Home

Praying for lower rates and a refinance party

By Lou Barnes, Sunday, September 30, 2007.

Mortgage rates are about the same, just under 6.5 percent, but the ultra-indicator, the 10-year T-note yield, has gradually fallen from 4.7 percent last week to 4.6 percent.  more...

Why mortgage lenders struggle for repeat business

By Jack Guttentag, Sunday, September 30, 2007.

I recently returned from a boat tour in Indonesia, and was impressed with the quality of the service provided by the tour company. The employees go out of their way to make the experience a pleasurable one for the customers. Other tour companies we have used in the past were equally good. My impressions are consistent with those of many other travelers with whom I have compared notes.  more...

Home buyers less willing to compromise in slow market

By Dian Hymer, Sunday, September 30, 2007.

Even though the home-sale market is slow, some listings sell quickly. Others don't. What accounts for the difference?

The volume of homes sold is down as much as 20 percent or more in some areas compared to a year ago. Concurrently, the listing inventory has increased 40 percent or more in some markets. The odds of having a quick sale decrease when lower sales volume is combined with more listings of homes for sale.  more...

Is bankruptcy better than foreclosure?

By Robert Bruss, Sunday, September 30, 2007.

Editor's note: Robert Bruss passed away on Sept. 26, 2007. This was one of the last real estate columns he wrote. Inman News is publishing Bob's last work as a final salute to the nation's most well-known real estate writer.  more...

Goodnight, Bob

By Alison Rogers, Friday, September 28, 2007.

The thing about writers is that we tend to be cranky. The shift from looking inside -- to digging down to find all those wonderful thoughts and metaphors -- to dealing with the outside -- that ever-ringing phone -- is just too harsh, and it happens too often.

So it's always surprising when a writer has a reputation for being nice and good-humored, and it's even more surprising when that writer is approximately three times as productive as any of his competition.  more...

An agent's closer look at Zillow Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Friday, September 28, 2007.

At Real Estate Connect I had a chance to sit down for a one-on-one interview with Rich Barton of Zillow. Love them or hate them, Zillow is now generating about two-thirds as much traffic as Realtor.com. Can your business afford to ignore such a powerful place to advertise for just pennies?  more...

Six ways to save on homeowners insurance

By Robert Bruss, Friday, September 28, 2007.

Editor's note: Robert Bruss passed away on Sept. 26, 2007. This was one of the last real estate columns he wrote. Inman News is publishing Bob's last work as a final salute to the nation's most well-known real estate writer.

A few days ago I was chatting with my longtime insurance agent. Among other things he mentioned some good news and some bad news about my homeowners insurance policy.

Purchase Bob Bruss reports online.  more...

Automated exterior lights boost curb appeal

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, September 28, 2007.

Whether it's a softly lit path on a summer evening or the safety and welcoming glow of the front porch light when you come home from work on a dark winter night, exterior lighting adds both safety and curb appeal to any home. To help make the lighting more convenient as well, there are a number of exterior timers and other light activation devices available that will work for just about any situation.  more...

Why do design-review boards insist on 'Disneyfying' cities?

By Arrol Gellner, Friday, September 28, 2007.

Today's city planners are terrified by the prospect of a blank wall. They, along with their micromanaging brethren on civic design-review boards, would much rather see a pastiche of meaningless fakery than an honest piece of wall with nothing on it.

The horror vacui of planners and design-review boards is a well-meaning but ill-informed reaction to modern architecture of the postwar era, which has long been pilloried -- often quite rightly -- for its mechanistic repetition, superhuman scale, and dearth of ornament.  more...

Landlord can't discriminate against family size

By Janet Portman, Thursday, September 27, 2007.

Q: Our family recently applied for a two-bedroom flat. Seeing that we have a teenage boy and girl, the landlord told my husband and me that the place was too small for us, since the kids would each need a bedroom. We can't afford a three-bedroom place, and the second bedroom was plenty big for two beds. Can he legally turn us away for this reason? --Helen H.  more...

Worst part of long-distance property ownership

By Robert Griswold, Thursday, September 27, 2007.

Question: I own an investment property in Phoenix, Ariz., and since summer 2005 I have been using a local management company. The first year and a half they had the property rented, but the rental home has been vacant for the last four months.  more...

Disadvantages of having a real estate license

By Robert Bruss, Thursday, September 27, 2007.

Editor's note: Robert Bruss passed away on Sept. 26, 2007. This was one of the last real estate columns he wrote. Inman News is publishing Bob's last work as a final salute to the nation's most well-known real estate writer.

DEAR BOB: I am a beginner in real estate investing. Is it a good idea to get my real estate sales license? Or should I skip being a real estate agent and only be a real estate investor? What about being both an agent and an investor?  more...

Paying home loan biweekly can save thousands

By Tom Kelly, Wednesday, September 26, 2007.

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Mortgage-interest tax break lacking in benefits.")

When the last week of August quickly slipped into Labor Day weekend, the Cashen kids decided the time had come to take over the loan payments of the family cabin from their parents.  more...

Pro's guide to painting home's exterior

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, September 26, 2007.

Q: In an article on restoring a Victorian, you mentioned exterior painting using three coats: a coat of primer, a second coat of one-half primer and one-half coat of finish paint, and a final coat of finish paint. Is this your suggestion for all exterior painting?

A: Yes, especially on older wood homes. We also recommend the three-coat approach when painting trouble spots -- such as windowsills -- that are subject to the ravages of sun, wind and rain.  more...

Family death no excuse for canceling home purchase

By Robert Bruss, Wednesday, September 26, 2007.

DEAR BOB: A friend of mine was going to purchase a house. She signed a contract agreeing to move forward with the closing procedures. She had put $500 down and had a professional home inspection completed. Her mother was battling cancer and died. She then contacted the Realtor and backed out of buying the house. Now the seller and his Realtor are threatening to sue her for not buying the house. Is it true she can be sued? --Jenna B.  more...

123456next ›last »