Today's Real Estate News and Advice

Updated: July 1, 2009

 Home Remodeling Showing Signs of Recovery, Future Looks Bright
Recent surveys and reports show a picture of the home remodeling industry that is a mixed bag of good news and bad. FULL STORY->

More Biz in Today's Tough Market – The Phrase That Pays
BNI is a group Brian Hilliard works with in Atlanta, and is best known for generating referrals amongst its members. In other words, 20 or so entrepreneurs get together on a weekly basis with the sole intent of developing relationships, and passing referrals to members based on the contacts those individuals have in the local business community. FULL STORY->

HOA Musical Meetings
A well conducted meeting is like a music to your ears. Using a well thought out plan, the Chair cues, directs and closes the meeting much like a conductor. Conducting successful meetings doesn't happen by chance. There is a combination of clear purpose coupled with ground rules. Here are some tips that can make your meetings like music to the ears. FULL STORY->

Real Estate Outlook: When Signals are Mixed
The key to understanding what's happening for housing and real estate right now is to remember this: In a recovery that's just getting going, don't expect all the economic arrows to point the same way at any given moment. FULL STORY->

The 100 Mile Peninsula: A Solution, A Lifestyle, A Future
Real estate niches can provide new economic jumping-off points for recession-ravaged regions. PJ Wade introduces The 100 Mile Peninsula as a practical re-branding that could inspire other communities. FULL STORY->

Must Landlords Prevent the Presence of Secondhand Smoke?
We continue to examine the ever-increasing and novel ways in which our legal system makes it difficult to be a landlord. Today's example involves the issue of secondhand smoke and the possible duty of a landlord to prevent tenants and others from being harmed by its presence on the premises. FULL STORY->

Buyers: Know What You Need to Know in Making a Contract Offer
Be it the real estate market in 2009 or any other real estate market for that matter, the structure of a real estate purchase contract offer can be the difference in it being accepted or rejected. FULL STORY->

Investor Report: Condo Loan Rules
FHA has come out with its long-awaited rules on condominium loans, and they're a mixed bag for investors, second home and other buyers and sellers. FULL STORY->

Washington Report: Home Valuation Code of Conduct
Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's controversial new appraisal rules are now coming direct attack by the biggest lobby on Capitol Hill - the National Association of Realtors. Though the association is saying nothing publicly, officials have confirmed to Realty Times that they are gearing up for a fight in Congress and elsewhere to derail the “Home Valuation Code of Conduct” (or HVCC) for 18 months. FULL STORY->

Condo Trends: From Luxury Condo to Homeless Shelter
In a move to ward off foreclosure, a luxury condo developer has turned the units intended to sell for more than a quarter million dollars into a homeless shelter with the help of a New York-based nonprofit. FULL STORY->

Leaking Toilet Can Cause More Than Water Loss
Leaking toilets result in six billion gallons of water loss every day according to Richard Quintana, founder of AquaOne Technologies. That astonishing figure is a real problem with financial and physical effects. FULL STORY->

Mortgage Rates Mostly Flat Amid Mixed Economic News
Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.42 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending June 25, 2009, up from last week when it averaged 5.38 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.45 percent. FULL STORY->

Entering the For-Sale-By-Owner World
Converting FSBO listings involves a process that, in a number of ways, is similar to working with expired listings. However, there are two key differences between the two areas. FULL STORY->

HOA Proxies with Moxie
A proxy is a legal authorization for one person to act on behalf of another. It is commonly used in homeowner association Annual Meetings to achieve the quorum required to hold a legal meeting. The normal routine is to mail proxy forms along with the meeting notice and ask that they be filled out and returned to the secretary or manager by a certain date whether an owner plans to attend the meeting or not. While the person designated by the proxy could be anyone of legal age, usually a relative, friend or board member is chosen. FULL STORY->

A Recession Is A Horrible Thing To Waste
Peter L. Mosca shares an excerpt of an interview with David O. Kingston, Chairman and CEO of Kingston Companies, an Idaho Falls, Idaho privately held group of 25 enterprises with a concentration in real estate development, agriculture, and power generation; Michael Anderson, Founder and co-owner, Nate Hanks, Co-Owner and Blaine Walker, President, all with RealSource in Salt Lake City, a commercial real estate provider of a full menu of institutional level services and products to help the entrepreneurial real estate investor invest well. FULL STORY->

New Loan Modification, Short Sale Options
New provisions give some homeowners a second shot at a home-saving loan modification, while other homeowners may now be able to take the short sale escape route from foreclosure. FULL STORY->

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