National News

Mortgage Underwriting Standards Less Strict in 2012

Lessening underwriting standards are the great white whale in housing’s recovery, and the 2012 Survey of Credit Underwriting Practices from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is making some suggestions that the tide may be turning for home

Paging Dr. Robert J. Shiller – Housing Guru on How to Fix Housing

Robert J. Shiller is more than just a highly-respected professor of economist at Yale – he’s the co-creator of the Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, one of the most influential readings available on the U.S. housing market. Therefore, it makes

Prepping for the Sale – 4 Essential Steps

Prepping a property for potential buyers is a multi-tiered process, one that involves a number of steps across a number of different mediums. From writing the initial Internet listing to scrubbing the home’s interiors and exteriors for showings, a

Do Americans Value Their Cars More than Their Houses?

Homeownership is often seen as the ultimate realization of the “American Dream.” Though the emotions behind that sentiment are still running strong, a recent report suggests that consumer spending habits may have different priorities, and that other big purchases now take precedent over

What's in a Housing Recovery? 3 Things to Keep in Mind

In case you’re late to the party, allow us to bring you up to speed – various sources are saying housing is inching towards recovery. Existing-home sales were up 9.6 percent last month, new home sales 19.8 percent, and

New Home Sales For May 2012 Leap 19.8 Percent, Garrison Benson, the CEO/president of Garrison Partners on 'Outstanding' Market

Sales of new singe-family homes for the month of May, according to new data from the Census Bureau, rose 19.8 percent year-over-year to a two-year high. The 369,000 seasonally-adjusted annual rate was also 7.6 percent above April’s rate of

Is Your Listing a "Pinball"?

A pinball property, or pinball listing, as it’s also called, can be a real estate agent’s best friend – just as long as they’re not the ones listing the property! It’s not a new term, but pinball listings –

5 SEO Basics for Real Estate Agents

Today, more than ever, sites such as Google and Yahoo! are the true drivers of the Internet, transporting users to web pages based on one thing – the results of their algorithms. It’s imperative that agents learn to harness

Should Agents Care About 'Operation Twist'?

The Federal Reserve announced earlier today that it would be extending its Operation Twist program through the end of the year to stimulate financial markets. Though it sounds like it came from the mind of Lewis Carroll, the Twist

Existing-Home Sales Increase 9.6 Percent, Market Heading in 'Right Direction,' says Michael Parent, MORe President-elect

Existing-home sales in May declined 1.5 percent from April to May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.55 million, but were up 9.6 percent from May 2011, according to the National Association of Realtors. Median existing-home price, though,

FHA Rescinds Controversial Credit Dispute Rule, Mabel Guzman on its 'Black and White' Nature

The FHA has rescinded a highly-controversial credit dispute rule that put an untold number of mortgage applications at risk with the government lender. Drafted in March to shore up its emergency fund, the rule forced potential homebuyers with FHA

New Tech in Real Estate Brings the Noise

Technology is constantly changing the way we interpret real estate, and a couple of new auditory innovations are looking to overhaul our perceptions all over

American Dream Alive and Kickin' in New Trulia Survey

Trulia today released the results of its latest American Dream survey, and it found that homeowner optimism has returned to the housing market in a major way. The survey sampled a large swath of the U.S. population, with nearly

Are We Missing the Boat on Housing Affordability?

The last six months, housing affordability has been one of the few give-ins regarding housing. With record-low interest rates and competitively-priced homes, affordability is at its highest level in more than 40 years…or is it? A new study by

NAHB Builder Confidence at Highest Level Since 2007

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) increased one point in June to its highest level since May of 2007. That might not sound like a big deal, but every little point counts – and

5 Ways Not to Be an Idiot on Facebook

Let’s face it, few things are more painful than a Facebook user who has little grasp of the medium. We’ve all seen it – posts written entirely in ALL CAPS, cheesy videos, meaningless status updates – an all with

New Subscribe

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.