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Homeowner’s Toolkit Archive


Baby Boomers Turn to Remodeling to Create User-Friendly Homes

RISMEDIA, December 4, 2010—(MCT)—Uneasiness is keeping some aging baby boomers in their current homes, even though that's not what they had in mind.  As REALTOR® Allan Domb, who sells condos in Philadelphia, sees it, "The decline in prices in the suburbs appears to be keeping a lot of aging boomers from selling and moving to something befitting their changed lifestyle."


HUD Announces Recovery Act Funding has Prevented or Ended Homelessness for over 750,000

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


5 Strategies to Rebuild Your Credit after Foreclosure

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.


For Your Clients: 5 Tips for Choosing Homeowners’ Insurance

RISMEDIA, November 30, 2010—You’ve done the hard work: your seller has successfully sold their home due to your efforts, and the ink is dry on the closing papers. While ushering a successful sale is undoubtedly your primary job as a REALTOR®, it’s important to build a relationship with your client to ensure you might work with them again in the future—or get a referral.


Curb Appeal: Little Changes Make a Big Difference

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.


November Housing Scorecard Shows Continued Signs of Stabilization in House Prices and High Home Affordability

RISMEDIA, November 24, 2010—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released the November 2010 edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard (www.hud.gov/scorecard). The latest housing figures show continued signs of stabilization in house prices and high home affordability due in part to record low mortgage interest rates. The housing scorecard is a comprehensive report on the nation’s housing market.


Garage Fire Safety – Common Sense Minimizes Risk

RISMEDIA, November 24, 2010—For many homeowners, a shiny new car is as integral a part of the home as the roof and the door—and it’s often right next to both. That’s because many people go to great lengths to protect the beloved car from the elements, chief of which is garaging it rather than leaving it out in the driveway.


New Roofing Options Allow Homeowners to Cut Energy Bills

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.


5 Tips for Selling Your Home Quickly in Today’s Market

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.


Builders and Consumers Perceive Green Homes as Affordable to Live in but Expensive to Build

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


Housing Market Recovery Depends on Jobs and Access to Credit, Says NAR

RISMEDIA, November 18, 2010—Although the recent trend of rising long-term borrowing rates may mean higher mortgages for consumers in the coming months, the greater obstacles to housing market recovery are job creation and availability of credit, according to a National Association of Realtors analysis. "Modest changes in mortgage rates are less important to a housing market recovery than the number of people who are able to obtain mortgages," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.


FHA Issues Annual Financial Status Report to Congress

RISMEDIA, November 17, 2010—The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) released its annual report to Congress on the financial status of its Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund, FHA’s principal insurance account that includes all single-family and reverse mortgage activity.


Well-Kept Yards Signal Neighborhood Safety, Suggests New Relocation Survey

RISMEDIA, November 16, 2010—A new survey conducted by Relocation.com finds that 75% of Americans believe the most important factor in determining a neighborhood's safety is the up-keep of surrounding homes, especially the conditions of the front lawns, which trumps even


Home Values Near Unprecedented Decline as Hints of Stabilization Wane in Third Quarter

RISMEDIA, November 11, 2010—The United States housing market continued its long decline in the third quarter with home values falling for the 17th consecutive quarter, according to Zillow Real Estate Market Reports. With home values 25% below their June 2006 peak, the current


Realtors Strive to Streamline Short Sales through HAFA

RISMEDIA, November 11, 2010—Realtors gleaned inside knowledge on the efforts being made to improve the short sale process through the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program at the 2010 REALTORS® Conference & Expo. HAFA was intended to help homeowners who are unable to keep their home under the Making Home Affordable Modification Program avoid foreclosure by streamlining the short sales process and providing incentives to lenders that complete short sales. According to the National Association of Realtors' most recent Realtors Confidence Index, 12% of all recent home buyers purchased their home through a short sale.


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