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At the end of 2012, a number of tax and spending policies are scheduled to change. Taken together, these changes may exert a strong fiscal drag on an already fragile macroeconomic environment depending on the actions of Congress. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke calls this the “fiscal cliff.” Tax policy analysts call it “taxaggedon.” Regardless of its name, it represents the next dramatic policy deadline in Washington. Under present law, in 2013 the 2001/2003 tax cuts expire, the payroll tax cut expires, extended unemployment benefits end, and federal government spending levels decline due to last summer’s Budget Control Act.

Nationwide housing affordability hit a new record high for a second consecutive quarter in the first three months of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). Yet tight lending conditions continue to pose a major obstacle to many prospective home buyers. The latest HOI data reveal that 77.5 percent of all new and existing homes that were sold in this year’s first quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income of $65,000. This beats the previous record set in the final quarter of 2011, when 75.9 percent of homes sold were affordable to median-income earners.

Existing-home sales rose in April and remain above a year ago, while home prices continued to rise, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The improvements in sales and prices were broad based across all regions. Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 3.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.62 million in April from a downwardly revised 4.47 million in March, and are 10.0 percent higher than the 4.20 million-unit level in April 2011.

Sometimes I wonder if people truly understand who they are and if they really value themselves on the level that they need to. Let’s face it; there is nobody in this world that you will spend more time with than yourself so it would benefit you to like yourself. I mean, as the saying goes, wherever you go, there you are. I am sure that most of us know our faults and have quarrels with ourselves at times, but in the end, we do like ourselves. So the real question is do you value yourself? As a professional speaker there are certain parts of my career that I have had to take a step back from because of traveling obligations and time restraints.

As the country continues to emerge from the turbulent mortgage period, a Homebuyer Poll released by TD Bank reveals aspirations of homeownership are still very much alive in the U.S. The majority (84 percent) of today’s younger renting generation (ages 18-34) responded that they intend to buy a home. Overall, more than half of consumers polled say homeownership is a vital component to defining the American Dream and 59 percent associated feelings of excitement or pride as part of their first time home buying process. TD Bank surveyed more than 1,300

Google continues to dominate search engine market share and establish itself as one of today’s most recognizable brands, because of one simple word – relevance. This term in its most simplistic form is what defines every aspect of Google’s evolution and is the largest determinant in their future success. But how Google measures relevance is not so simple. It is a highly sophisticated and ever-changing model based on complex algorithms named after cute and cuddly things like Penguins and Pandas (two very recent and important updates). Don’t let the names

With real estate owned (REO) properties numbering in the millions, agents vying for new business opportunities will find an abounding REO market. With the right insurances in place, brokers will be able to both support their agents’ REO business while amassing new and successful real estate transactions throughout the year. With every new real estate niche, however, education is paramount to prosperity. To address this need for advanced REO training, The Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) teamed up with Ed Bugos, ABR®, BPOR, SFR®, a knowledgeable REO business specialist and instructor, to bring real estate professionals

The future of housing finance in the U.S. will be a key issue facing the winner of the upcoming presidential election. That's what a panel of industry experts told several thousand Realtors® gathered at a symposium, Housing Policy in 2013: Challenges, Opportunities and Solutions, during the REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo this week. The National Association of Realtors® supports a comprehensive reform strategy for the secondary mortgage market to help maintain a level of certainty in the marketplace and not further disrupt the still fragile housing market recovery.

REALTORS® from across the country are meeting with legislators, public policy makers and industry leaders this week to address pressing concerns and issues that affect homeowners, aspiring homeowners and real estate investors everywhere as the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo begins. One of the highlights of this year's meeting will be a Rally to Protect the American Dream on Thursday, May 17. Approximately 10,000 REALTORS® are expected

I am writing this as I am on a train on my way to Washington, D.C. for the National Association of Realtors® annual Midyear Conference & Expo. I am fortunate enough to be speaking at a few events while I am in town but I can remember a time when I came to events like Midyear before anyone ever wanted to hire me or even knew my name. There were some people around me that would question me about why I would go to a place where I didn’t know many people. They wanted to know, “What is the point?” I believe this line of questioning comes from short-term mindset. In the short term, I could see where they were coming from because it didn’t appear that I would gain anything except for some good times

Median existing single-family home prices are firming in many metropolitan areas, while improving sales and declining inventory are creating more balanced conditions, according to the latest quarterly report by the National Association of Realtors®. The median existing single-family home price rose in 74 out of 146 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) based on closings in the first quarter from the same quarter in 2011, while 72 areas had price declines. In the fourth quarter of 2011 only 29 areas were showing gains from a year earlier.

Website? Check. Blog? Check. Facebook page, Twitter handle, YouTube channel - check, check…and check. In today’s market, real estate professionals know that these web-based platforms are all must-haves in order to stay current and cover all potential business-generating bases in today’s largely technology- and social media-driven market. But are these platforms doing enough to reach out to and stay in touch with your clients and prospects? Or are you still hoping and waiting for them to somehow find you online? And while traditional marketing approaches are

The new year opened with hope that the 3 percent growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reported for the end of 2011 would lead to stronger job growth and improving housing markets. While January and February offered positive economic news, March and April reporting suggested that unusually warm weather may have accelerated some economic activity at the expense of the spring months. Overall, first-quarter GDP grew at a subpar, seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.2 percent. Declining growth in inventory investment and weak nonresidential investment were the primary reasons. Increases in inventory investment boosted GDP growth at the end of 2011 by 1.8 percentage points.

According to the Summer 2012 Merrill Edge Report, many mass affluent Americans are willing to make short-term sacrifices in order to get their finances in better shape. The report, released on April 26 by Bank of America, explores the financial concerns and priorities of mass affluent consumers, Americans with $50,000-$250,000 in investable assets. This group, which consists of approximately 28 million households in the United States, has also shown over the last six months a rising concern over a number of financial issues, such as the cost of healthcare and being able to afford the lifestyle they want in retirement.

Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) released the results of its first quarter refinance analysis showing homeowners who refinance continue to strengthen their fiscal house. In the first quarter of 2012, 79 percent of homeowners who refinanced their first-lien home mortgage either maintained about the same loan amount or lowered their principal balance by paying-in additional money at the closing table. Of these borrowers, 58 percent maintained about the same loan amount, and 21 percent of refinancing homeowners reduced their principal balance; the share of borrowers that kept about the same loan amount was the highest in the 26-year history of the analysis.