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Consumer News and Advice Archive
RISMEDIA, August 4, 2011—Freddie Mac released the results of its second quarter refinance analysis showing homeowners who refinance continue to strengthen their fiscal house.
RISMEDIA, August 4, 2011—Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev., issued the following statement regarding the proposed debt ceiling agreement announced by President Obama
RISMEDIA, August 4, 2011—The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) sent a letter urging the regulatory agencies to re-propose the onerous Credit Risk Retention rule, which includes a proposed definition of qualified residential mortgage. ICBA stated that the regulatory agencies should re-propose the rule in a manner that will not so severely restrict credit, yet foster sound underwriting. Regulation must strike the right balance. Unfortunately, the proposed Credit Risk Retention rule does not. It over-regulates to the point of choking off the flow of credit.
RISMEDIA, August 3, 2011—A proposed rule by federal regulators to impose a minimum 20 percent down payment, stringent debt-to-income ratio requirements and rigid credit standards will deny millions of Americans access to safe, low-cost mortgages, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
In a comment letter submitted recently, NAR expressed dissatisfaction over the unduly narrow definition of qualified residential mortgages (QRM) that would be exempt from risk retention requirements. Non-QRM mortgages will have higher interest rates and fees, making home ownership more expensive or unattainable for many of today’s aspiring home owners.
RISMEDIA, August 3, 2011—The Alliance to Save Energy recently hailed a newly released model building energy code upgrade that will improve energy use in commercial and residential buildings in the United States by as much as 30%.
Mention the phrase “social media” and most people automatically think of Facebook and Twitter. But if you have any dealings in the corporate world—whether you’re a CEO, salesperson, human resource manager, administrative
RISMEDIA, August 3, 2011—(EMC)—As the online privacy and do-not-track policy debates heat up in the marketing world, a new study from TRUSTe and Harris Interactive has found that a majority of consumers consider online privacy a serious issue, but don't
RISMEDIA, August 2, 2011—Greg Rand (
@gsrand), CEO of
OwnAmerica hosts “Rand on Real Estate” on 770 WABC with a live caller from Passaic, N.J. discussing long-term retirement decisions of the current properties he owns.
RISMEDIA, Aug 2, 2011—Although conditions in the real estate market point to the continued existence of a buyers’ market, home buyers indicate they are less satisfied with real estate company services, compared with 2010, while home-seller satisfaction has improved during the same time period, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM released recently.
RISMEDIA, July 30, 2011—(MCT)—A closely watched index of home prices in the largest U.S. cities increased from April to May, the second consecutive month of improvement, but experts attributed the bump to seasonal variations and prices continued to fall compared to a year earlier.
The housing market has been in the doldrums since last summer—with sales and prices falling—after the expiration of a popular tax credit for buyers.
RISMEDIA, July 30, 2011—(MCT)—The majority of jobs being created in this economic recovery are lower-paying ones, while higher-paying positions have been slow to return, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Employment Law Project.
Lower-wage occupations such as sales and office clerks, cashiers and food preparation workers grew 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011 from a year earlier, the report said. In contrast, higher-wage jobs such as registered nurses, engineers and finance workers declined by 1.2 percent. Mid-wage positions such as paralegals, customer service representatives and machinists grew by 1.2 percent.
NAR Green Designees aren't the only industry pros battling to get recognition for the dollar value of eco-friendly home features. It's an uphill battle for green appraisers too. That's according to Sandy Adomatis of Adomatis Appraisal Service, Punta Gorda, Fla.
RISMEDIA, August 1, 2011—The remodeling market slipped under pressure from a sluggish economy according to the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI), which dipped during the second quarter to 43.9 from the first quarter result of 46.5. An RMI below 50 indicates that more remodelers report ...
RISMEDIA, August 1, 2011—Foreclosure activity decreased in 85 percent of the nation’s metropolitan areas in the first half of the year and all top 10 metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates posted decreasing foreclosure activity. ...
RISMEDIA, July 29, 2011—Prices of “normal” homes—those that aren’t foreclosures or short sales—are stabilizing and the numbers of future foreclosures are falling. That “sliver of good news for consumer spending” was included in CoreLogic’s July report on housing and market trends.
