Home

May

18
2009

Introduce yourself to our Blogger's Connect Keynote Speaker

By Daniel Rothamel, the Real Estate Zebra, Monday, May 18, 2009.

The program for Blogger's Connect SF '09 is filling out very nicely.  The entire day is jam-packed with information and tips that everyone from the novice to the expert will find useful.  more...

Retirement requires smart tax move

By Benny Kass, Monday, May 18, 2009.

DEAR BENNY: My aunt is 76 years old and lives in her home. She also owns a detached rental property nearby. Her primary residence has been the same property for more than 10 years. She would like to move into a retirement community this year, but to afford this new lifestyle she would have to sell one of her properties soon. Would it be more cost-effective from a tax perspective to sell her primary residence or her rental property? Are there any tax benefits to selling rental property vs. one's primary residence?

I have heard about a one-time tax exemption on the proceeds of selling one's primary residence, but I do not understand the rules of this exemption. I was thinking it would be better to sell the rental property first to avoid inconveniencing my aunt's daily routines, and later convert the primary residence into rental property after she moves.  more...

'Stalkerism' infects real estate

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Monday, May 18, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/clickflashphotos/3013152911/">ClickFlashPhotos</a>.

A funny thing happened on the way out of the bubble -- Americans became obsessed with real estate. It was an inevitable phenomenon that had been snowballing for years; the advent of home-improvement television and the Web-empowered access to all sorts of random real estate data created a whole flavor of person who considered themselves a real estate fan, sort of like fantasy football aficionados or scrapbookers.

And then the market had, uh, issues. The housing market became the No. 1 news topic, and as declining home values made it tougher for sellers to sell their homes, it also created opportunities for previously priced-out buyers to buy, and diminished the net worth of homeowners who weren't even contemplating a real estate transaction ...  more...

Realtor bashing a popular pastime Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Monday, May 18, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/2351477334/in/photostream/" target=blank>mikebaird</a>.

Realtor bashing has become a favorite pastime for many people both online and offline. Are their comments really justified?

This month I began a new consumer column for Inman News. I was curious to see what types of consumer questions were being asked on sites such as Trulia and Zillow. While the Trulia crowd appeared relatively tame, I was surprised by a post at Zillow -- with more than 2,000 views -- that proclaimed, "Realtors are like vultures."  more...

Service reaches renters with text messages

By Inman News, Monday, May 18, 2009.

With the hope of building stronger communication between rental communities and tenants, a Houston-based startup company has launched Tenant Txt.  more...

Better off renters

By Jack Guttentag, Monday, May 18, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2388647548/" target=blank>blmurch</a>.

Some people are not cut out to be homeowners. I call them NOHOs. What distinguishes them is not their income, their mobility, or where they live -- rather, it is how they live.

NOHOs live from week to week or month to month, depending on how often they are paid. Typically, they have nothing left at the end of the period, and if they run out early, they often borrow at high interest rates.

When they purchase durables, such as a TV set, NOHOs price the purchase in terms of the monthly payment, which they attempt to fit into their weekly or monthly budget.  more...

Realtors optimistic about price bottom

By Inman News, Monday, May 18, 2009.

If homeowners have high expectations that home prices will hit bottom in the next six months, Realtors are even more optimistic, according to a survey by home valuations and listings site HomeGain.

Only 29 percent of 1,150 Realtors surveyed by HomeGain from May 6 to 11 said they expect home values in their market will decline in the next six months. About half (49 percent) said they expect home values will stay the same, and 22 percent were expecting values to increase.  more...

NAR conference atwitter with 'tweets'

By Daniel Rothamel, the Real Estate Zebra, Monday, May 18, 2009.

This week, REALTORS from all over the country descended upon Washington, DC to attend the NAR Mid-Year Meetings and Expo. Of course, many of those REALTORS were tweeting all along the way. The meetings continue through Saturday, the 16th, so you can still follow-along with all the tweets by searching for the official #midyear tag.  more...

Jumbo lending crunch killing high-end sales Premium Content

By Matt Carter, Monday, May 18, 2009.

The limited availability and high cost of "jumbo" loans not backed by the government is taking a toll on sales of high-priced homes, a trend that's rippling through housing markets and the economy, the National Association of Realtors concludese in a new research report.  more...