Image by drocksays via Flickr One popular housing theory is that — before a bona fide housing recovery can begin – the cost of owning a home versus renting one must return to historical levels. If that belief is a truth, a national return to rising home prices may be in store for 2009. Falling home prices [...]

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Image by Getty Images via Daylife The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law Tuesday February 17th in Denver, Colorado.  Also on Tuesday, stock markets fell near their November 2008 lows. The two moves are related. With each new stimulus; with each potential jumpstart of the economy, Wall Street questions whether the [...]

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Jesse Herman, the Awareness Coordinator at the Mesothelioma Cancer Center (www.asbestos.com) reached out to me recently to provide some important consumer information – I hope you find it useful! Regarded as the “rust belt” state, Pennsylvania has a history of asbestos use in mining and manufacturing. Home to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, this was a [...]

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Image by Rev Dan Catt via Flickr Everything old is new again. Conforming mortgages are limited by loan size, based on “typical” housing costs around the country.  The current conforming limit on a single-unit property is $417,000. In 2008, as part of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, Congress authorized conforming loan limits increases in “high-cost” [...]

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Image by djbones via Flickr With Congress reaching agreement on a $789 billion stimulus package for Americans and the President expected to sign it into law, the clock may be ticking for this year’s home buyers and homeowners. The package contains two benefits related to housing. The first provision is fairly well-known. It gives first-time [...]

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Image by thinkpanama via Flickr Last Friday, Fannie Mae rolled-back one of its least popular mortgage guidelines updates of the last 12 months. Effective March 1, 2009, real estate investors can once again own and finance up to 10 individual properties. The restriction reversal does come with new minimum requirements, however. Homeowners buying a 5th, [...]

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Image by Smabs Sputzer via Flickr Consumer Confidence fell this month for the first time in three months, reflecting Americans’ concern for the economy, housing, and the financial system. The reading isn’t much of a surprise given our collective exposure to a near-constant stream of negative news. Before long, the reports become a self-fulfilling prophecy. [...]

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Image by TheTruthAbout… via Flickr Comparing July’s conforming mortgage rates to today’s average rates, there’s a 1.5 percent difference in favor of homeowners. Rate drops like that make big differences in a household budget.  Look at these before-and-after payments, based on rates from the chart: $150,000 mortgage ($144 savings/month) July 2008: $958 monthly February 2009: [...]

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A real estate trade group reported Tuesday that Pending Home Sales ticked higher in December 2008.  A “pending home sale” is a home under contract to sell, but not yet closed. The group positions Pending Home Sales report as a predictor of future activity, suggesting that home sales will spike 60 days hence. This is good [...]

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Super Bowl Weekend traditionally marks the start of the Spring Buying Season in real estate. Anecdotally, real estate agents will tell you that buyer activity tends to tick higher at this time of the year. Meanwhile, with mortgage rates still trolling near all-time lows and Congress debating a first-time homebuyer tax credit, 2009 may bring [...]

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