ReviewJournal - Real Estate Features

Spring Awakening

Feedloader — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:10:08 GMT

The advent of spring has unleashed a new lease on life for the housing market. Sales are up. Inventory is down. Prices – which have been hovering at the bottom for a while – are now slowly rising. So are bank-issued mortgages.

Project Nation

Feedloader — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:10:07 GMT

Willingness to undertake a home remodeling project might depend heavily upon where you live – because where you live plays a major role in how much that remodel might cost.

Lien On Me

Feedloader — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:10:07 GMT

QUESTION:

Top of the Class

Feedloader — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:10:07 GMT

What makes some homes sell quickly? Often, it’s not the amenities of the home itself; it’s the school district in which the property stands.

Green Building: What’s Next?

Feedloader — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:10:06 GMT

They’re of higher quality, and they save consumers money.

Partial-Payment Problems

Feedloader — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:10:06 GMT

>QUESTION: Why is it OK for mortgage companies to reject partial payments when a borrower is behind? It seems to me that it’s bad business and not too good for the economy.

What Boomers Want

Feedloader — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:10:07 GMT

For baby boomers who have come to expect the best, they’re now thinking about making their older years the healthiest. Many have or will design or remodel their existing homes with universal design principals to make aging in them more practical and safe, such as lower countertops, wider entries and hallways, and curbless showers. But there also are new in-home technological advances that will make boomers’ lives easier – and healthier.

How Do Owners Refinance?

Feedloader — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:10:06 GMT

>QUESTION:

In an earlier column you said that rather than walkaway from a property, an owner would be better off staying and refinancing. That sounds good, but lenders do not make loans to underwater borrowers, so how can an owner refinance?

FHA: Pay Down Debt First

Feedloader — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:10:06 GMT

If you’re thinking about applying for a mortgage loan from the Federal Housing Administration – or refinancing your current loan – you may soon have a new roadblock. If you owe more than $1,000 in debt that’s in collection, an FHA loan will be off limits to you starting this summer, due to a controversial new rule that goes into effect July 1.

Supply-Side Strategies

Feedloader — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:10:07 GMT

The law of supply and demand is so basic to economics that even a kid running a lemonade stand gets the concept: More buyers vying for limited inventory pushes prices up.

Agents: What is Their Role?

Feedloader — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:10:07 GMT

>QUESTION:

In your comments regarding strategic walkaways you say that a contract is a contract, the collateral is the property, and if a borrower does not pay, the lender can get back the house. What has been the role of real estate brokers and salespeople in the mortgage meltdown?

The Steps to Affordability

Feedloader — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:10:07 GMT

The NAHB’s Housing Affordability Pyramid offers a look at how many U.S. households can afford homes in various price ranges

More IRAs Housing Homes

Feedloader — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:10:07 GMT

If not at bottom, real estate is certainly beaten down, and a small but growing number of individuals are betting that buying a property now and keeping it tucked within an individual retirement account will yield gains for their future retirement.

Family-Friendly Rentals

Feedloader — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:10:07 GMT

What makes a comfortable, functional family home?

Sold ... But Taxed?

Feedloader — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:10:07 GMT

>QUESTION:

I read an article that stated the Health Bill includes a provision whereby, after 2012, a 3.8-percent sales tax will be imposed on the sale of all houses. Any truth to this?

Family-Friendly Rentals

Feedloader — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:10:07 GMT

What makes a comfortable, functional family home?

Sold ... But Taxed?

Feedloader — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:10:07 GMT

>QUESTION:

I read an article that stated the Health Bill includes a provision whereby, after 2012, a 3.8-percent sales tax will be imposed on the sale of all houses. Any truth to this?

More IRAs Housing Homes

Feedloader — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:10:06 GMT

Home Improvement

Feedloader — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:43:22 GMT

It’s not just the overall average size of the new American homes that are shrinking – down to 2,377 square feet last year from 2,438 square feet the year before, according to the National Association of Home Builders – but the stuff that goes in it, too.

All About the 'Boom'

Feedloader — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:43:21 GMT

Over the next two decades, baby boomers and their children, the echo boomers, will be the major players in the housing market