| Another big leap for home sales Posted: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:36:11 EST After surging 10% in October, sales of existing homes jumped again in November, growing 7.4% compared with October to an annualized rate of 6.54 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. Lower payments = fewer redefaults Posted: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:24:28 EST It should come as no surprise that fewer troubled borrowers will redefault if their loan payments are lowered in a mortgage modification. Renovating doesn't pay off like it used to Posted: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:15:21 EST Home remodelers are getting less bang for their bucks. For the fourth straight year, renovation jobs have added less to resale values relative to their costs, according to an annual Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report released this week by the National Association of Realtors. 7 tips for buying foreclosures Posted: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:21:13 EST Foreclosures are dominating the housing market. Right now, there are 1.5 million such homes for sale, and more are expected to be available soon. That provides both opportunities and pitfalls for bargain hunters. Foreclosures: How bad is your state? Posted: Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:34:34 EST Cher sells her piece of paradise Posted: Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:20:39 EST The pop-singer/actress has put her house on Hawaii's big island up for auction, and it's expected to fetch between $8 million and $12 million. Extreme modifications: 2% mortgages Posted: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:43:49 EST At 8 a.m., homeowner Rodney Wynn was drowning under his $1,800-per-month, 13.4% interest rate mortgage. But by 5 p.m., he had found some relief: a 4.7% loan with a $970 monthly payment. Citi's holiday treat: No foreclosures for a month Posted: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:18:41 EST Citigroup will suspend foreclosures and evictions for 30 days, giving 4,000 at-risk borrowers a break during the holiday season, the company said Thursday. Real estate in your retirement portfolio Posted: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:55:47 EST Question: How do REITs work? And is it prudent to have them in a diversified retirement portfolio? --M. C., Indianapolis, Indiana Home construction rebounds from 6-month low Posted: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:41:54 EST Home building rebounded from a six-month low in November, with improvement in new home construction in all sections of the nation, according to a government report issued Wednesday. Fixing the mortgage mess Posted: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:40:49 EST Lounging in his giant conference room in an otherwise bland office suite near Long Island's Nassau Coliseum, Lewis Ranieri cultivates the image of a worldly philosopher. The 62-year-old financier prides himself on being a big thinker who conjures elegant solutions to epic problems. Housing outlook for 2010 Posted: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:31:54 EST In a dour year for the economy, the housing market has offered some glimmers of hope. Home sales have improved, recently hitting their highest level in more than two years. There's been talk of bidding wars resuming in places like Silicon Valley and New York City. And cocktail party chatter everywhere has started to turn to talk of a bottom. So at least where housing's concerned, things are looking not so bad -- right? What you want for the holidays Posted: Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:40:10 EST In a stay-put real estate market, some of the best gifts are home-improvement tools. Turn on the home-equity tap again Posted: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:51:18 EST The home-equity line of credit fueled thousands of extreme kitchen makeovers during the real estate boom. But the housing bust and the credit crisis stopped the HELOC party with a vengeance: Tens of thousands of homeowners had their lines cut or frozen, and most lenders stopped issuing new ones altogether. Only about 4% get long-term mortgage help Posted: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:22:15 EST Only about 4% of troubled borrowers have received long-term help under the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention program, Treasury officials said Thursday. | |