Category: Around the Web

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. “

1.The Numbers Every Home Buyer Needs to Know Now

“What’s your number? If you are a home buyer and can’t answer this question, it’s time to hit the pause button before getting too far in the process.”

2.Zombie foreclosures still weighing on housing markets
“Foreclosures have hit their lowest level in years, yet many cities report they are still struggling with the blight of “zombie foreclosures.” “

3.Applications for New Home Purchases Increased in February 2014

“WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2014) — The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) estimates sales of new single-family homes were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 533,000 units in February 2014, based on data from MBA’s Builder Applications Survey (BAS). “

4.REAL ESTATE: February home sales lackluster, as prices continue to rise
“Real estate signs that herald the sale of a house and its escrow status have become more commonplace in the Riverside County region. Although a stronger pool of buyers in 2013 and early 2014 has led to advertised transactions like these, real estate professionals describe the inventory as of February as constrained. “

5.Seattle home sales drop 5% in past year
“Home sales in Seattle have dropped slightly more than 5 percent in the past year, but that’s less than the national average drop of more than 10 percent.”

6.Investors and the DC Real Estate Market
“I wanted to find an investment property that I could fix up and rent out. Can you help me with that?”

7.Real estate agents can safely ignore people with things to sell who position themselves as experts
“Sometimes the companies that build technology for real estate agents and the “experts” who make a living giving us advice don’t seem to understand what our clients actually expect of us.”

8.February foreclosure filings fell by 10 percent from January
“U.S. foreclosure filings in February fell to the level in more than seven years, and dropped 10 percent from January, RealtyTrac reported Thursday.”

9.New Millennium Realty – RebateState Announces Rebates for Buyers and Sellers
“Layton, Utah March 2014- New Millennium Realty – RebateState (http://www.rebatestate.com) is revolutionizing the way people buy and sell homes in Utah by offering both buyers and sellers rebate checks up to a 40%.”

10.Foreclosure starts drop to 8-year low
“Foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 112,498 U.S. properties in February, a 10 percent decrease from January and down 27 percent from February 2013 to the lowest monthly total since December 2006 — a more than seven-year low, according to a report Wednesday night from foreclosure information company RealtyTrac Inc. of Irvine.”

11.Foreclosures Hit Lowest Level Since 2006, Says RealtyTrac
“Foreclosure activity dropped in February to its lowest level in more than seven years, data released by RealtyTrac today shows. A total of 112,498 foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions—were recorded during the month. That’s the lowest level since December 2006.”

12.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.”

13.Zombie Foreclosures: The Vacant Dead
“One in every five homes in the foreclosure process is sitting vacant, abandoned by the distressed homeowner and not yet repossessed by the foreclosing lender. With no one to maintain them, these zombie foreclosures are falling into disrepair, attracting vandalism and other crime and dragging down the values of nearby homes in the neighborhood.”

14.Premium placement of listing agents’ contact info at odds with who deserves consumer leads

“Real estate agents, broker-owners and multiple listing services are rightfully concerned about two major issues when it comes to syndication to listing portals: data accuracy and an issue that has become known as “the three-headed monster.”

15.After Rising Last Month, Foreclosures Snap Back to 8 Year Low

“After spiking 8 percent in January, foreclosures filings have resumed their downward spiral RealtyTrac said today.  Its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for February notes that filings, including default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions or completed foreclosures, decreased by 10 percent from January and were 27 percent below levels one year earlier.  There were a total of 112,498 filings during the month, the lowest monthly total since December 2006. “

16.West Coast Home Sales Hit Lowest Point in Five Years
“The Redfin Real Estate Real-Time Price Tracker is a monthly report on home prices, inventory and sales volume that offers a clear and current read on the U.S. real estate market, coming weeks or months ahead of other market reports. As a brokerage with access to Multiple Listing Services (MLSs), Redfin gets data within minutes of a sale, pending sale or listing activation, well before any government, media or analytics organization.”

17.Freddie Mac: Mortgage rates on 30-year loan rise from 4.28% to 4.37%
“Mortgage rates edged higher early this week, with Freddie Mac’s survey showing lenders offering 30-year fixed-rate loans to solid borrowers at 4.37%, up from 4.28% a week earlier.”

18.Southern California home prices flat, sales tumble in February

“Southern California home prices held steady last month while sales tumbled to a six-year low, further evidence that the market has stalled after a torrid rebound.”

Tonyalvarez.com

1. Three reasons the White House is optimistic on growth
“The U.S. economy in the next two years is well positioned for growth assuming no adverse shocks or bad policy decisions.”

2.NAR Generational Trends Study Shows Confidence in Market, Some Challenges

“WASHINGTON (March 11, 2014) – Young home buyers remain optimistic and see their home as a good investment, while older buyers are more likely to trade down to a smaller property to match changing lifestyles, according to the 2014 National Association of Realtors® Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study, which evaluates the generational differences of recent home buyers and sellers.”

3.Mortgage Credit Availability Increases Slightly in February

“WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 11, 2014) — Mortgage credit availability increased slightly in February according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from the AllRegs® Market Clarity® product. “For the third month in a row, mortgage lenders and investors slightly expanded credit offerings in February on net, as a result of offsetting factors,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s Chief Economist.  .  Specifically, the recently implemented QM/ATR sections of the new CFPB regulations stipulate that ARM loans must qualify at the highest allowable rate for the first five years of the loan.  As a result, many investors have discontinued loans whose interest rate adjusts after only 3 year (also known as 3/1 ARMS).  While there was significant pull-back on these 3/1 programs, lenders and investors added several new 5+ year ARM programs, including those for Jumbo loans, to their repertoire resulting in a net increase to the MCAI.” “

4.Securitizing mortgage advances market set to boom

“The market for administering, financing and securitizing advances will grow from $4.5 billion in 2013 to as much as $25 billion in 2014, according to the morning panel on the topic at the Information Management Network’s first-ever Residential Mortgage Servicing Rights conference.”

5.Mid-Atlantic real estate agents expect spring home sales, prices to rise

“A new survey by Rockville market research firm MRIS found that 71 percent of mid-Atlantic real estate professionals predict transactions will increase this year from 2013. Some 82 percent project average home sale prices will also increase”

6.Here’s How Much Real Estate A Million Dollars Buys You In Every Major US City

“How much housing you can buy with a million dollars very much depends on what city you are looking to buy in.”

7.American Real Estate Investors Academy Student Makes $15,000 On His First Real Estate Deal
“A student in the American-REIA apprentice program just closed his first deal. The student had no previous real estate investing experience and his profit was $15,000.”

8.Private Lender Announces New Texas-Focused Hard Money Loan Offerings
“Leading private hard money lender announces offering of new hard money and bridge loan services for Texas-based real estate investments.”

9.Are you ready for deflation?

” For a generation, western investors have been haunted by the fear of inflation. Anyone who remembers the crazy 1970s, when prices rose by double-digits each year in most developed countries, flinches at the memory.”

10.Boarded-up, abandoned, foreclosed homes fading into memory in Sacramento
“At the height of the foreclosure crisis, roughly one in 20 homes in the Sacramento region were vacant and for sale, one of the highest rates in the nation, census figures show.”

11.Economic confidence sags to lowest level of the year
“Americans’ economic confidence continued to drop last week, according to a new survey by Gallup Inc.”

12.San Diego Home Prices & Values

“The median home value in San Diego is $473,300. San Diego home values have gone up 14.5% over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 4.5% within the next year.”

13.Study suggests MLS played little or no role in nearly half of 2013 home sales
“SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — What’s the fate of multiple listing services, if nearly half of all homes sold last year were never listed in an MLS or were listed only after a buyer had already been lined up?”

14.Redfin adds new-home listings sourced from NewHomeSource.com
“Redfin users can now search thousands of new-home listings from NewHomeSource.com in the 23 markets where the online brokerage and referral site operates.”

15.As vacancy falls, market conditions continue to tighten in Southeast Wisconsin
“Conditions continue to tighten in the Southeast Wisconsin submarket, as vacancy has dropped below 8 percent and only 10 options for more than 100,000 square feet of contiguous space are currently available, according to a recent industrial market report by NAI Hiffman.”

 

http://www.tonyalvarez.com/

1.Markets Overview

“With little U.S. economic or corporate news on the docket Monday, investors were keeping an eye on the rest of the world to get a sense of where the market is headed”

2.Weather-adjusted, February’s job report was a hiring bonanza
“If it weren’t for the cold and snow, February’s jobs report would have registered as the strongest monthly gain in nearly four years. Adjusted for the weather, the economy added 468,000 jobs in February. (For how I calculated that, read this.) That would rank as the second-best monthly jobs gain since the end of the recession.”

3.Tax reform proposal would cut many real estate deductions

“Many long-standing home real estate tax benefits would be eliminated or sharply reduced under Rep. Dave Camp’s tax overhaul plan.”

4.Westhus Reaping Fannie Windfall to Rival Big Short: Mortgages

“Soros broke the Bank of England in 1992 by betting on the devaluation of the British pound, netting $1 billion. Paulson took home $15 billion, anticipating the collapse of subprime debt that contributed to the financial crisis. Now, Westhus is trying to transform the $9.4 trillion U.S. mortgage market. The 38-year-old hedge fund partner was the mastermind of Perry Capital LLC’s 2010 purchase of Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac preferred shares at 2 cents on the dollar. Back then, the mortgage giants were just about given up for dead. Today, the companies are profitable and their shares have soared 24-fold. “

5.Real estate – Silicon Valley’s next great tech market

“Real estate, as an industry, is one of the biggest there is. Collectively, real estate holdings account for about $1 trillion, the second largest asset class after stocks. “

6.How to get the best deal buying a new house

“Prices of homes are expected to tick up again this year, and mortgage rates are due to creep up, too. And that’s on top of the increases already experienced over the past year”

7.Housing Recovery Expected to Press On Despite Recent Volatility in Consumer Attitudes

“WASHINGTON, DC – Americans’ outlook on housing and the economy has fluctuated somewhat during the past few months, but the trend for most indicators remains positive overall, according to Fannie Mae’s February 2014 National Housing Survey results. Notably, respondents’ home price expectations climbed significantly in February – with 50 percent saying home prices will go up in the next year – following a measurable downturn in January, while the share of those who believe it is a good time to buy a home ticked up by 3 percentage points. At the same time, those who believe that it would be easy to get a mortgage dropped 7 percentage points from January’s all-time survey high of 52 percent. Additionally, the share of respondents who say the economy is on the wrong track increased 3 percentage points to 57 percent in February, following a four-month decline. Despite a decrease in optimism across some of the indicators last month, consumer attitudes remain in generally positive ranges.”

8.Size of New Homes Getting Bigger

“As the economy slowly recovers, America’s love affair with oversized homes continues to grow. According to a new Census Bureau  report, the average and median size of a new home has grown significantly in the past few years. “

9.Consumer confidence in housing still trending upwards

“Despite some recent volatility, consumer sentiment towards the housing market continues to trend upwards, Fannie Mae report10.Accuracy in real estate listings: Data errors raise concerns over legal damages, responsibilitys.”

10.Accuracy in real estate listings: Data errors raise concerns over legal damages, responsibility

“The Combined Los Angeles/Westside Multiple Listing Service (CLAW) recently decided to delay syndicating its listings to portals such as Trulia and Zillow by 48 hours.”

11.Housing Recovery Continuing, but not yet Robust -Fannie Survey

“Americans expectations regarding home prices ticked up decisively in February, both in terms of anticipating continued price increases and in the size of such gains.  Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey results released on Monday showed an increase of 7 percentage points to 50 percent in the share of survey respondents who expect home prices to rise over the next 12 months, more than bouncing back from a 6 percentage point downturn in January.  Among that 50 percent, the average size of the expected price gain jumped to 3.2 percent from 2.0 percent in January.”

12.Housing Scorecard Focuses on Principal Reduction Program

“The February edition of the Obama Administrations Housing Scorecard was released late Friday by the Departments of Treasury and Housing and Urban Development along with the monthly report, for January, of the Making Home Affordable (MHA) program.  The scorecard notes that purchases of new homes rose, foreclosure completions continued their downward trend, and house prices were stable.”

13.Latest on Fannie & Freddie; Stearns Takes #1 Wholesale Spot; Servicing ValuePrimer

“Every lender & servicer, and therefore borrower, is influenced by the price of servicing. And in recent months we have all seen large blocks of servicing being sold and bought. I received this note on the topic: “Rob, I have a basic understanding of how the price of a loan is based on the value of the asset – basically the coupon passed through – plus the value of the servicing. The value of the asset is based on the bond market, but what makes up the value of the servicing?” I will be very brief, since very lengthy documents have been written about valuing servicing. And easy way to explain it to someone else is in terms of cash flow: there is more value in a series of payments that last a long time, and are safe – just like anything else.”

14.Real Estate ETFs Asset Inflows Already Surpass All Of 2013

“Investors have funneled more money into real estate exchange traded funds so far this year than all of 2013 as interest rates level off and property values strengthen.”

 

9 Questions To Ask Before Buying Your First Home

“While the dream of home ownership may have taken a beating during the recent recession, a majority of Americans still say that buying a house is in their life plan.”

Buy vs. rent: What you’ll pay in the 10 biggest cities

“Despite rising home prices and climbing mortgage rates, it’s still cheaper to buy a home than rent one in major cities across the country, according to real estate web site Trulia, which analyzed data in 100 metro areas.”

How to Know If a Neighborhood Is Gentrifying

“Bargains may be few and far between in the current real estate market, but buyers can get a deal if they are willing to purchase a home in an up-and-coming neighborhood. But discovering a neighborhood with potential can be tricky.”

Questions You Need to Ask a Real Estate Agent

“Real estate agents are key to buying or selling a home, but not all agents are created equal.”

What The Home-Price Slowdown Really Looks Like

“The Trulia Price Monitor and the Trulia Rent Monitor are the earliest leading indicators of how asking prices and rents are trending nationally and locally. They adjust for the changing mix of listed homes and therefore show what’s really happening to asking prices and rents. Because asking prices lead sales prices by approximately two or more months, the Monitors reveal trends before other price indexes do. With that, here’s the scoop on where prices and rents are headed.”

Michael Milken: How Housing Policy Hurts the Middle Class

“The American dream traditionally meant that anyone could get ahead based on ability and hard work. But over the past few decades, the United States government created incentives through housing programs and the tax code that changed the dream for many Americans. Middle-class families began to think of homes as investments, not just shelter. When the housing market crashed, everyone suffered—homeowners, investors, wage-earners and taxpayers.”

Is the Economy Stronger Than Current Measures Show?

“Numerous indicators have been flashing warning signals recently, sending economists and policymakers scrambling to determine how much of the deterioration is caused by unusually cold and stormy weather.”

Mortgage rates fall again
“After three weeks of trending higher, mortgage rates have once again turned lower.”

Cheap Obama mortgages to get more expensive

“Nearly 783,000 homeowners whose mortgage rates were reduced under the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program are going to see their rates increase over the next few years, which will likely lead some borrowers to re-default, a federal watchdog warned.”

5 ways your home is changing

“In early February, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) gathered for the first annual Design and Construction Week in Las Vegas, a new event that combined the building industry’s two primary trade shows — the International Builders’ Show (IBS) and Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) — into one mega-event that drew over 75,000 builders, designers, and product manufacturers. “

Economy just muddling along

“The economy merely muddled along at the end of the year, but economists call it “impressive” given the federal spending cuts and the government shutdown in October.”

Fed’s Dudley flags easy money now, rate rise around mid-2015

“The Federal Reserve is not about to back off its highly accommodative policy, though investor predictions of a rate rise by midway through next year are reasonable, an influential U.S. central banker said on Friday.”

Freddie Mac: Mortgage rates down; 30-year fixed averaging 4.28%

“The cost of a home loan dropped early this week on less than robust news about the economy and housing, with Freddie Mac reporting that the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.28%, down from 4.37% a week earlier.”

Investors ready for mortgage-credit risk: Treasury

“WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Congress’s lack of progress on reforming the U.S. housing-finance system shouldn’t be “an excuse” to delay rebuilding the market for private-label mortgage securities, a senior U.S. Treasury Department official said Thursday. “

Household Worth in U.S. Climbs by $2.95 Trillion to Record
“Household wealth in the U.S. increased from October through December, as gains in stock portfolios and home prices boosted Americans’ finances. “

Mortgage rates fall amid lower economic data

“Mortgage rates fell lower amid weaker-than-expected economic news and housing data, the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey revealed.”

3 signs the economy is in a quagmire

“The official U.S. Labor Department jobs report comes out Friday morning and HousingWire will have it, but in the meanwhile a series of economic indicators and events suggest a continued weakness in the U.S. economy.”

Property ETFs Draw More Money Than in All of 2013: Mortgages
“Investment flowing into exchange-traded funds focused on real estate this year has already eclipsed the 2013 total as concern over rising interest rates subsides and property markets improve.”

REAL ESTATE: Where are the boomerang buyers?

“It appeared in a March 4 newsletter by Irvine-based John Burns Real Estate Consulting, as Sean Fergus makes the point that of the 5.3 million households that lost a home to a foreclosure or short sale from 2007 to 2013, many are regrouping to become homeowners again.”

HOUSING: ‘Precipitous’ drop in institutional investors
“Investors bowed out of the Inland Southern California and national homebuying scene in January in bigger numbers, a new report from a real estate information service notes.”

Home-equity loans make a comeback
“Home-equity lending surpassed 2009 levels in 2013, with $111 billion in new home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) opened. In the fourth quarter, new lending increased 43% from quarter four 2012, according to data from Experian-Oliver Wyman Market Intelligence Reports and Experian’s IntelliView tool. “

Investing in farm, single-family home REITs

“Buying a farm isn’t cheap. But the average investor with an appetite to own crop-yielding real estate has another avenue these days: investing in a farmland REIT. “

Video killed the commercial real estate broker: A new marketing strategy

“Everywhere you look, it seems as though video is taking over. (Remember when LCD installations were still notable at gas stations and taxi seat backs?) Now commercial real estate is getting into the act with high-end video marketing videos, a trend I write about in this week’s real estate special issue.”

Appraiser: Johnson County real estate downturn is over

“The recession and real estate slump clearly are over in Johnson County, according to a 2014 revaluation report released by the Johnson County Appraiser’s Office.”

These guys say, ‘Don’t invest like it’s 1980’

“Bret Sinak and Ron Portell, managing partners at Endeavor Wealth Management in Chesterfield, with $100 million in client assets, believe a lot of small and midsize institutional investors are. They contend too few are venturing beyond stocks, bonds and cash into alternative investments, such as real estate and commodities, through mutual funds and exchange traded funds.”

14 Real Estate Terms That Everyone Should Understand
“Whether you are trying to buy or sell a home (or do both!), you need to familiarize yourself with the lingo.”

California Upgrades Homebuyer Grants and Loans Programs, Says Broadview Mortgage Long Beach

“Broadview Mortgage Long Beach reports a guideline to homebuyer assistance loans and grants in California. Long Beach, California (PRWEB) March 08, 2014. Broadview Mortgage Long Beach offers detailed information on homebuyer grants and loans available. “

The 70% Rule: One Critical Formula Investors Need to Know

“The 70% of ARV (after repair value) “rule” is a formula commonly referred to by real estate investors, and used as a barometer when purchasing distressed real estate for a profit.  The formula will calculate the maximum you can pay for a given property once you input two key factors, namely the ARV and”

Report: Sacramento area led nation in median home sales price growth in 2013

“Amid an improving housing market nationwide, the Sacramento area led the nation in year-over-year percentage median sales price growth at the close of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, according to Emeryville-based ZIPRealty Inc.”

California housing leaving the middle class behind in the dust

“California is a land of booms and busts.  Generations ago gold rush fever brought many to speculate and gamble for future glory.  In the 1900s the promise of uninterrupted sun and great weather lured families to the area. “

California’s unemployment rate decreases to 8.1 percent

“California’s unemployment rate decreased to 8.1 percent in January, and nonfarm payroll jobs decreased by 31,600 during the month for a total gain of 1,171,000 jobs since the recovery from the Great Recession began in February 2010, according to data released Friday by the California Employment Development Department from two separate surveys.”

Job cuts decline in February

“The pace of downsizing declined in February as U.S.-based employers announced plans to cut payrolls by 41,835, according to the report Thursday from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.”

Realtor/economist: 2014 will be ‘better’ year for local real estate

“Leslie Appleton-Young, vice president and chief economist for the California Association of Realtors (CAR), delivered her “2014 Housing Market Forecast” at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa on Tuesday.”

Triple-net leased investments

“A triple-net (NNN) leased investment is a type of lease where the tenant is responsible for paying not only the rent, but all three of the “net” expenses, hence the “NNN.””

Things You Should Be Doing Right Now if You Plan to Sell Your House This Spring

“If you’re thinking about putting your house on the market this spring, the time to start preparing is now! With persistent cold and blustery weather, it may feel like the spring selling season is in the distant future, but if you begin taking actions now, you can avoid the pressures of last minute preparations. Remember, you’ll be faced with much stiffer competition because the housing market gets flooded with new listings every spring.  So, if want your property to stand apart from the competition, it’s going to take extra effort on your behalf. If you want your house to be in good shape when the weather starts to warm up, here are 5 tips to follow.”

Valley housing market off to tepid start

“The San Fernando Valley housing market’s tepid pace dragged into the new year as the supply of distressed properties continued to dry up in January, according to two reports released Wednesday.”

First-time San Fernando Valley home buyers getting squeezed out

“It’s pretty clear distressed properties have finally been flushed out of the San Fernando Valley’s real-estate market.”

Reverse Mortgages: New Rules Make Them Safer for Homeowners

“The promises of a reverse mortgage — never having to pay a mortgage bill again and using your home’s equity to finance retirement — can sound too good to be true. It almost was too good to be true during the Great Recession, when more borrowers were withdrawing most of their home equity at closing and the federal government’s reverse mortgage program was failing. Legislation in 2013, however, kept the program from dying by instituting some changes, and made it safer for older Americans.”

Mortgage Rates Fall, Reverse Recent Upward Trend

“WASHINGTON — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell after three weeks of increases, edging closer to historically low levels.”

Houses With Curb Appeal, for Under $100,000

“While you can’t always judge a home by its exterior, a welcoming entry is often a sign of a welcoming interior. Even when it comes to affordable real estate, curb appeal is worth considering, as it can indicate how much past owners have cared for a property.

Home Prices Rise at Solid Pace in January

“WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices rose in January after three months of declines. A tight supply of homes might have helped boost prices and offset sales slowed by cold weather.”

Zillow analyst says new exec has good shot at forging partnerships with MLSs

“Zillow lured former realtor.com executive Errol Samuelson away from Move Inc. to do pretty much the same thing it had hired former Arizona Regional MLS CEO Bob Bemis to do: improve industry relations and beef up the quality of listings data on the website by forging more direct partnerships with multiple listing services. – See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/03/07/zillow-analyst-says-new-exec-has-good-shot-at-forging-partnerships-with-mlss/#sthash.gSKH1BGf.dpuf”

17 Hacks to Get Your House Sold

“If you’re like many sellers, you think your house is perfect and you can’t imagine why it wouldn’t sell exactly like it is right now. This is a common problem. It’s called “You can’t see what’s right in front of your face because you’re enamored with your house-itis.”

Attract Serious Buyers, Discourage Lookie-Loos
“Serious buyers want to find a home. They’ve been pre-qualified by a lender, chosen a real estate agent, and are ready to make an offer on the right home.”

Worst Week for Mortgage Rates since August 2013

“Mortgage rates rose sharply for the third time this week, bringing them to levels not seen since January 15th.  Today’s move followed a stronger-than-expected Employment Situation report.  This is the most significant economic report each month and when it’s strong, rates tend to suffer.  Today was no exception as job creation moved back in line with recent averages, defying the expectation that the historically harsh winter weather would make for downbeat data.”

10 cities where ordinary people can no longer afford homes
“It now seems pretty clear that late 2012 or early 2013 was the ideal time to purchase a home: Real-estate prices and interest rates were both near record lows, creating an unprecedented buying opportunity for those who could muster a down payment and qualify for a mortgage.”