Safe Havens in Real Estate By Louis Jones, Kiplinger.com Nov 21st, 2008
With foreclosures skyrocketing and home prices plummeting, real estate has had a tough year. But in certain pockets across the country the damage has been minimal -- if nonexistent.
We found six cities with slow, steady growth, using data from Fiserv Lending Solutions, a home-price research company. These cities' local economies ...
Taxpayers: Furious over homeowner bailouts
Many Americans are outraged that their money is being spent to rescue irresponsible mortgage borrowers. Still, that probably won't stop government officials.
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writerLast Updated: December 5, 2008: 10:03 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Ask most Americans whether they're in favor of spending taxpayer dollars to help delinquent ...
Washington Report: Rate Reduction Proposals by Kenneth R. Harney
All the details haven't been nailed down, but Washington has been buzzing in the past week that the Treasury Department has actually listened to the housing and real estate industries' calls for widescale rate reductions for home purchases.
The rate reduction proposals -- involving government purchases of low-rate mortgages to spur ...
What is a Short Sale?
A short sale is when a lender accepts a discount on a mortgage to avoid a possible foreclosure auction or bankruptcy. Instead of buying from a seller, you are purchasing the property directly from the lender for a discount. For example: A homeowner, who is facing foreclosure, has an existing first mortgage of $300,000. You write an offer to the lender for $220,000, which is accepted ...
What is Foreclosure?
Foreclosure is to shut out, to bar, to extinguish a mortgagor's right of redeeming a mortgaged estate. It is a termination of all rights of the homeowner covered by a mortgage. Foreclosure is a process in which the estate becomes the absolute property of the lending institution.
Foreclosure numbers are growing daily. Of the one hundred twenty or so million homes in America, ...
Washington Report: Modifying Loan Terms by Kenneth R. HarneyModifying the mortgage terms of delinquent homeowners is one of the most debated concepts in Washington right now.
FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair wants massive, across the board modifications -- slashing hundreds of thousands of borrowers' interest rates and monthly payments NOW -- long before they fall into foreclosure.
House Financial Services ...
There's no doubt about it, with rising energy costs, the attraction of buying a new energy-efficient home is growing rapidly. But what kind of features do you look for and what kind of savings can you expect? Here are five questions to ask:
1. Are the windows well-insulated?
Windows account for approximately 15% of heat loss in a home and not all windows are made equally. Energy-star rated windows ...