“Reality” real estate

December 6, 2009

As you might have guessed, those “reality shows” about real estate on channels like HGTV are not particularly real. Given that, is there something you can learn from them? Read more in the Chicago Tribune.
” ‘House Hunters’ is house candy,” [Chicago Realtor Eric] Rojas said. “It’s not realistic.
It’s directed. You don’t learn anything about buying. [...]

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Short sales

December 2, 2009

Selling a home below the current moertage amount create a “short” sale. This minimizes the damage to the seller’s credit and minimizes the financial loss of the lender, as well as minimizing the fall of the local market prices. Good for all, right? Except it takes a long time, and many buyers can’t or won’t [...]

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Mortgage rates at all-time low

November 30, 2009

“Thirty-year fixed-rate home mortgages averaged 4.78% during the week of
Nov. 23, an all-time low, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly surveys.” [Link]
This is good news for home buyers and potential sellers, especially given the extension of tax incentives. If you’re thinking about buying or selling, now might be the best time! Prices are low now, too, [...]

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Sea monsters in South Austin

November 29, 2009

LovelyListing.com shows this interesting property at 507 Leland in Austin. Give me a call if you’re interested, I’d love a chance to show it!

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More on the homebuyer tax credit

November 29, 2009

The Baltimore Sun has a good overview of the homebuyer tax credit, including five tips you’ll want to read, starting with “Don’t procrastinate.”
Getting your search started now will give you a better chance of finding the right house before the credit deadline. When first-time buyers thought the credit would expire Nov. 30, people scrambled to [...]

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Existing home sales are up

November 23, 2009

Existing home sales were up 10.1% in October, 23.5% over the previous October, thanks to the now-extended first time buyers’ home credit. [Link]
It’s not clear the surge represents a bottoming out of the housing market, as the sales are still not happening organically–that is to say, without a government incentive. And now that the [...]

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Federal First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit has been extended!

November 23, 2009

This time the tax credit isn’t just for First Time Homebuyers!
A new bill extended the tax credit of up to $8,000 through June 30, 2010, and opens new opportunities.
Even more people are now eligible, because the amount of income you can earn has increased. The program also offers those who already own homes the [...]

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Austin: best performing city in 2009

November 15, 2009

According to the Austin Business Journal, the Austin-Round Rock area was named best performing city on the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index. This is based on Austin’s ability to create and sustain jobs, considering metrics for employment, salary growth and technology output.
“Texas’ strong position in our best performing cities [...]

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Three proposed tax credit extensions

October 26, 2009

Three extensions of the tax credit for first-time home buyers have been proposed in the Senate. The hope is that a liberal extension of the amount as well as the length of time in effect will permanently raise the housing market to a sustainable level of activity before it is phased out or time runs [...]

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Energy efficiency for the middle class

October 21, 2009

Joe Biden is helping promote green jobs that stay at home, literally, through a proposal for a new program to boost energy savings for homeowners and help our environment, too.  The White House estimates greenhouse gas emissions could be lowered by up to 160 million metric tons by 2020.  Find more info in the Recovery [...]

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