Archive for June, 2010

The Right Way To Take A Cash Gift For Downpayment

Posted in June 29th, 2010

As lenders tighten mortgage guidelines, minimum downpayment requirements are increasing. It’s leading to an increase in the number of buyers accepting cash gifts from family. There’s a right and wrong way to accept a gift.

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Buyers Take The May 2010 New Home Sales Data All The Way To The Bank

Posted in June 28th, 2010

by Bill Lublin in Consumer Interest, New Home Sales, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Real Estate

The press is referring to the May New Home Sales report as “poor”. A closer look, however, shows that may not be the case.

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Shopping For Mattresses, Or How Buy A Good Night’s Sleep

Posted in June 26th, 2010

by Bill Lublin in Real Estate

NBC’s The Today Show hosted Consumer Reports for its take on mattresses. Some of the results may surprise you.

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A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (June 23, 2010 Edition)

Posted in June 25th, 2010

by Bill Lublin in Economy, FOMC

Today, in its first meeting in 5 weeks, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-to-1 to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged. The Fed Fund Rate remains within its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent.

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The Largest Historic Homes In The United States

Posted in June 24th, 2010

by Bill Lublin in Interesting Homes

The Biltmore Estate, built in 1895 by George Washington Vanderbilt II, measures 175,000 square feet — 83 times the size of a typical home today.

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Shopping And Paying Bills Online? Here’s Methods To Protect Your Online Financial Identity

Posted in June 23rd, 2010

by Bill Lublin in Household Finances

In May 2010, Retail Sales at non-store retailers — a category that includes Amazon and eBay — topped $29 billion, up 16 percent from May 2009. Clearly, Americans are doing an increasing amount of shopping online. But how well are we protecting our identities?

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Making A Mortgage Rate Strategy Ahead Of The Fed’s Meeting This Week

Posted in June 22nd, 2010

by Bill Lublin in FOMC

The Federal Open Market Committee begins a 2-day meeting today, its fourth scheduled meeting of the year, and fifth overall. There’s no expectation for the Fed to change the Fed Funds Rate but that doesn’t mean consumers should expect mortgage rates to remain unchanged, too.

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Conforming Loan Costs Are Rising, Says Freddie Mac

Posted in June 22nd, 2010

by Bill Lublin in Mortgage Lending, Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates may be dropping, but mortgage costs are not. According to Freddie Mac, the average required discount points on a conforming mortgage rate are higher by 0.1 percent since early-May.

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Good News For Sellers : Housing Starts Fall To 1-Year Low In May 2010

Posted in June 21st, 2010

by Bill Lublin in Economy, Housing starts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Real Estate

Single-family housing starts plummeted to a one-year low in May, just 30 days after soaring to a 20-month high. It’s no wonder home builders are confused.

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