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Real Estate Archive
RISMEDIA, July 12, 2011— The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in conjunction with NeighborWorks America launched a new Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program (EHLP) recently to help homeowners
RISMEDIA, July 12, 2011—Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit green building resource that has certified more than 11,000 homes, and the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) announced their intent to work together on development of an Energy Performance Score (EPS) label that can be issued for any home certified to the ...
RISMEDIA, July 11, 2011— Mortgage rates increased for the second week in a row, with the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate now 4.79 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage
RISMEDIA, July 9, 2011—Homeowners living in Cameron, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes may be eligible for additional compensation under Louisiana’s Road Home Program under the terms of a settlement agreement
RISMEDIA, July 8, 2011—The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act has many components and one of the biggest ones is about to debut. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is slated to start operations on July 22, 2011. The truth is that work is already being done behind the scenes and has been for months now. The agency has been adding staff and setting up systems and should be ready to roll by the July date. They have also been working on some early Dodd-Frank tasks such as combining the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) under RESPA and the Truth in Lending (TIL) statement under TILA. This process, as of this writing, has been a pleasant surprise and bodes well for how CFPB will handle its numerous future regulatory endeavors.
RISMEDIA, July 8, 2011—Most Americans still believe that owning a home is a solid financial decision, and a majority of renters aspire to homeownership as a long-term goal. According to the 2011 National Housing Pulse Survey released recently by the National Association of REALTORS®, 72 percent of renters surveyed said owning a home is a top priority for their future, up from 63 percent in 2010.
RISMEDIA, July 7, 2011—Leading economists agree that 122 million Americans between the ages of 16 and 46 dictate the growth and success of the US and Global economy. This group has become labeled as the “Economic Influencers.” Professionals in every field are working harder than ever to influence this group, which dominates the landscape in numbers, and consequently, dollars. As traditional forms of communication continue to achieve less ROI, the tsunami of social media is reaching a tipping point. With 750 million users on Facebook alone, will you drown in the crashing waves or surf toward profitability?
When it comes to seller contributions, the real estate and mortgage industries are well overdue for a new way of thinking. That’s because the majority of agents (and buyers and loan officers, too) simply think the only use for seller
RISMEDIA, July 7, 2011—The percentage of seriously delinquent mortgages—those that are 90 days past due or in foreclosure—held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have fallen more than a point in the last year.
RISMEDIA, July 7, 2011—Mortgage Marvel Rate Trends™, a daily survey of over 950 lenders, shows 30-year, fixed rates bouncing up 0.15% to 4.78% after setting a new six-month low last week.
RISMEDIA, July 6, 2011—Hours after the National Association of REALTORS® announced an 8.2 percent jump in May prices, CoreLogic confirmed its May numbers show a second consecutive month-over-month increase.
RISMEDIA, July 5, 2011—We are seeing a significant shift occurring in real estate technology that will impact our industry dramatically in the years to come. Like most shifts, it didn’t happen all at once but if you look carefully you
Every real estate professional wants a website with more traffic and more leads. The Website Shredder sessions at the Xplode Conference show the good and the bad about your website—live and on stage!
RISMEDIA, July 1, 2011—It’s getting really crazy out there. We have officially seen the start of a race to the bottom among economists, statisticians and spokespeople who are all trying to win the award for Chicken Little of the Year.
RISMEDIA, June 29, 2011—Short sales aren’t what they used to be. Gone is the long and complex process that often confused and frustrated both buyers and sellers. Today, mortgage lenders—along with the federal government—have streamlined short sales to make them more efficient and successful than ever before. Here are several things real estate professionals need to know as they pursue this significant opportunity.
First, what is a “short sale?” It’s a process in which the mortgage lender allows a property to be sold for less than the remaining principal balance on the loan. Short sales can be the answer for home-owners who cannot afford their mortgage payments or no longer wish to remain in the home.
