The new year is often a time when resolutions and predictions abound, an opportunity to reflect upon last year and investigate ways to make this year better. Real Estate is no different. Following are ten things real estate professionals see … Continue reading
Citing limited usage and rapidly increasing costs the Board of the California Public Retirement System (CalPERS) has approved the suspension of the program that offered mortgages to it’s members. They say that over the last few years there has been … Continue reading
Although still quite low, interest rates have climbed again. Wednesday Freddie Mac put the 30 year fixed rate at 4.40%. Last week they reported the rate at 4.39%, and two weeks ago at 4.17%. While 4.40% is still an extremely … Continue reading
Interest rates have gone up for three weeks in a row now for the “normal” (the 30 year fixed rate) home loan. This is not terrible news however. This three week raise is from record (since 1971) lows of 4.19% … Continue reading
That’s good news for everyone thinking about buying a foreclosed home. And for those who recently did so. Large titles companies (National Fidelity and First American among them) have decided that requiring banks to indemnify them against all errors in … Continue reading
Existing-home sales rose again in September according to a recent report by NAR (National Association of Realtors®), affirming that the recovery is under way. Closed transactions of condos, single family homes, townhouses and co-ops rose 10% over last month, but remain … Continue reading
Fannie Mae announced a seller assistance incentive on properties owned by Fannie Mae and listed on the companys REO website (click HERE for your free list). Qualified home-buyers who will be owner-occupants can receive up to 3.5 percent of the … Continue reading
A few months ago the state of California banned the practice of charging up front fees for Loan Modifications, and federal laws soon followed. This law was intended to stop the fraudulent practice of taking advantage of desperate homeowners by … Continue reading
The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) announced this week the launch of a new fixed-rate, 30-year, FHA-insured mortgage program for low- and moderate-income home buyers. CalHFA provides financing and programs for low- and moderate-income Californians. The program announced this week … Continue reading
While glancing through my sources of real estate news this morning I came across an article mentioned by the California Association of Realtors®. It was published by the Wall Street Journal. While it is based on national trends, I see … Continue reading