C21AGVoices

USA Today ran this 2008 Foreclosures By State heatmap last week, reminding us of a simple truth: Headline statistics can be misleading. According to data compiled by RealtyTrac, 1 in 8 U.S. homes were in various stages of default or delinquency at the end of 2008.  This is a fact and it was widely reported by […]

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Back in the “Good Old Days” the basis of lending was often the knowledge the local banker had of you and your family and your work history. As the mortgage business grew , there needed to be a more universal method of determining who to give loans to. Today the basis of most mortgage lending […]

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“Most of the biggest real estate fortunes were not made in good times, but in bad times like this” Barbara Corcoran reminds us in this talk with NBC. It’s important perspective for Americans wondering how to invest in foreclosed properties without losing their cash or their credit rating. In the 4-minute interview, Corcoran quips on […]

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Changing your air filters regularly keeps your household energy costs down and extends the life of your HVAC unit(s).  It’s important, however, to use air filters that actually work.  Walk into any hardware store and you’ll see a host of filters at various price points, starting at 99 cents.  Before you reach for the cheapest products, though, watch the […]

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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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