Updated: September 5, 2011
Real Estate Outlook: Stalled Markets Becoming Trend
Real estate is in a holding pattern. Professionals and sellers, alike, keep looking for signs that the market will beat what ails it. This week, though, saw sales declines, flat commercial vacancy rates, as well as meager new home sales. FULL STORY->
Mortgage Rates Remain at or Near Historic Lows
Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), showing mortgage rates declining amid continued weak economic and housing data. While the 30-year fixed held steady, the 5-year ARM set a new all-time record low having fallen for the eighth consecutive week and now standing at 2.96 percent. FULL STORY->
The Champion Do’s and Don’t of Objection Handling
There is a series of mistakes that prevent most salespeople from reaching the Champion level in their objection handling. FULL STORY->
Bank-Owned Homes Sold for Up to 40 Percent Less than Average Price of Other Homes
From April to June, foreclosures constituted about one-third of all home sales during the spring quarter and were “six times the percentage of foreclosures in a healthy housing market”, according to The Washington Post. FULL STORY->
Making Home Affordable Program
It made headlines when it emerged on the market in early 2009, but here’s a refresher on President Obama’s Making Home Affordable Program. FULL STORY->
Mortgage Rates Remain at or Near Historic Lows
Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), showing mortgage rates declining amid continued weak economic and housing data. While the 30-year fixed held steady, the 5-year ARM set a new all-time record low having fallen for the eighth consecutive week and now standing at 2.96 percent. FULL STORY->
Bank-Owned Homes Sold for Up to 40 Percent Less than Average Price of Other Homes
From April to June, foreclosures constituted about one-third of all home sales during the spring quarter and were “six times the percentage of foreclosures in a healthy housing market”, according to The Washington Post. FULL STORY->
The Champion Do’s and Don’t of Objection Handling
There is a series of mistakes that prevent most salespeople from reaching the Champion level in their objection handling. FULL STORY->
Making Home Affordable Program
It made headlines when it emerged on the market in early 2009, but here’s a refresher on President Obama’s Making Home Affordable Program. FULL STORY->
Wire Your Home to Sell
In the past 24 months, nine in 10 real estate agents have been involved in buying, selling or showing a home equipped with technology, ranging from more established systems to newer technologies. FULL STORY->
Four HOA Reserve Fund Investment Hurdles
HOA boards are faced with a challenge. They have limited time and resources, yet must meet the financial obligations of the reserve study by following a funding plan that provides adequate member contributions and additional revenue from prudent investment of reserve funds that reduce those member contributions. Here are four hurdles the board must jump when tackling reserves investment. FULL STORY->
Pending Home Sales Decline
The latest pending home sales numbers reveal that housing is still struggling to recover after a ripple effect of the subprime crisis and the deep recession of 2009. Last month’s decline in pending home sales is more evidence that housing will not recover until access to credit and jobs return and financial markets stabilize. FULL STORY->
Top Reasons to Own a Home
There’s good reason that over half of all Americans are homeowners. Social and financial benefits are key factors when it comes to deciding to buy. Homeownership allows people to grow wealth slowly over time, to hold assets that build equity, and to bring stability into chaotic lives. FULL STORY->
Offers of Compensation Are Not So Clear When It Comes to Short Sales
One respect in which short sale listings differ from standard sales is that the compensation offered to potential buyer agents is conditional. This can be a cause of confusion, and sometimes a cause of conflict and consternation. FULL STORY->
The Matrimonial Home after Divorce
When couples divorce and their property is divided, their “matrimonial home” is considered a unique asset and special rules apply in all Canadian provinces. Here are some of the legal implications when the family home is sold after a divorce. FULL STORY->