. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that the number of households headed by someone age 55-plus will increase through 2019 to account for more than 45 percent of all U.S....Read More

A Profitable Take On Home Buying - 03/14/2018
If you profit from a stock trade, or were an early Bitcoin buyer who cashed in, you’ll face a tax on your gain. But when you buy a home, and later profit on the sale, you can escape tax. Indeed, the exemption allowing single homeowners $250,000 and married homeowners $500,000 in tax-free profits from a primary home sale was left...Read More

Falling Foreclosures - 11/20/2013
Here’s a bit of encouraging news for the real estate market: Foreclosure rates are further shrinking, according to the latest report from CoreLogic, a real estate data source. In fact, foreclosure inventory (homes in some current stage of foreclosure) and completed foreclosures are down, respectively, 33 and 39 percent nationally from...Read More

Equity Unease - 05/23/2018
Thanks to appreciating home prices, many homeowners are worth more now than they were a few years ago. And, ten million of them will spend some of their housing wealth through a home equity line of credit (HELOC) by 2023, predicts a J.D. Power report. But many owners, remembering the foreclosure crisis, will have to convince themselves that...Read More

Family Becomes Impetus For A Long-Distance Move - 12/16/2020
Maybe it’s the months of FaceTime, but no face-to-face contact. Or, maybe it’s suddenly become clear that you don’t want to travel hundreds of miles to see cherished family members. Whatever the reason, this pandemic year is getting families thinking about moving nearer each other. “This has been especially for...Read More

What’s Right For You? - 09/05/2012
The first question Newport Beach, Calif., architect David Kosco asks new clients is, “How formal are you?” The answer can tell a home designer a lot about a family’s needs. “You find out if they require separate spaces, which are necessary for a more formal lifestyle – like a dining room for formal...Read More

Home Prices Keep Rising, Slowly - 08/27/2014
Home prices across the country continue to increase, but at a more moderate pace, per the findings of the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index survey—a leading indicator of U.S. home prices. The composite indices – one measuring 10 cities, the other 20 cities – gained, respectively, 9.4 percent and 9.3...Read More

Where Today’s Down Payment Comes From - 11/16/2011
With the housing crash in the wake of the financial industry meltdown, gone are the days when most homebuyers could squeak by with a tiny down payment. Today, many lenders require a minimum down payment of at least 20 percent – which begs the question, where are buyers getting the extra funds needed nowadays? According to the...Read More

Parking Profits - 07/01/2009
Many buyers who purchase a condominium, townhouse or other multifamily attached home appreciate one of the biggest perks of homeownership: the reserved parking space or attached garage that comes with the unit. But while parking privileges are relished by most, some home shoppers may not have much use for it, particularly if they...Read More

Reading Between the Lines: Floor Plans Crucial to Listings - 08/11/2021
Increasingly, buyers have multiple ways to view a home: in-person, a virtual tour, a 3-D tour, a slide show. But a relatively simple two-dimensional drawing – the floor plan -- offers unique insights into how you’d live within those lines. The public is becoming more familiar with floor plans, which are distinct from a...Read More

More Value Becoming Less Important to homeowners - 12/30/2015
“Are we rich yet?” While they may not actually voice that question, economists say that homeowners experience a “wealth effect,” feeling better off when their home value rises and equity builds. According to a recent report from Moody’s Analytics, at the end of the second quarter of 2015, home equity per...Read More

Renters Caught in Price Spirals Have Limited Options - 09/01/2021
Bidding wars between homebuyers who are paying thousands over list price is the real estate headline of 2021. But renters haven’t exactly had it easy, either. Nationwide rates on all apartments jumped 6.3 percent at the end of June 2021 from the previous year, according to Yardi Matrix. Typically, rises are 2.5 to 3 percent, notes...Read More

The Best Use For Your Money - 05/20/2015
It takes dedication and discipline to save for a down payment. Once potential buyers accumulated those precious dollars, they will want to allocate every dime to their best advantage. Surprisingly, that may mean diverting some cash to other purposes. Consider: The lower a borrower’s credit score, the higher the interest rate on...Read More

Consumer Alert - 12/19/2012
In a down economy, many parties offer to help people who struggle with bills and debt – but some are more scrupulous than others. According to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, debt settlement scams are the No. 1 threat facing deeply indebted Americans today. As few as one in 10 consumers who sign up for...Read More

Post-Recession Trends - 12/04/2013
Home values are slowly picking up after the Great Recession, though they’re nowhere near pre-recession levels. A closer look at home values shows that they declined in large counties but held steady in smaller counties after the most recent recession, according to new findings from the U.S. Census Bureau and American Community...Read More

Honest information sells homes in flood zones - 06/15/2022
Sellers aim to present their home in its best light. So, it’s only natural that if a home is in a flood zone, sellers hope that fact escapes notice. Counter-intuitively, real estate agents say buyers are reassured with information about the risks. For one thing, if an unsuspecting buyer does fall in love with the home, he’ll...Read More

Time for Taxes - 02/08/2017
Some of the most important tax write-offs available exclusively to those who own homes (including, in many cases, vacation or second homes) are: • Mortgage and home loan interest deductibility. You can deduct the interest on a mortgage of up to $1 million used to purchase a home, as well as the interest on a home equity loan of up to...Read More

Open a New Window - 06/16/2010
Thinking of going another summer without replacing those old windows? Well, now actually might be the time to act. Not only are efficiences better than ever, but a $1,500 tax credit also is available for qualified windows installed by the end of 2010. Steve Linton, director of sustainable technologies at Deltec Homes in Asheville, N.C.,...Read More

What’s Affordable? Check Your Own Paycheck’s Power - 02/09/2022
Affordability is one consideration every homebuyer contends with. Whether it’s a family with $80,000 in total income or a retiree who’s amassed a multi-million dollar nest egg, certain homes are available to them only if they can swing the expense. That’s why the “affordability index” has long been a staple...Read More

Optimistic About Ownership - 03/09/2011
Regardless of the prolonged real estate slump, the dream of homeownership hasn't faded, according to a recent Fannie Mae survey. Fifty-one percent of homeowners and renters reveal that the housing crisis has not impacted their desire to buy, and approximately 27 percent indicate the recent slump and actually made them more likely to buy -...Read More

Uphill Battle: Buying a Home Amid Rising Rates - 04/13/2022
A “pre-approval letter” is like a license to buy a home; without it, a seller won’t take a buyer seriously. A pre-approval is a statement from a specific lender on how big a mortgage loan they’ll extend. Keep in mind though that pre-approval letters have a short shelf life. After a couple of years of flat and...Read More

The Sewerless Solution - 10/15/2008
For millions of American homeowners, flushing a toilet is an act that's taken for granted. You simply push down on the little silver handle and walk away without giving it a second thought. But not every owner has it so easy. Some properties are situated in rural and underdeveloped areas that aren't served by a public sewage treatment...Read More

Gray Is Starting To Fade Away - 10/28/2020
Homebuyers can feel as if they’re moving through a dense fog, trying to distinguish one all-gray interior from another. Now, the fog is lifting, revealing some of nature’s warmer tones and crisp whites and darks. Gray, which circa 2010 became “the” color for walls and other home elements, is getting stale. ...Read More

The Perfect Renter - 10/10/2012
The rental market is heating up, and now is a busy time in a lot of rental-heavy communities. Prospective renters need to get their papers in order and act fast to snatch up vacant apartments. According to the National Apartment Association, several areas around the country are hot rental markets, experiencing an increase in annual rent...Read More

Loan vs. Credit - 07/09/2008
Life, as they say, is filled with difficult choices. Paper or plastic? Blonde or brunette? Chocolate or vanilla? Home-equity loan or home-equity line of credit? Whether you’re looking for extra cash to remodel your house or need extra help purchasing a newer one, a home-equity line of credit (HELOC) or home-equity loan (HEL) can do...Read More

Stepping into the Rental World - 06/24/2009
Summer is prime moving time for America’s renters, as they take advantage of both the weather and the vacancies left by students and seasonal workers returning home. This season promises to be especially busy for landlords and the truck-rental industry: With home values and the job market still on shaky ground, an increasing number...Read More

How Paying More Can Benefit Buyers Later - 03/22/2023
You found the home you love, priced at $515,000. You aim to bargain the seller down to $495, 000; but you wind up settling at an even $500,000. To assuage your regret that you’re paying more than you hoped, consider this: You may recoup that $5,000 and more when you later sell. That’s “because the final price has a...Read More

Appraisal Values Lag - 02/22/2017
For the second month in a row, homeowners found a gap between their estimates for their homes’ value and appraiser’s opinions. Numbers from Quicken Loans’ National Home Price Perception Index showed average appraisals were 1.47 percent lower than homeowner estimates in January. Even though the overall values dropped,...Read More

Breaking the Bank - 02/27/2013
Rent payments, utility bills, groceries and transportation – the numerous costs of living can make it difficult to stay on track financially. A recent survey by website Rent.com of 1,000 U.S. renters found that although 74 percent of renters keep a monthly budget, 61 percent still spend more money than they make each month. According...Read More

Fed Red Flag - 02/01/2017
For only the second time since 2006, the Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point last December and also forecast three possible further rate increases in 2017 – likely causing many to rethink their New Year’s resolutions to buy, sell, or refinance sooner rather than later. While a Fed rate hike...Read More

Homing In On Spending Priorities - 07/27/2016
She wants a big kitchen. He’s adamant that a two-car garage is an absolute must-have. Not a problem, as long as they can find a place fitting those specifications within their price range. But that last point – how much to pay for a home – is a more complex, and potentially more contentious item on which male and female...Read More

Frugal Fixes for Your Yard - 05/13/2009
Almost everyone knows that great curb appeal is a major come-on in selling a house, but some of the projects that inspire the biggest oohs and aahs in a yard - an all-sod lawn, mature trees, water features and fancy outdoor kitchens - can add up quickly. Yet, there's so much that can be done to make a landscape appealing both to...Read More

Saving for a Rainy Day? - 02/11/2015
Although a majority of Americans maintain a household budget, just 38 percent have enough savings to pay for unexpected expenses according to a recent Bankrate.com report. This lack of savings is problematic for the Americans’ financial well-being because even small expenses like an emergency room visit or car repair can undermine...Read More

Trending Down - 11/03/2010
The shift in square-footage status is only the beginning when it comes to the "less is more" trend going on in housing. The recent "Characteristics of Single-Family Homes Started in 2009" study by the National Association of Home Builders' Housing Economics found the median size of a new single-family home to be 2,100 square feet, down from...Read More

Extra Credit: Paying More Than Due Helps Mortgage Approval - 07/06/2016
Knocking off more credit card debt every month may now be a better deal for anyone looking to buy a home. Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprise that buys mortgages and sets rules on how to assess the risk of loan applicants, is rolling out revised underwriting software that rewards those who make more than the minimum required...Read More

Homeownership Seen as a Little Less Thrilling Come Tax Day - 05/25/2016
Pay rent and “you’re throwing money away.” Like many adages, this one contains a kernel of truth. But that kernel has shrunk a bit, considering that, for many home owners, the tax advantage of buying has vanished. Homeownership traditionally delivered income tax savings because a homeowner’s mortgage interest...Read More

The Dorm Alternative - 06/01/2011
A college education comes at a steep price, but some parents hope to turn the expense into a profit by purchasing housing for their student. In fact, real estate professionals have even coined the term "kiddie condo" to describe this phenomenon (which is somewhat of a misnomer because parents buy the homes). With the housing downturn,...Read More

Household Holiday Cheer - 12/11/2013
Renters are feeling more fiscally comfortable this year, according to a survey by apartment listing website Rent.com, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll tip building staff. The doormen (and women), cleaning staff and other people working to manage apartment buildings shouldn’t get their hopes up this holiday season,...Read More

Hopeful Buyers’ Big Question: Help? - 12/09/2015
How do you ask a question when no one wants to talk about the subject? Often, it’s quite clumsily, without much effort at sparking an honest exchange. That’s what Dave Hardin, of Hardin Financial Group in Troy, Michigan, has observed after working with parents whose adult children have asked for money to assist with a down...Read More

Preferable Communities - 04/27/2011
What makes a great neighborhood in America? Mixed use and walkability, for starters. According to the recent "Community Preference Survey" from the National Association of Realtors, 56 percent of respondents said they prefer smart-growth neighborhoods to ones that require more driving between home, work and recreation. Of these...Read More

The new retirement goal: be with the grandbabies - 03/17/2021
Retiring, relocating Baby Boomers are drawn to the Southeast and Southwest, where there’s “desirable weather and relatively affordable new housing,” finds a survey from Zonda, a housing research firm. No surprise there, except that the poll of 15,000 relocating Boomers shopping for a newly constructed home found that 25...Read More

The Big Payoff - 04/18/2018
Like many of his customers during the past few years of ultra-low mortgage rates, Charles Chedester of Iowa-based Midwest Family Lending refinanced his 30-year mortgage into a fifteen-year loan so he’d be mortgage-free by retirement. Mortgages with shorter terms usually cost more per month than a 30-year mortgage since more principal...Read More

Straightening Out Your Home, One Wire at a Time - 09/17/2008
They’re dirty and unsightly and we do our best to pretend they’re not there. They lurk in corners, peek out behind our couches and gather dust bunnies and spider webs to annoy us. We’re talking about those nasty tangles of twisted cords and wires that clutter up our homes. Lamps, stereos, clock radios and computers are...Read More