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Mortgage rates hang in limbo

By Lou Barnes, Thursday, May 20, 2004.

Three straight weeks of mortgage-rate stability (low-fee loans 6.25 percent-6.375 percent) have concealed a truly unstable situation.

Most upsets in the financial markets coincide with fast-moving events, painful but well-understood, like the blown stock bubbles in '87 and '00, or the freight-train Feds in '80, '81 and '94, or the foreign currency collapse in '98. This time, markets are unstable because nobody really knows what the hell is going on.  more...

Real estate agents befriend technology Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Thursday, May 20, 2004.

(Part 2 of a four-part series. See Parts 1, 3 and 4.)

The National Association of Realtors has 1 million members. In five years, more than 800,000 agents will leave the business because they lack what it takes to succeed. Some lack basic business fundamentals, but others fail because they lack systems and organizational skills.  more...

Why hasn't my real estate sold yet?

By Robert Bruss, Thursday, May 20, 2004.

During the current springtime peak home sales season, the largest number of prospective home buyers are searching for houses or condos to purchase. That means this is a great time of year to be a home seller.

Although mortgage interest rates recently rose a bit, that slight increase motivated many first-time home buyers, move-up buyers and move-down buyers to purchase a house or condo before interest rates rise more. The result is near-record numbers of new and resale home sales.  more...

Spirit level raises real estate construction quality

By Paul Bianchina, Thursday, May 20, 2004.

Level, meaning perfectly horizontal. Plumb, meaning perfectly vertical. These are two words you hear a lot in construction, and they're vital to a quality, finished product in everything from rough framing to fine finish work. A single tool – technically called a spirit level, better known simply as a level – is the workhorse in the industry for checking plumb and level, and a good spirit level belongs in every toolbox.

THE BASICS  more...

Designing party space fit for a king

By Katherine Salant, Thursday, May 20, 2004.

Almost any large room will seem like a great space for entertaining, if the party occurs at night and the place is jammed with people.

But the same space in the cold hard light of day can be a different proposition altogether, and that's what you will live with on a daily basis, said Michael Sloan, an architect in Millbrook, N.Y., an area where many people from New York City have weekend houses and frequently entertain in them.  more...