RISMedia » Home Buying 101

Loan Modification is Stressful; Know Your Options

susanne — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:52:03 +0000

When the Obama administration rolled out the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) in 2009, officials estimated 3 to 4 million borrowers would seek relief from their mortgages through the program amidst the worst recession and housing market collapse in decades.…

NAR Home Buyer and Seller Survey Reflects Tight Credit Conditions

susanne — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:53:54 +0000

Recent home buyers are staying well within their means with notably higher incomes and modestly higher down payments than buyers in the previous year, due to the restrictive mortgage credit environment, despite historically favorable housing affordability conditions, according to a …

Find the Right Home: HomesDatabase.com Unveils ‘Lifestyle Search’

susanne — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:26:45 +0000

MRIS, the Mid-Atlantic region’s multiple listing service (MLS) marketplace that facilitates $36 billion in yearly sales, has launched a new “Lifestyle Search” feature as a major upgrade and enhancement to its consumer website HomesDatabase.com, the organization has announced.

“Typically, …

Not All Home Inspections Are Made Equal

susanne — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:50:55 +0000

A home inspection is a crucial component of making a smart home-buying decision. According to Jay Gregg, director of marketing for Pillar To Post, not all home inspections are equal. Gregg, who has experience in home inspections, sales marketing and …

How to Predict Local Home Prices

susanne — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:37:56 +0000

You’re about to put an offer on a home, but you’re worried that prices will sink and you won’t get the best deal. You’re putting your home on the market and you want to get the most you can for …

Five Ways to Fight a Low Appraisal

susanne — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:05:25 +0000

What do you do when the appraisal on the dream home you want to buy comes in below the price in the offer the seller has accepted—even as much as 10 to 20 percent below?

Chances are that raising the …

MONEY Magazine Reveals Annual “MONEY’s 100 Best Places to Live in America”

susanne — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:15:38 +0000

“MONEY” magazine has revealed the 2011 list of “MONEY’s 100 Best Places to Live in America,” highlighting small towns across the country with populations of 50,000 or less. For the annual cover-story, on sale August 19, MONEY looked for places …

95 Percent of Refinancing Borrowers Choose Fixed-Rate Mortgages

susanne — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:11:44 +0000

In the second quarter of 2011, fixed-rate loans accounted for about 95 percent of refinance loans, based on the Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) Quarterly Product Transition Report released yesterday. Refinancing borrowers clearly preferred fixed-rate loans, regardless of whether their original …

6 Tips for Success at Real Estate Auctions

susanne — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 21:06:34 +0000

RISMEDIA, July 5, 2011—With foreclosures flooding the real estate market, many property buyers and investors are hitting the auction circuit looking to capitalize on the next great deal. For those that are new to the auction block, there are a …

The Value of Home Warranties: Protect Your Wallet

susanne — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:59:47 +0000

RISMEDIA, June 30, 2011—Even with home sales and prices continuing to fall nationwide, millions of Americans will still navigate the process of buying and selling homes this summer, and for many, the sheer volume of details and decisions can be…

Mortgage Insurance Cancellation: The Myths and Realities

susanne — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:43:48 +0000

RISMedia, June 3, 2011—When it comes to private mortgage insurance (MI), there are several myths that exist that make buyers reluctant to consider a conventional loan with MI as an option when purchasing a home. One of the more common …

Your Leadership Needed: Nearly Half of Home Buyers Surveyed Don’t Understand Essential Information about Mortgages

susanne — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:54:45 +0000

RISMEDIA, May 5, 2011—As the housing market continues to struggle, home buyers appear ill-prepared to take out a mortgage, answering basic questions about mortgage information wrong nearly half (46 percent) of the time, according to a Zillow® Mortgage Marketplace survey. …

Study Examines the Impact of Homebuyer Education and Counseling on Mortgage Performance

susanne — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:23:05 +0000

RISMEDIA, April 29, 2011—Potential homeowners who participate in pre-purchase education and counseling programs may be more likely to pay their mortgages on time, although the evidence on this point is not consistent and compelling, according to a study released today …

House Rich Rule #12 – Share the Brain Trust

susanne — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:05:06 +0000

RISMEDIA, April 13, 2011—Don’t let Washington or Wall Street stop the entrepreneurial spirit in you. We are in a period of history right now where as an entrepreneur, you want to build wealth and you can’t rely on anyone else. …

Real Estate Deep Dive: Raleigh, NC

susanne — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:45:57 +0000

April 8, 2011—In our last installment, we talked about the Las Vegas market and likened it to investing in stock options – volatile and risky, but with incredible upside potential. Not for the faint of heart. Today we go to …

The Power of Belief and Expectation

susanne — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:41:23 +0000

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2011—While you may not always get what you want, you will always get what you expect! Surprisingly, the power of belief and expectation work just as effectively on your feelings of self-doubt and limitation as they do …

What to Watch Out for When Buying a Foreclosure: Help Your Clients Know Which to Buy…and Which to Walk By

susanne — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:09:59 +0000

RISMEDIA, April 7, 2011—The economy is improving overall and, as a result, some bright spots are showing up in the real-estate market. However, the foreclosure spike, which began around the same time the recession did, isn’t a distant memory just …

March Housing Scorecard Shows Continued Need to Advance Market Stabilization

susanne — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:06:14 +0000

RISMEDIA, April 7, 2011—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have released the March edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard. Officials caution that the latest housing figures underscore fragility in …

Reaction Overflows to Fed’s New Mortgage Rules

susanne — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:01:26 +0000

RISMEDIA, April 7, 2011—(MCT)—Federal regulators recently asked for public comment by June 10, 2011 on their proposal to require lenders that package mortgages for the secondary market to assume some of the risk of those loans. The regulators didn’t need …

NAHREP: Proposed QRM Regulation Will Impact Minority Homebuyers’ Ability to Get Affordable Mortgages

susanne — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:59:07 +0000

RISMEDIA, April 7, 2011—The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) has recently raised concerns about the proposed regulation by Federal financial regulators that would require a minimum 20 percent down payment for “qualified residential mortgages” (QRMs) that are …