RISMEDIA, December 2, 2010—U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that homelessness for 750,000 Americans was prevented or ended, thanks to HUD’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP), funded

RISMEDIA, December 1, 2010—(MCT)—Long considered a key ingredient of American homeownership, the income-tax deduction for mortgage interest is now on the menu of the commission looking for ways to trim the federal deficit. Among the $3.8 trillion in debt-cutting options being

RISMEDIA, April 22, 2011—(MCT)—If you've been through a foreclosure, you may wonder if there is hope for you to become a homeowner again. The answer is yes, but it will take a while. "It doesn't mean you'll never be a homeowner again," said Linda Davis-Demas, director of housing at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Dallas.

RISMEDIA, November 29, 2010—(MCT)—We recently consulted on a formerly white Cape Cod-style home in the Kansas City, Mo., suburb of Westwood that had just been painted in a pale gray. The owners have already ordered replacement windows. They wanted to know what else they could do to improve their home's curb appeal. We're sharing how a few simple additions can make a big difference.

RISMEDIA, November 24, 2010—During my years at PHH Mortgage and Realogy, I had the privilege to help build some of the most trusted brands in real estate, including Coldwell Banker, Century 21, ERA, Better Homes and Gardens, and Sotheby’s International Realty. My goal was

RISMEDIA, November 23, 2010—(MCT)—When Scott Harris and Sarah Jack did a major renovation of their 1925 Teaneck, N.J., colonial in the summer of 2009, they kept the environment in mind—for example, choosing kitchen counters made of cement and recycled glass. They thought about solar roof panels, but rejected that idea when they were told they'd have to chop down a towering tree that shades their back yard and house. Instead, they installed a green, or living, roof. The greenery absorbs and filters rainwater, as well as adding insulation, which cuts heating and cooling costs.

RISMEDIA, November 22, 2010—It’s one thing when someone says “Things are looking up,” but quite another when the numbers actually bear that out. Happily, the latter is the case, evidenced by the latest statistics that show that home prices may be stabilizing. Namely, national home prices jumped an impressive 3.6% in the past year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released in late August. Prices also climbed 4.4% in the second quarter, which contrasts with a 2.8% decrease in the first quarter.

RISMEDIA, November 20, 2010—Green homes offer a wide variety of benefits from reducing carbon footprints to saving money on utility bills to even improving the health of children. However, a recent Whirlpool Corporation and Habitat for Humanity survey conducted by the NAHB Research Center, polled home builders, as well as consumers, and found

RISMEDIA, November 19, 2010—(MCT)—When Efrain Hernandez couldn't seal a deal before the first-time home buyer tax credit expired earlier this year, he lost faith that he would ever own a house in a market where investors and all-cash buyers are snapping up bargains and mortgages seem hard to come by. But waiting—even though it wasn't by choice—got him more than the $8,000 federal tax credit.

RISMEDIA, November 18, 2010—Southern Californians who feel trapped or simply lack confidence in today’s real estate market can get some relief from regional business and real estate experts who will gather on Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 7-9 pm at the Hotel Del Coronado, 1500 Orange Avenue,

RISMEDIA, November 17, 2010—Five years ago, a serious buyer who was pre-approved for a mortgage loan typically spent three to four weeks looking for a home and usually visited 15-20 homes. Now the search can take much longer with the amount of inventory on the market. Five years ago, a serious buyer who was pre-approved for a mortgage loan typically spent three to four weeks looking for a home and usually visited 15-20 homes, according to metro Chicago real estate agent Sarah Ritter of RE/MAX Properties in Western Springs, Ill. Now, says Ritter, “people tend to look much longer. They have a hard time saying ‘yes.’ “One couple I’m working with has looked at 42 or 43 houses and still hasn’t made an offer. But that isn’t unusual in today’s market.” 

RISMEDIA, November 17, 2010—This week’s headlines from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® include: a no cost field guide to real estate transfer taxes from NAR’s Right Tools, Right Now initiative; an exclusive offer for REALTORS® on an advanced identity protection

RISMEDIA, November 16, 2010—(MCT)—California and Florida had a lot in common during the housing industry's last boom-and-bust cycle. Both were overrun by buyers hooked on high-risk mortgages, speculators who helped push prices to historic peaks and builders who didn't know when to stop. When the bubble burst, the two states became leaders in mortgage defaults, price declines and tracts of unsold new homes. But in the past year or so, California's housing market has begun recovering, while Florida's remains on the critical list.

RISMEDIA, November 15, 2010—Fully half of the metropolitan areas tracked in the third quarter of 2010 continued to show modest home price increases from a year ago, despite a sharp decline in home sales after the deadline for the home buyer tax credit, according to the latest survey by the National Association of Realtors. In the third quarter, 77 out of 155 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) had higher median existing single-family home prices in comparison with the third quarter of 2009, including 11 with double-digit increases; two were unchanged and 76 metros showed price declines. In the third quarter of 2009, only 30 MSAs experienced annual price gains.

RISMEDIA, November 11, 2010—RealtyTrac, a leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for October 2010, which shows foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions—were reported on 332,172