Real Estate News

Local Headlines

(Site: RealEstateJournal.com Residential Real Estate News)

• Europe Feels Pinch As Housing Boom Slows
  The real-estate downturn that hit the U.S. is spreading overseas. Home prices in some European markets are falling after a decade of huge increases.

  

  
  
• Reader's Horror Story Is Lesson Learned for Diarist
  After hearing about a reader's costly mistake with a builder, Nancy Keates thinks that perhaps she should exercise more caution in her own teardown project.

  

  
  
• Subprime Mortgages Will Return, But With Some Changes
  Although 'subprime' has become a four-letter word in our collective lexicon, bankers say these types of loans will make a comeback.

  

  
  
• Study Shows Timely Payments On New Mortgages Rise
  More people are managing to pay their home-loan bills on time, reflecting more conservative lending policies.

  

  
  
• In China, the Wealthy Show Off Wealth With Lavish Homes
  The county's 'villa compounds,' gated communities of multimillion-dollar houses, offer a view of what it's like to be rich in a nation that's coming to terms with being communist in name only.

  

  
  
• Is a Bigger Lot Better When Buying a Home?
  A California couple is looking to trade their condo for a house. From a money standpoint, should they opt for a bigger piece of property, but a smaller home, or go for a newer residence that's built on a 'tiny' lot?

  

  
  
• Richard Gere Buys In Schnabel's Building
  The actor has purchased an apartment in New York City. Plus, rental-car billionaire Jack Taylor has bought a Palm Beach, Fla., home, and the price of a Montana ranch owned by the late Liz Claiborne has been cut 12%.

  

  
  

(Site: RealEstateJournal.com Residential Real Estate News)

• Can Texas Hold Down Foreclosure Numbers?
  Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wants to do something about the looming mortgage crisis which is hitting his state and just about all others.
• Silicon Valley More Bullish On Buying Than Selling
  Silicon Valley consumers are more bullish about buying homes in the current soft market than they are about selling and probably for good reason.
• Is Home-based Enterprise For Me?: To B&B or Not To B&B
  Bed & Breakfasts represent one approach to making "home" an active partner in a real estate owner's financial security. The book, To B&B or Not To B&B: The Fun and Facts of Operating a Bed and Breakfast, takes the guess work out of deciding whether this home-based enterprise is right for you.
• SF Bay Area Home Sales Nose Dive
  San Francisco Bay Area home sales plummeted so far in September, sales were at a level not seen since at least 1988 and the high-tech, high-priced Silicon Valley region saw sales slip the lowest level since 1984.
• 'Mirror and Match' Cities' Distinctiveness to Gain an Advantage
  Before presenting my public speaking and media workshop to the Georgia Association of REALTORS' Leadership Training Academy, students heard body language expert Patti A. Wood, Ma, CSP talk about how successful business people use the body language of their clients to gain trust, and then business. She spoke of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a science that studies the language of the mind and how humans connect with others. The thought occurred to me, is it profitable for a builder to 'mirror and match' a community where they conduct business?
• Is the Paint on Your Walls Hurting Your Child's Health?
  It's not something you probably give much thought about if you have a newer home but if you're in an older home its lead-based paint should be a concern.
• No More Hanky-panky with Real Estate Appraisals
  A key piece of Congress's forthcoming comprehensive reforms for the home mortgage market was made public last week -- and safeguarding appraiser independence is at its core.
• Freddie Mac Weekly Survery Finds Mortgage Rates Mixed
  McLEAN, VA -- Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.40 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending October 18, 2007, unchanged from last week when it averaged 6.40 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.36 percent.
• Chilly Blue Notes From the Beige Book
  Across the board, using perhaps the gloomiest language yet this year, realty market sources on the ground around the nation found little cheer in a housing market on the verge of hibernation.
• Rents Inflated By Soft Owner-Occupied Market
  Don't expect any quarter from the rental sector.