1.U.S. Stocks Fluctuate as Investors Watch Ukraine Crisis
“U.S. stocks fluctuated, after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost the most in five weeks yesterday, as investors analyzed a drop in a gauge of consumer confidence and watched developments on Ukraine. “
2.When to pay off your mortgage aggressively
“The clear advantages of paying off your mortgage as quickly as possible have changed quite a bit over the past few years. The urgency to pay it off has somewhat diminished, as interest rates have plummeted to historical lows. It’s no longer the black and white decision it was back when interest rates hovered between 6% and 9%, and even the 11% to 13% we saw a couple of decades ago.”
3.Five things that could go wrong for markets: Bank of America Merrill Lynch
“Stocks are at an all-time high, bonds and foreign-exchange volatility is at one-year lows and 21 strategists expect the S&P 500 SPX -0.20% to finish the year above 1,850. What could possibly go wrong?”
4.Buffett: It would surprise me if stock prices drop 50%
“Warren Buffett told CNBC on Friday he would be “surprised a lot” if stock prices around the world fell 50 percent from their current levels in the near future.”
5.Mortgage Rates Edge Up, Remain Near Historic Lows
“WASHINGTON — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages rose last week but remained close to historically low levels.”
6.Real Estate Marketing Strategies: Do You Need To Be Lucky to Succeed?
“While working with one of my clients today, helping her to release her self-limiting beliefs; she brought up the old belief that she had been carrying for decades. “I have to be lucky to succeed.”
7.What Does Low Inventory Mean for Home Sellers?
“If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, you’ve probably heard all sorts of terminology thrown around, and some of it might seem a little confusing. Perhaps you’ve heard that it’s a “buyer’s market” or a “seller’s market.” But what do these terms actually mean and how can they influence your home sale?”
8.Akerman survey: Overwhelming majority of real estate execs confident in CRE market today
“Top real estate executives expect a stronger commercial real estate market in 2014. That’s the good news, and the most important takeaway, from the 2014 Akerman Real Estate Industry Outlook Survey.”
9.Why This 99-Year-Old Real Estate Agent Still Works Every Day
” Real estate agent Stewart Wade rises at 5:30 or 6 most mornings, swims 500-600 strokes in the Pacific, and then heads to work by 8 a.m. It’s pretty impressive for anyone, but especially for a 99-year-old.”
10.Redfin Real Estate Report: February Home Prices up 13%; Sales Drop 10.3%
“Home sales continued to be sluggish in February, and decreasing affordability is holding back would-be buyers, according to Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. Slow sales have been largely attributed to low inventory for months, but many markets have now seen inventory rise while sales continue to fall. Several markets along the West Coast have seen sharp increases in inventory, yet home sales in the West fell 13.4 percent year over year, hitting their lowest point in five years in the first two months of 2014, while prices rose 19.1 percent year over year. Across 19 markets nationwide, prices rose 13 percent over last year, while home sales dropped by 10.3 percent. “