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Homeowners are growing even more pessimistic about the potential short- and long-term values of their homes. ...

Yes, there is magic in positive thinking! In aviation, the word attitude means the angle at which the plane meets the wind, whether the wings are level with the horizon, and whether it is climbing or descending. The pilot who fails to take responsibility for the attitude of his aircraft is in serious trouble. And likewise, any person who has not taken charge of his or her own beliefs and attitudes runs a similar risk. The key to cultivating and maintaining a positive mental attitude is to take control of your thinking and avoid negative minded people. It's a challenging task to develop a calm, focused mind, but well worth the effort.

Bathroom renovations have become extremely popular in recent years. Many consumers choose to renovate their bathroom before any other room; not only is the bathroom a major focal point when it comes time to sell,

Household debt declined by a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.6%, dragged lower by a 2.4% decline in mortgage debt as consumers took out fewer mortgages, paid off or had debts forgiven, the Federal Reserve reported in its voluminous flow-of-funds report. Consumer credit outside mortgages rose by 3.4%. Owners had 38.6% of the equity in their houses—unchanged from the first quarter but well below the 49.5% of 2007 as the housing market began to tumble. Household real estate was worth $16.18 trillion, a 0.4% dip from the first quarter but about 29% lower than the peak in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Thanks to the new partnership between the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) and Consumers Union, user-friendly, interactive online guides and downloadable publications are helping homeowners and buyers save energy and money by teaching them the potential of building energy codes to address and improve home energy performance. “Everyone should have the right to an energy-efficient home that meets national standards,” says Cosimina Panetti, advocacy director of BCAP. “Energy codes—minimum requirements for efficient design and construction—offer a cost-effective way to reduce energy use and monthly bills, while also lowering carbon emissions. It’s a win-win-win.”

Millions of homeowners share a feeling of helplessness, not knowing where they stand with their bank and not understanding the foreclosure process. A new resource called the Foreclosure Defense Academy aims to rescue these homeowners from their information abyss, beginning with an educational webinar scheduled Sept. 22 – 24, when a national audience will learn how to navigate their own foreclosure situation even if they can’t afford legal representation.

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT—The summer home sales season in the Washington, D.C. metro area market finished with the highest number of signed contracts for August in four years, according to housing market expert Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel.

Realogy Corporation, a leading provider of real estate and relocation services, announced that Richard A. Smith, its president and CEO, has been called upon to testify before the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development

Seventy five percent of all homeowners who owe more on their homes than they are worth are paying mortgage interest rates nearly a point higher than today’s average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage.

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT—The following analysis of the Baltimore Metro Area housing market has been prepared by housing market expert Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel, based on the August 2011 RBI Pending Home Sales Index™.

In a perfect world, “work” and “home” would balance out neatly. We’d work from 8 to 5 each day, take an hour-long lunch, and then come home and spend uninterrupted time with our families. But for those of us here in the wake of the Great Recession, firmly entrenched in an “always on” society, this notion seems hopelessly outdated. Most of us are working longer, more stressful hours, and work is spilling over into evenings and weekends. No wonder a recent survey of North American employees found that 87 percent of respondents say their work/life balance (or lack thereof) is negatively affecting their health.

The multifamily housing market continued to show improvement in the second quarter of 2011, as the Multifamily Production Index (MPI) compiled by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) increased for the fourth consecutive quarter. The MPI rose from 41.7 in the first quarter of the year to 44.4 in the second quarter. It is the highest quarterly reading since 2006, and continues the trend of generally improving conditions in the market for new multifamily housing that has emerged since the MPI dropped to a record low of 16.0 in the third quarter of 2008.

In my column last month, I chronicled the harrowing sequence of events that led to my epiphany and examination of the concept of mental preparedness. People are regularly faced with adversity and unpredictable challenges. One of the key differentiating variables amongst people is how we handle and adapt to these events. Although you cannot plan for every possible event, you always need to be prepared.

Clear Capital has released its monthly Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report, with news of U.S. home price gains of 4.0 percent comparing the most recent rolling quarter to the previous one. Though quarter-over-quarter gains continue across the nation's four regions, the rate of growth has begun to slow as the summer buying season comes to an end and economic confidence shows signs of weakening.

In today’s world, we’re constantly sabotaged by nonproductive energy wasters. There are emails to read. Facebook statuses to update. Receipts to locate for that already-late expense report. Dishes to be washed. Files to be organized. And on, and on, and on. These are the easy, albeit often unproductive, tasks that make us feel good. They may not get you any closer to accomplishing your greater goals, but at least you’ve checked a couple of things off your to-do list.