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Homeowner’s Toolkit Archive
RISMEDIA, February 18, 2010—(MCT)—Experts fear a new wave of foreclosures will hit this year as prolonged unemployment makes it difficult for millions of homeowners to pay their mortgages—
RISMEDIA, February 18, 2010—The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) announced the launch of HouseLogic, a new, comprehensive consumer website about all aspects of homeownership. HouseLogic helps homeowners make smart decisions and take responsible actions to maintain, protect and increase the value of their homes. ...
RISMEDIA, February 17, 2010—(Eco Hatchery Real Estate News)—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its final WaterSense single-family new homes specification, creating the first national, voluntary, water-efficiency specification for an entire new home.
“Home builders can now partner with EPA and earn the WaterSense label for their newly built homes, helping create livable communities and quality homes that are easy to maintain,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water.
RISMEDIA, February 16, 2010—We gathered the most common questions about decorating with rugs, and then sat down with Lowe’s Vice President of Trend, Design & Brand Melissa Birdsong to find solutions that will work for your space. ...
RISMEDIA, February 16, 2010—Freddie Mac recently announced that in the fourth quarter of 2009, refinancing borrowers overwhelmingly chose fixed-rate loans, regardless of whether their original loan was an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) or a fixed-rate, according to Freddie Mac's quarterly Product ...
RISMEDIA, February 15, 2010—On November 30, 2009, the Treasury Department released guidelines and forms for its new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA), which will help homeowners who are unable to retain their home under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Under HAFA, a borrower (the current owner) may be able to avoid foreclosure by completing a short sale or a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (DIL).
RISMEDIA, February 13, 2010—New homeowners oftentimes stretch themselves financially when having to pay the initial costs that come with purchasing a home. While it is important to focus on these preliminary expenses, homeowners must be aware of the financial requirements that come with maintaining the home. Here, Dan Steward, President, Pillar To Post discusses how homeowners can effectively budget for home maintenance.
RISMEDIA, February 12, 2010—(MCT)—Liv Mansfield is racing the clock, hoping to find and settle, or at least sign a purchase agreement, on a townhouse before the $6,500 tax credit for qualified repeat home buyers expires April 30, 2010.
While the credit is not as important as staying in the Wallingford school district, where her younger daughter will enter sixth grade next fall, Mansfield says it will help make expenses associated with the move ‘a wash.’
RISMEDIA, February 12, 2010—(MCT)—Reeling from the recession's one-two-three-punch of job woes, climbing mortgage payments and evaporating equity, desperate homeowners are dipping
RISMEDIA, February 11, 2010—RealtyTrac, one of the leading online marketplaces for foreclosure properties, released its January 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions—were reported on 315,716 U.S. properties during the month, a decrease of nearly 10% from the previous month but still 15% above the level reported in January 2009. The report also shows one in every 409 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing in January.
RISMEDIA, February 11, 2010—Last year home staging skyrocketed to the top of the list of the fastest growing careers in America. In the decade ahead
RISMEDIA, February 10, 2010—Home values across the country declined again in the fourth quarter of 2009, as the Zillow Home Value Index fell 5% year-over-year, and -0.5% quarter-over-quarter, to $186,200. That marked the 12th consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines, according to the fourth quarter Zillow Real Estate Market Reports. Despite home value declines seen across most of the country throughout 2009, some markets experienced what appeared to be a bottom in home value declines, or even increases in home values during the year.
RISMEDIA, February 9, 2010—It looks amazingly real, but it’s as phony as a James Cameron movie set. ...
RISMEDIA, February 9, 2010—The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) moved to protect distressed homeowners from the promoters of bogus foreclosure rescue and mortgage modification services by proposing a new rule that would forbid companies to charge up-front for these services. Instead, companies could only collect payment after providing services. ...
RISMEDIA, February 4, 2010—(MCT)—Ethelda Lopez, a retired telephone company worker recently watched as her dream retirement home was auctioned off on the lawn outside a county courthouse in downtown Merced, California. "When I heard my address, it was so disheartening," she said. "It's amazing how it all works."
For six months, she had made hundreds of calls to her mortgage company, federal officials, local political leaders—begging them all for lower payments or more time. No one paid heed.
