How Would You Sell an Expensive 2nd Home in a Gated Community?
Brian has a home in a gated community in Signal Mountain, TN. He hasn't had a lot of luck marketing the home (could be the location, price or condition -- or it could be that a lot of people aren't buying 2nd homes at the moment).
But he's interested in some more sophisticated online marketing…
IRS Announces Help For Homeowners In Financial Trouble
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service just announced that it will allow homeowners to apply to make their mortgage loan the primary lien against their homes and if they have a tax lien on the home as well, it can become the secondary lien.
A lien is a claim that another party has on your property. Your…
New Green Remodeling Website From NARI:
Who says it's not easy being green? It seems like everyone is getting more environmentally conscious and so is the remodeling industry.
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) just launched a new website, www.greenremodeling.org, which highlights green practices in the industry and…
How Many People Are REALLY Unemployed?
The New York Times has a story in this morning's edition about how badly off the "official" jobs number actually is. I've been saying this for a long time -- the real number of people unemployed or underemployed in the U.S. is far higher than the projections.
The official unemployment rate from the…
A recent survey commissioned by AARP found that 79 percent of baby boomers want to stay in the home they are currently living in.
Less than 10 percent say they think they won't be able to stay in their home.
Still 26 percent say they expect to move, likely to a single-level home for comfort or…
What Happens When A Property Is Worth Less Than The Date You Inherited It?
On the show today, we had a call from someone who wanted to know about selling a home his Dad owned in California. The son, a resident of Georgia, is the executor of his father's estate.
The son wanted to know how selling the property would affect his taxes. His father's total estate is worth less…
Do you have a Bank of America/Countrywide loan you can't afford?
Call these numbers if you're having trouble affording your Bank of America or Countrywide mortgage:
For Mortgage help call 1.800.846.2222
For Home Equity help call 1.800.451.6362
You can find out more information at www.bankofamerica.com. Look at the bottom of the home page for the link.
Nov. 23, 2008.
Freddie Mac's Stock May Be Delisted
The New York Stock Exchange notified Freddie Mac that its shares may be delisted if it cannot raise its share price above $1 within 30 days.
NYSE gave Freddie Mac until Dec. 2 to offer a plan to raise the share price above $1 and the price has to stay at that level for 30 days. NYSE is giving Freddie…
Sales of Existing Homes Increase
The number of existing homes that sold during the month of September rose 5.5 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors. The pace was higher than during the same month last year. NAR attributes the rise in sales to buyers responding to homes becoming more affordable. Lawrence Yun…
In my best-selling book, 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, I include a list of 10 mistake home buyers often make. I should probably revise those 10 mistakes to include some new ones that have come up in the current housing recession/credit crisis.
In the meantime, here are some of…
