August 25, 2008 – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is raising ceilings on its no-down payment home loans from the current $417,000 to as much as $729,000. The increases are effective immediately under legislation recently enacted with President Bush signing the...

Aug. 25, 2008 – Single-family existing home sales rose in Florida for the first time in more than two years: Six more homes sold in July 2008 than in July 2007, it could indicate stabilization in Florida’s housing sector, according to the latest housing statistics...

The main concern of first-time homebuyers might be affordability, but their expectations are higher than what they can afford, according to a survey by one of the countries largest franchise chain of real estate offices. The online survey was conducted among 150 of...

The Orlando area has experienced a 16.8% reduction in month-over-month homes sales during the traditionally quiet sales period. Primarily due to vacation homes being occupied and visitors coming on family vacations not to purchase property. 1,225 existing home sales...

August 15, 2008 – Rates on 30-year mortgages remained at the same level for a third week while rates on other types of home loans posted small declines. Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.52% this week....

ORLANDO, Fla. – Aug. 14, 2008 – During the second quarter of 2008, Florida Realtors continued to report positive signs for the state’s housing sector, such as an increase in pending home sales (based on contracts signed but not closed) and a slower rate of expansion...

The majority of homeowners believe their house is insulated from the housing crisis, which has seen 77% of the nation's homes fall in value during the second quarter. Zillow, an online real estate company's second-quarter homeowner confidence survey found that 62% of...

Aug. 7, 2008 – Some improvement is projected for existing-home sales in the months ahead, with broader gains seen by the fourth quarter as buyers take advantage of new provisions provided through the recently-passed housing stimulus bill, according to the latest...

WASHINGTON – Aug. 1, 2008 – A provision of the recently-passed federal housing recovery bill gives first-time buyers an interest-free loan of up to $7,500 in the form of an income tax credit. The credit equals 10 percent of a home’s cost up to $7,500, and applies to...

July 30th 2008: President Bush signed into law a legislation that helps 400,000 homeowners facing foreclosure and extends a lifeline to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The law is aimed at stemming foreclosures and halting a free-fall in housing prices by providing federal...

ORLANDO, Fla. – Property insurance can be expensive, and many home buyers don’t fully understand what they’re buying or how they can save money. The general key: Pay for adequate coverage without being grossly under insured. Home buyers and owners should consider the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) called on the mortgage industry to delay or cancel foreclosures until a new law designed to refinance...

As recounted in the Star Tribune by savvy home owner and journalist, Lucie B Amundsen. Following the transfer of her husband to Duluth, Minnesota, Mr and Mrs Amundsen learned a few lessons about selling a home in a tough real estate market which they wanted to pass...

Sellers nationwide want something that makes their home stand out from the crowd but those who try creative marketing generally find that one thing counts in today’s market - PRICE! Many sellers include traditional perks such as the furniture or a car but some...

Short sales sound like a dream way to for struggling homeowners to escape foreclosure whilst the buyer gets a bargain price and the bank left holding the mortgage eats the difference. If only it was that simple! A homeowner from Miami, Florida shares his experience of...

Banks that are flooded with foreclosures have been dumping them on the market and bargain hunters are having a field day but some investors including Mark Partipilo, a Las Vegas real estate investor concludes that “In this market, there are so many REOs that the banks...

Home sales declined slightly during July after the traditional summer peak in the previous month and are still down compared to July 2007. 1,436 existing home sales was 3.6% less than 1,436 which sold in June and 5.8% less than the 1,524 sold in July 2007....

It’s a buyer’s market but sellers can increase the chance of a sale in today’s climate by working with a Realtor and considering the following: Do not count on open houses to sell your home as less than 5% of buyers find their home at an open house. Work with a...

The Orlando real estate market continue to show gradual signs of improvement as home sales and median sale price increase for the fourth consecutive month. 1,443 existing home sales was 7.1% more than 1,347 which sold in May but 5.3% less than the 1,524 sold in June...

The Orlando real estate market shows even more signs of improvement as home sales and median sale price increase for the third consecutive month. 1,276 existing home sales was 3.7% more than 1,231 which sold in April but 27% less than the 1,745 sold in May 2007....

Existing-home sales rose unexpectedly while inventory declined, led by a surge of sales in the West, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – jumped 6.5 percent to a...

A bill that embraces the need for righting the housing market—the first big step toward economic recovery—was introduced Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 384, The TARP Reform and Accountability Act, was offered by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chair of...

Yet another baby step to a recovering market. 1,147 existing home sales was 2.41% more than 1,120 which sold in March but 25% less than the 1,530 sold in April 2007. Median sales price fell to $211,000 which was approx. 4.1% drop from $220,000 reported for March 2008...

The Orlando area has experienced a 13.6% jump in month-over-month homes sales which are baby steps towards a balanced real estate market.1,080 existing home sales was 13.5% more than 951 which sold in the previous month but 39.3% less than the 1,779 sold...

WASHINGTON – Feb. 26, 2008 – The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) expressed support of President Obama’s broadened focus of the nation’s economic recovery that stresses housing stability and making health care an important component of his economic...

Existing-home sales rose unexpectedly while inventory declined, led by a surge of sales in the West, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – jumped 6.5 percent to a...

After holding fairly stable for a year, pending home sales declined in the face of job losses and an eroding economy, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in November,...

Florida foreclosures were down nearly 22 percent in January, to 10,007 from 12,786 in December. That mirrors a nationwide trend, according to the latest U.S. Foreclosure Index report from Sacramento, Calif.-based Foreclosures.com. It's unclear whether this is a trend...