The dream is in the details
When you’re trying to restore your craftsman home to its original beauty, details matter. When I first started working on my craftsman, my primary concern was about making sure I that had a functional and efficient heating system. Living in a dream home can be [...]
Why Invest in a Depreciating Asset?
Many people balk at putting money into their homes in the current situation. Home prices and values are falling, and equity loans for home improvements are all but impossible to get. With falling values, few people have any equity left.
No one can blame homeowners for [...]
Colonial roots
While Colonial architecture appeared first when Europeans were settling America in the early 1700s, it didn’t cease to exist then. Over the course of the next 300 years, variations of Colonial design remained consistently one of the most popular and enduring styles of architecture.
Colonial décor was inspired by [...]
Owning a home still has significant benefits
Contrary to what you may have heard, many people still dream of owning a home. For those who already own a home, benefits may prove to be even more worthwhile. The only way to really make the most of your equity is to take [...]
It’s a good time to buy real estate – and sports arenas!
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The Pontiac Silverdome, located in Pontiac (duh) Michigan, just outside of Detroit, has sold for a cool $583,000. An entire sports arena, for between the cost of two and three average homes in America – that’s getting some big-time [...]
Homebuyer tax credit 2010 now a reality
Congress today passed a bill that extends the homebuyer tax credit, which was set to expire at the end of this month. Homebuyers who initiate their purchase between now and April 2010 will be able to take advantage of a $6,500 deduction in their [...]
Good timing
Whether you are looking to secure a new home mortgage or refinance an existing mortgage loan, there may not be a better time than right now. Interest rates are at historic lows, and demands for a new mortgage loans are at new highs. While the economy is in recovery [...]
Committee proposes extending tax credit
A Senate committee on Wednesday reached an agreement regarding the first time home buyer tax credit. If they have their way, the first time home buyer tax credit wouldn’t be just for first-time home buyers anymore.
If lawmakers approve, the tax credit will be extended to people [...]
An improving economy
The media and Uncle Sam want us to believe that times are getting better and that we are crawling out of the recession. In fact, there are some economic indicators that the economy is starting to come around.
The last few weeks have provided an increase in consumer spending, [...]
Foreclosures up, home sales down
Despite the high number of foreclosed properties flooding the housing market right now, both banks and builders in some cases are finding it impossible to sell houses. Reuters reports: “U.S. lenders and builders are turning to professional auctioneers to help them unload the unwanted real estate [...]
The Obama administration’s plan
Consumers seeking debt relief may be one step closer, if the president has his way. President Obama is set to revamp financial products in an effort to protect borrowers from delinquency and foreclosures. The recession has brought the number of defaulting loans and people losing their houses [...]
Wells Fargo senior vice president fired
Thanks to the sub-prime mortgage crisis and all it entailed, most people in the U.S. now know that when a house is foreclosed or reclaimed, it becomes the property of the bank that holds the mortgage papers. Apparently, Wells Fargo Senior Vice President Cheronda Guyton [...]
Homes are affordable at last!
Even if you’re one of the many people who are scrambling to find cash until payday, now may be a good time to buy a house. Plunging house prices and rock-bottom interest rates on secured loans have made housing across the nation more affordable in [...]
Home builders are slashing costs and square footage
Newly built homes are shrinking. Home builders facing the competition of better-priced foreclosure and distressed properties are reversing their decades-old philosophy that bigger is better. They’re now offering smaller, more basic homes designed specifically for first-time buyers.
Features that were important to buyers during [...]
Rentometer knows answers to housing costs
Housing costs are definitely being called in to question nowadays. They’re fluctuating all over the place. I’ve read headlines that say “Housing prices on the rise” and “Housing prices hit all-time low” on the same day.
That makes for a lot of confused people, whether they [...]