May 2012
9 posts
3 tags
Buying a Home: the Dangers of Seller Financing →
Trying to obtain a mortgage for buying a home today can be incredibly challenging even for those with good credit and it could become even more difficult before it gets easier. This has many home buyers turning to seller financing which can bring many benefits but also comes with its fair…
3 tags
“No one ever grows up wanting to be a tenant.”
5 tags
3 tags
Great Articles about Money →
The Best of Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt - How to make it, why we steal it , how to bet with it, and how it motivates us. A selection of the best articles from NYT column that became an international sensation.
To Have is To Owe by David Graeber - A lot of people have little understanding of what money really is - if you want to find out, this classic article is the...
5 tags
Improving Your Credit to Qualify for a Mortgage...
An incredible number of Americans have suffered damaged to their credit scores in the last few years while lending standards for home loans have become increasingly tougher. This doesn’t mean that you should give up on buying a new home by any means. Begin rebuilding your credit now and you could see your credit scores rebound and be able to buy a new home and get a mortgage sooner than you...
help East Tennessee win $1,000,000 towards... →
growing-up-crazy:
Johnson City, TN is currently in second place in a contest to win $ 1 million towards fighting hunger in the area. Please PLEASE PLEASEEEEEEE vote and reblog this. Both things will take you less than 30 seconds total, and I will love you forever!!
6 tags
Johnson City & Kingsport both on NAHB's 100...
Johnson City ranks 82 & Kingsport 83 on May report put out by the National Asscoation of Home Builders listing Improving Housing markets in the nation.
3 tags
Are You Really Ready to Buy a Foreclosure?
Foreclosure properties still offer huge discounts for home buyers looking for new residences, vacation homes and investment properties but are you really prepared for the potential work involved?
Recent figures from RealtyTrac show the top 10 states for foreclosure discounts compared to regular selling prices ranging from 47% in Louisiana to 36% in Georgia but these bargains often come with a...
April 2012
17 posts
4 tags
What determines real estate market recovery
by Allan Weiss
The National Association of Realtors’ chief economist was recently quoted as saying that the recovery is happening though not at a breakout pace.
My problem with this statement is that it is very hard to accurately generalize about this market. The dynamics are a complicated mixture of pervasive economic forces and locally specific forces. For example, interest rates tend to...
3 tags
4 Real Estate Investors Mistakes to Avoid
Investing in real estate can be incredibly profitable but it can also be frustrating for real estate investors who rush in to wing it without getting the right real estate education and not knowing where the pitfalls lay.
Watch out for these 4 common killer mistakes real estate investors make…
1. Underestimating Property Management
Becoming a landlord may be way better than any job you have had...
4 tags
3 tags
“The American people still view homeownership as their best potential long-term...”
– NAHB CEO Jerry Howard in The Hill (via nahbhousekeys)
4 tags
New Homes are Less Expensive to Maintain →
April is new homes month. And one of the virtues of a newly constructed home is the savings that come from reduced energy and maintenance expenses.
Data from the 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS) offer proof. The AHS classifies new construction as homes no more than four years old.
For example, for routine maintenance expenses, 26% of all homeowners spent $100 or more a month on various upkeep...
Should I Prepay My Mortgage?
You’ll typically hear two different arguments here, and I’ll sum them up quickly without getting into the math:
1. You shouldn’t prepay your mortgage. You should invest the money instead because with loan rates so low, it’s feasible to outpace the interest rate with your return. Plus, your mortgage is a tax deduction.
2. You should prepay your mortgage. You’re guaranteed to save money over the...
7 tags
4 tags
Companies to pay $14.8M in FEMA trailer settlement
Nearly two dozen companies that manufactured government-issued trailers for storm victims after Hurricane Katrina have agreed to pay $14.8 million in a proposed class-action settlement of claims that the temporary shelters exposed occupants to hazardous fumes.
Plaintiffs’ Gerald Meunier said Tuesday that the agreement could benefit tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents who lived in travel...
5 tags
Dave Ramsey on Buying a Second House Before...
4 tags
“When it comes to buying and selling homes, locking mortgage rates and the like,...”
– Tara-Nichole Nelson
5 tags
“Our houses are such unwieldy property that we are often imprisoned rather than...”
– Henry David Thoreau
5 tags
Some Say Housing Crisis to End in 2012 as Banks... →
Capital Economics expects the housing crisis to end this year, according to a report released Tuesday. One of the reasons: loosening credit.
Seriously though, weren’t loose credit standards a big part of why we were in this recession to begin with?
4 tags
4 tags
5 tags
6 tags
One of Dave Ramsey’s callers (Debbie) says...
6 tags
PRESS RELEASE: APPLE REALTY ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE
Apple Realty and Auction just announced that it might be changing it’s name. Data results from a recent consumer poll show that apples do not top the list of “favorite fruits”. Instead, fruits like peaches, berries and bananas faired much better in the polls, with berries topping out the list at #1.
“We like to stay in touch with what the consumer wants and in the case...
March 2012
9 posts
4 tags
4 tags
Great Cars But a Dump of a House
Dependable...
5 tags
4 tags
3 tags
3 tags
4 tags
Never Buy a Home Warranty
One of Dave...
1 tag
2012 February Round Up
Tips & Advice Renting as a Way of Life Co-signing is a bad idea 10 ways to update your home without breaking the bank Why you should pay off your mortgage Houses, Condos, & Duplexes as Investment Property Is It Better to Buy or Rent? Interactive Calculator
Food For Thought Quotes from Donald Trump & Warren Buffett What if the US budget was Yours True Cost of Commuting
Real...
5 tags
How to Stay Motivated to Buy a House with Cash
...
February 2012
44 posts
4 tags
WatchPieces of Home: VAR’s 2011 Year-End Housing Report
Virginia Association of Realtors® released its 2011 Pieces of Home Housing Report today including housing market data, trends, and comparisons. Articles by real estate experts from across the state can be read as well as commentary on each data illustration. An American Housing timeline centerfold providing integral milestones in the development...
4 tags
Mortgage Programs That Are Still Available
Mortgage rates are great but the news headlines may have you believing that no one qualifies for a home loan these days. Don’t panic. Whether looking to scoop up a great deal on a new residence while there are still deals to be had or looking for a way to expand your real estate investments there are still mortgage programs out there and they may be a lot easier to qualify for than you think…
1....
2 tags
“You know what’s funny? People are losing their houses now due to a bubble...”
– Ut Prosim
6 tags
5 tags
State's music from Bristol to Memphis getting... →
A television music and travel series highlighting Tennessee is set for international broadcast beginning Friday.
“Music Voyager — Tennessee” takes viewers along Interstate 40, dubbed “the music highway,” from Bristol to Memphis. It is a four-part series representing the music of East, Middle and West Tennessee, and Nashville’s most prolific songwriters.
It will air...
6 tags
Renting as a Way of Life?
Dave Ramsey’s...
2 tags
4 tags
Co-signing is a Dumb Idea
Celeste in Minnesota...
4 tags
2 tags
5 tags
1 tag
“Real estate is at the core of almost every business, and it’s certainly at the...”
– DONALD TRUMP, Think Like a Billionaire
3 tags
Why Smaller Houses Are Smarter →
moneyisnotimportant:
According to US census data, the size of the average American home in the 1950s was a modest 1,000 square feet. Today, the square footage has more than doubled to nearly 2,500.
It’s easy to get trapped into thinking that you need a bigger house. The thing is, we’re like goldfish. We expand to the size of our living space. Because of this, it won’t be long before you...
5 tags
4 tags
WatchJake Tapper breaks down the president’s $3.8 trillion budget
We’re betting that most Americans don’t have a formal budget… So this REALLY gets to the root of our problem. One thing’s for sure, this much debt ($159,000 per American) coupled with wildfire spending is NOT helping our economy.
Those of us working in real estate/housing, should understand that our woes...