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Next HUD boss says RESPA reform workable Premium Content

By Matt Carter, Monday, May 26, 2008.

The Bush administration's nominee to be the next Secretary of Housing -- Steve Preston, the head of the Small Business Administration -- is distancing himself from the SBA's past criticism of proposed changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, or RESPA.  more...

California median home price falls 32% Premium Content

By Inman News, Monday, May 26, 2008.

The median price of single-family detached resale homes in California dropped 32 percent while home sales rose 2.5 percent year-over-year in April, the California Association of Realtors reported today.  more...

HUD inspectors do buyers disservice

By Barry Stone, Monday, May 26, 2008.

Dear Barry,

I've been renting my home for seven years and am now in the process of buying it. I was approved for a HUD housing program and need to prepare for a HUD inspection. What conditions should my landlord and I look at before that inspection takes place? --Kathy

Dear Kathy,  more...

Help from feds not a bailout

By Jack Guttentag, Monday, May 26, 2008.

(This is Part 4 of a five-part series.  more...

More buyers using TICs to get into condos

By Benny Kass, Monday, May 26, 2008.

DEAR BENNY: I am considering buying a condo in San Francisco. It looks like most condos advertise taking title as TIC (tenants in common). Can you please explain a little more about TIC? What are the disadvantages and advantages? --Eton

DEAR ETON: Because this is a syndicated column that appears throughout the United States, my answer has to be general. You should consult your own attorney to assist you in your decision-making.

Oversimplified, there are four ways that title can be held for your own home:  more...

What to do if your home won't sell

By Dian Hymer, Monday, May 26, 2008.

Homes take longer to sell today than they did in 2005. This is due to a slow home-sale market that has resulted in a build-up of the inventory of unsold listings. Although there are exceptions, this situation is expected to continue until late 2008 or 2009 -- at least. What options do sellers have whose homes aren't selling quickly enough?

Many of the homes that aren't selling are priced too high for the current market. The median sale price of homes sold nationally in February 2008 was down 8.2 percent from a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors.  more...

No downtime in a down market Premium Content

By Alison Rogers, Monday, May 26, 2008.

Yet another sign that my market is slowing down: Everyone is paying waaay too much attention to me.

I have two open deals, a sale and a rental. (Or I suppose I should say, two immediate deals where I represent the owners. There are multiple deals where I'm tangled up with buyers, but in this climate those people could be buying three years from now.)

So anyway, I found out last week that I was going to need surgery on Monday. So I told my sponsoring broker, handed him keys ...
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