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

A large, homemade sign stood outside Andy Warzynak's Harborcreek Township house for more than a year. The sign called out a local contractor whom Warzynak claimed owes him about $15,000 for an unfinished project. "I paid him about $28,000 to add a bedroom, a bathroom and a living room to my house," Warzynak says. "I figure he did about $13,000 worth of work before he disappeared." It's a homeowner's worst nightmare. You pay someone thousands of dollars—maybe tens of thousands—to fix your home, and the work isn't done right.

RISMEDIA, June 15, 2011—The homeownership rate dropped to 66.4 percent in April 2011, the lowest it’s been since 1998, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Some would argue this means owning a home is not as important to Americans as it once was—but they’re wrong. What it really means is that the artificially stimulated level of 69 percent in 2005 wasn’t sustainable. Today’s level is merely a return to a more normal rate. The dream of homeownership is as strong as ever, and it deserves protection—not more regulatory roadblocks.

RISMedia, June 14, 2011—Officially launched in December 2005, YouTube now has over 500 million subscribers worldwide. YouTube receives more than 2 billion viewers per day and is now the second largest search engine in the world (next to Google). Anyone can surf YouTube as often as they like in anonymity. When you want to do something interesting however, like upload your own video, create playlists, subscribe to YouTube channels, etc., you have to create an account. The account is free and YouTube makes it very easy and hassle free by only requiring a few simple pieces of information and a promise to agree to play by their rules.

RISMedia, June 10, 2011—Despite the ups and downs of the housing market, home owners and non-owners alike consider owning a home essential to the American Dream. That's the key finding of a recent survey of people likely to vote in 2012 that was conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Va., and Lake Research Partners of Washington, D.C. "The survey results show that Americans see beyond the immediate housing market to the enduring value of homeownership," says NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev.

RISMedia, June 10, 2011—Mortgage applications decreased 0.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 3, 2011. This week's results include an adjustment to account for the Memorial Day holiday.

RISMedia, June 9, 2011—In cities like Los Angeles, where the car is king, the thought of commuters leaving their automobiles behind and opting for public transportation once seemed unimaginable. But CBS Evening News recently reported that Los Angeles commuter rail ridership had increased 8 percent from last year's figures. The rules of the road are shifting. High gas prices, climate change, and environmental awareness are altering the real estate landscape. The result is that more people are looking to work closer to home, not only because commuting is becoming more expensive, but also because of growing concern over car-centered life and its impact on greenhouse gases.

RISMedia, June 9, 2011—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced recently that $3.6 million in Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants will be awarded in fiscal year 2011 to assist in the transformation, rehabilitation and preservation of public housing and privately owned HUD-assisted housing.

RISMedia, June 8, 2011—At a time when new home construction in the Northeastern region of the United States has dropped by more than half since 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), there is at least one Connecticut builder/developer whose company remains well in the black—and whose innovative single-family homes and multi-family condos are attracting a new kind of consumer.

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 misconceptions is that cancelling MI is a difficult—not to mention time-consuming—process. The irony is that the majority of buyers don’t harbor those same beliefs or reservations about an FHA insured loan when, in reality, FHA coverage may be less easily cancelled, or take longer to cancel, than MI.

RISMedia, June 3, 2011—Seventeen local and state REALTOR® associations have been awarded over $60,000 through the Housing Opportunity Program Grants, a National Association of REALTORS® grant program. The funds will be used by the associations to promote and expand affordable housing opportunities

RISMEDIA, June 2, 2011—The spring and summer seasons launch a busy time for home remodeling and improvement projects as homeowners spruce up for entertaining, listing their home for sale, or increasing the property's value. A slowly warming housing market has made staying a popular trend among homeowners who choose to remodel versus losing money on a sale. For those who must move, cost-effective projects that make a home more visually appealing or structurally sound is a great way to entice potential buyers.

RISMedia, May 28 2011—Recently, the California Supreme Court denied a petition for review from a homeowner who is fighting to keep his property from being taken from him and his family through foreclosure. The Court chose not to review a 4th Appellate District Court decision that upheld the right of the Mortgage

RISMedia, May 28 2011—Nationwide housing affordability during the first quarter of 2011 rose to its highest level in the more than 20 years it has been measured, according to National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) data released recently. The HOI indicated that 74.6 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the first quarter of 2011 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. This eclipsed the previous high of 73.9 percent set during the fourth quarter of 2010 and marked the ninth consecutive quarter that the index has been above 70 percent. Until 2009, the HOI rarely topped 65 percent and never reached 70 percent.

RISMedia, May 23 2011—Existing-home sales slipped in April, although the market has managed six gains in the past nine months, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, eased 0.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million in April from a downwardly revised 5.09 million in March, and are 12.9 percent below a 5.80 million pace in April 2010; sales surged in April and May of 2010 in response to the home buyer tax credit.