SubscribeThis article by Jim Weiker of RISMEDIA, June 29, 2010, shows that if you missed the $8,000 tax credit and you think you lost your chance to save the $8,000 – you can save even more now – considering market alterations since then.
Jun
2
The Effects of a Short Sale on Your Credit Score
As a Realtor I must tell you: don’t be seduced by those that would tell you that a short sale of your home will safeguard your credit score rating.
Credit scores, which are designed to assess how likely it is that a consumer will uphold their side of a bargain, look at severity, frequency and recency of items on your credit report. Continue Reading…
May
0
The Simple Legacy of a DFW Man
I saw this article in the Dallas Morning News today. It is the story of a man who lived near DFW that died just the other day. It’s not so much a story about a WW II veteran as it is the story of a simple man who lived his life in sight of others and in the process left a memorable legacy for all of them. It is a story of a simple man whose life tells others that real heroism is really only found in the silent, hidden parts of our character that only a small number of people will ever know. But the ones that see it – will always hold dear forever.
And so, with thanks to Bill Brown, the author, a former reporter at WFAA-TV, Channel 8 in Dallas, here is, “Remembering a Vet Who Fired Up History”. Continue Reading…
Feb
1
HouseLogic.com Presents Smart Choices for Consumers
Becoming a well-informed home owner has just become a whole lot easier. HouseLogic.com, the National Association of Realtors® new consumer website, is becoming the go-to resource for owners. Here’s a sampling of the site’s expert advice…
Jan
0
Dallas is #1 Performing Real Estate Market
In the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index report released on Tuesday, Dallas was the best performing city out of twenty in the nation. Residential values in the Dallas area were up 1.4 percent in November from a year earlier – the first increase in the price index of pre-owned homes since September 2007. (That’s a 2.5 year period.)
The upbeat Dallas numbers support other recent reports that show residential values in the area are no longer falling.
Jan
0
Another Housing Bubble for the U.S.?
Ill-advised speculation on U.S. real estate helped set off the global financial crisis. But even after millions of foreclosures and their secondary effects rippled through economies around the world, U.S. homeowners might be making the same mistakes again.
Continue Reading…
Jan
0
Unlimited Funds for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from Obama
On Christmas Eve the Obama administration exercised its right to increase the amount of aid it could provide to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac without the permission of Congress by December 31, 2009. The administration vowed to back the mortgage giants for the next three years with tax payer money, no matter what the amount.
Dec
1
DFW Home Price Decline is Lowest in Two Years
The North Texas housing market was mercifully spared the severe ravages of the real estate market bubble due to the fact that our prices were not overinflated in the first place and because our economy has fared better than the rest of the country. Take a look at the figures in the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index showing Dallas’ envious position compared to 20 other markets in the US.
Dec
2
US Government Program to Aid Getting a Loan Refinance or Modification
In March, the Department of Treasury announced the Making Homes Affordable initiative, made up of two components—the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).
The program was created to offer assistance to as many as 7 to 9 million homeowners making a good-faith effort to make their mortgage payments, while attempting to prevent the destructive impact of the housing crisis on families and communities. It will not provide money to speculators, and it will target support to the working homeowners who have made every possible effort to stay current on their mortgage payments.
The Treasury Department recently announced updates to its Making Home Affordable program to include a second lien program and the use of short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure.
Dec
0
Is the DFW 2010 Real Estate Market Headed for a Rebound or a Thud?
Oct and Dec. 2009
- Sales of pre-owned homes have increased significantly from year-ago numbers
- Price declines have slowed
- The number of homes for sale in North Texas have fallen to the lowest level in more than two years
However, is this enough to cause the DFW market to rebound in 2010?