Home
Date

No sign of 'weapons of mass inflation'

By Lou Barnes, Friday, January 30, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/jenrab/3062850686/" target=blank>jen_rab</a>.

Long-term Treasury yields blew up this week, along with mortgage rates. In two weeks, the 10-year Treasury-note has jumped from 2.25 percent to 2.85 percent, and mortgages from sub-5 percent to 5.5 percent (even that costs a 1 percent fee today), shutting down refinances altogether. Not even the all-time lows had created demand for purchase loans.

There are good odds that this move is temporary; even so, why did it happen?  more...

Home prices fall hard in Phoenix, S.F.

By Inman News, Friday, January 30, 2009.

An index measuring the price per square foot of homes in 25 U.S. metro areas declined in every location except Milwaukee in November 2008 compared to November 2007.

Several other price and sales reports reveal a pattern of record-low activity in some market metrics as the housing market crawls through one of the slowest periods since the Great Depression.  more...

Truth about home fixture warranties

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, January 30, 2009.

Warranties are something we see on a myriad of home improvement products, from roofing and siding to faucets and electrical outlets. They're intended to give the consumer some specific legal recourse should the product fail to perform properly, as well as some general psychological peace of mind.

But how valuable are warranties? Do they cover what you think they do, and can you rely on them to really protect your financial investment in the event of a problem? The truth is: probably not as much as you'd hoped.

READ, READ, READ  more...

Sorry state of architecture school

By Arrol Gellner, Friday, January 30, 2009.

Back during my school days at U.C. Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, one of our final class assignments was a project for a hypothetical cultural center. The program was elaborate, requiring dozens of spaces, large and small. I spent a good part of the allotted three weeks coming up with an unassailable floor plan before finally moving on to -- as architects like to put it -- expressing my solution in three dimensions.  more...

FBI: Fannie target of malicious code

By , Friday, January 30, 2009.

A software engineer fired from his job as a contractor for Fannie Mae is accused of planting a malicious script that would have wiped out the data on all 4,000 of the company's servers and halted the processing of mortgages for at least a week had it not been discovered, authorities said.

Rajendrasinh Babubhai Makwana, who was employed by OmniTech as a contractor at Fannie Mae's Urbana, Md. facility for three years, is accused of planting the script on Oct. 24.  more...

Stimulus bill throws bones to housing

By Inman News, Thursday, January 29, 2009.

Debate over the wisdom of the spending and tax breaks included in an $819 billion stimulus bill passed by the House Wednesday is expected to intensify as the legislation moves to the Senate.

But Realtors are welcoming the House's treatment of tax breaks for first-time home-buyers and a proposal to restore the higher loan limits in place for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA last year.  more...

Beating the foreclosure scam artists

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, January 29, 2009.
Image courtesy Teresa Boardman

Real estate professionals are not always trusted and respected by consumers. We are salespeople and it seems like we have to work extra hard with some consumers to establish trust.

The current economic crisis has given us an opportunity to establish trust with consumers, who have a huge need for education. I can read the terms they use in the search engines to find my Web sites.  more...

Mortgage rates holding steady

By Inman News, Thursday, January 29, 2009.

Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages were essentially flat this week, falling two-hundredths of a percent from a week ago to 5.10 percent with an average 0.7 percent, Freddie Mac said today.  more...

Breaking lease when partner is abusive

By Robert Griswold, Thursday, January 29, 2009.

Q: A few months ago I rented a house in a rural area with my now ex-girlfriend. We both completed separate rental applications and signed the two-year lease. I now have a major problem. After several weeks of putting up with her drunken tirades and verbal abuse, I am in fear of my safety. The neighbors called the police numerous times, and I even had to call them last month. At that time, the officer responding to my call suggested I might want to find another place to live to keep the peace -- so I took his advice and moved out.  more...

Best agent: hand-holder or rainmaker?

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Thursday, January 29, 2009.

Q: How can I check out a Realtor? Is there a regulatory agency that rates Realtors? I have been burned twice by Realtors when I thought I was careful, but they were shady and did not represent my interests. I'm afraid to buy again.

A: According to Webster.com, the second-most-frequently searched word of the year was "vet" -- not vet as in veterinarian, but vet as in investigating one's vice-presidential running mate's qualifications. It seems to me that you are looking for a method of vetting your next Realtor. And wisely so; my own mother has commented on the fact that I'm both a Realtor and an attorney -- neither of which ranks high on the general public's trusted professions meter.  more...

AOL case complicates Stuart Wolff retrial

By , Thursday, January 29, 2009.

The government's plans to retry former Homestore CEO Stuart Wolff for his alleged involvement in circular advertising deals that led the company to restate millions in revenue could be complicated by charges that AOL executives who testified in Wolff's first trial were involved in other, much bigger schemes.  more...

Jan

29
2009

Connect NYC 2009 videos are now available!

By , Thursday, January 29, 2009.

Videos of the general sessions from Inman Connect NYC 2009 are now available.  The videos are available to Premium Members as a member benefit.  If you're not yet a Premium Member, now would be the perfect time to upgrade your memebership.   more...

72 hours to sell a home

By , Thursday, January 29, 2009.

It must be something in the water. Or maybe its just the fact they’re working in one of the most competitive real estate markets in North America.

Whatever it is, it seems like Vancouver-based Realtors are really pushing the envelope when it comes to new media marketing (see Video isn't just about listings).

Kye Grace is one of those Realtors. He recently completed a marathon open house; 3 days non-stop, embedding himself in a downtown luxury condo he was trying to sell.  more...

Broker: MLS training goes too far

By , Thursday, January 29, 2009.

A real estate broker whose company operates in 23 states has complained to federal officials about a North Carolina multiple listing service that requires participants to physically attend a training session to learn about a new MLS technology platform.

Participants who do not complete the training will not be allowed to access the system.  more...

Mortgage apps down on higher rates

By Inman News, Thursday, January 29, 2009.

Mortgage applications fell 38.8 percent last week as interest rates on most loans remained elevated above recent lows, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Applications for refinance loans fell 48 percent from the previous week during the week ending Jan. 23, while applications for purchase loans were off a more modest 2.9 percent, the MBA said.  more...

123456789…next ›last »