For aspiring home owners who find their goal difficult, newly enacted legislation providing a tax credit of as much as $7,500 for first-time home buyers might just be the opportunity of a lifetime. But like so many of the good things in life, time is of the essence for buyers who want to take advantage …
Housing bill & first time home buyers
Attention First Time Home Buyers RISMEDIA, August 12, 2008-Buying smart in today’s market got a little easier recently following the signing of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 by President Bush. There are significant benefits aimed at helping buyers, such as a repayable first-time home-buyer tax credit. First-time buyers are important to the …
New Carbon Monoxide Law Passes
What You Need To Know When Selling It is quite possible that MN Stat. 299.51 snuck up on you and your clients like carbon monoxide – silently. Although this new state mandate had received some attention during the legislative session, word of the new law (effective August 1, 2008 for existing single-family homes) and its …
Why does my stuff matter anyway?
Because it does. OK that’s not a complete answer and it would be a boring blog to end it there. The question is “why does my stuff matter?” What we are speaking of is the stuff in your home, the stuff in your yard and the stuff buyer’s have to look at. Step around and …
Rockford Market For July 2008
Rockford home sales for July 2008 have been a little slower than past years however Rockford properties are still selling. 4 single family Rockford homes went into “pending” status at the end of July (50% of which our office sold) and 3 Town homes sold. The Rockford town homes that sold were located in The …
Federal Reserve Update 7/22/2008
Fed Pauses — You Shouldn’t The Federal Reserve, taking a break from its aggressive rate-cutting policy, chose not to alter key interest rates Wednesday, leaving the Fed Funds rate at 2.00% and everyone wondering where interest rates are headed next. Since last September, the Fed has cut rates seven times for a total of 3.25%. …
Minneapolis Homes – A Great Time To Buy
Minneapolis real estate is a great investment in today’s market. Some Minneapolis neighborhoods have home values well in the range of first time home buyers who may have been otherwise unable to afford a Minneapolis home just 1 or 2 years ago. You can search Minneapolis MLS listed homes here and even be specific about …
Mortgage Market News Ending July 18/08
Last week, the stock market declined and mortgage rates fell, as investors worried about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and oil prices reached record highs. In a pivotal reversal, the opposite took place this week. With increased confidence in the financial sector and lower oil prices, the Dow gained over 400 points. As investors returned …
Bank Short Sale Information
Most banks are buried in short sale requests and requests for loan adjustments and they have thousands of houses that they have taken back in foreclosure as of today. Mortgage lenders to offer short sale information is hard to come by but I will offer some pointers that you may find helpful. First, recognize a …
Market – Stock & Rates
It looked better than it really is … I am referencing the June housing start number that posted a staggering 9.1% gain. The outsized jump in housing starts was due primarily to a change in New York City’s building codes. New York City enacted a new set of construction codes effective July 1, that almost …