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Realogy in the black for Q3 Premium Content

By Inman News, Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

Real estate franchisor and brokerage Realogy Corp. said it turned a $58 million profit in the third quarter, thanks in part to a debt restructuring that allowed the company to claim a $75 million gain and stay in compliance with agreements governing nearly $3 billion in loans.

Realogy said commission revenue was down 13 percent from a year ago, to $878 million -- the main factor driving a decline in net revenue of the same magnitude, to $1.17 billion.  more...

Debt collectors must play by rules

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Wednesday, November 11, 2009.
Flickr image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/3000884104/" target=blank>HikingArtist.com</a>.

In the case Edwards v. Niagara Credit Solutions Inc., debtor Brenda Edwards owed money to creditor Consumer Shopping Network. The creditor retained Niagara Credit Solutions, a collection agency, to recoup the money owed by Edwards. A collection agency calls and writes debtors to collect debts, and is governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

Niagara Credit Solutions made more than 12 calls to Edwards over a four-month period, leaving voice messages when she failed to answer. Each message stated the debtor's name, the name of the individual calling, the phone number to which the return call should be made and an account number to reference.  more...

The runaway real estate bus Premium Content

By Kris Berg, Wednesday, November 11, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/safaris/160601256/" target=blank>safaris</a>.

Stop the bus. I want to get off.

I find myself having a moment like this at least once a month, a moment where it all starts to feel just a smidge overwhelming. This morning I was having yet another anxiety attack, and I blame it on my feed reader.

There were the links to the approximate 6,800 articles on the extension of the homebuyer tax credit, of course.  more...

Insulation advice varies by climate

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

Q: My husband is building an addition to our home in the San Francisco Bay Area and was told by the city building inspector that he installed the flooring insulation incorrectly.

We installed the paper side facing the soil; he wants my husband to either remove the paper vapor barrier or turn the insulation around so the vapor barrier is against the floor. To do this we have to remove the netting that supports the insulation and reverse the insulation batts.

From your article, it appears that moisture comes from the ground, not the building, and we installed the insulation correctly. Can you give us your opinion?  more...

GMAC Real Estate unites with Real Living Premium Content

By Inman News, Wednesday, November 11, 2009.
Photo courtesy Real Living.

A major real estate brokerage company merger gives GMAC Real Estate a new name while expanding the Real Living real estate brand and growing the U.S. operations of Canada-based Brookfield Residential Property Services.

The merger of GMAC Real Estate and Real Living, which will operate under the Real Living name and under parent company Brookfield, represents the second sizable U.S. expansion of Brookfield operations in the past two years.  more...

Homebuyer optimism dodges reality

By Tom Kelly, Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

Is there too much excitement about the recent gains in the housing market? Can the jump in sales figures this past summer truly be sustained?

Some of the nation's foremost housing experts question some national data and trends and are wary about the number of adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) that are scheduled to adjust in the next nine months.  more...

5 ways to avoid mover's remorse

By Mary Umberger, Wednesday, November 11, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/akeg/3937000167/" target=blank>akeg</a>.

Anybody who has ever moved to an unfamiliar area -- a new neighborhood in one's own city or a town 500 miles away -- may have experienced an "I wish I'd known that before I moved here" moment.

It's not just the new house -- it's what might be around it. Whether it's something as unsettling as discovering that a leaking underground storage tank is just blocks away or merely as disappointing as finding that the nearest public park is too far away for the kids to walk to, there are myriad quality-of-life issues that a prospective homebuyer needs to factor into a purchase decision.  more...