February 6, 2011
- Mortgage Refinances May Drop 77% by 2012
Residential mortgage refinances are expected to deteriorate over the next two years due to factors not limited to rising interest rates. Some are predicting that mortgage refinancings, in fact, will fall by 77% by 2012 and drag down the overall market for originations.
Total refinances hit about $1 trillion in 2010 and accounted for 69% of [...]
February 5, 2011
- Foreclosures Increase in Cities Nationwide in 2010
Driven by continued high levels of unemployment across many parts of the country, data from RealtyTrac shows foreclosure activity increased in many cities during last year, despite the fact that many lenders halted their foreclosure process for part of the year.
According to the report, foreclosures increased in 149 of the 206 largest cities in the [...]
February 4, 2011
- The 5 Golden Rules of Saving on Everything
Here are some easy ways you can save money on everything you buy.
Any other ideas on ways to save on things? We'd love to hear about them. Let us know by using the comment link below.
February 3, 2011
- Pending Sales of Existing Homes Rise 2%
The number of contracts signed for purchases of previously owned homes rose again in December, according to data released recently by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
The trade group’s pending home sales index increased 2.0 percent compared to its November reading, which was revised downward.
The index is based on contracts signed in December, as opposed [...]
February 1, 2011
- Real Estate News - February 2011
Our February 2011 Riverside County Real Estate Newsletter is now online…
Read It Here Now
January 31, 2011
- 3 Investments to Avoid This Year
The three investments most likely to decline in value this year.
Questions or comments about investments for 2011? Use the comment link below to ask.
January 30, 2011
- Free Online Resource Aims to Help Americans Facing Foreclosure
Free online software for the creation of personalized mortgage modification applications under the federal Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and other lender programs is now available from FreeMortgageFix.com. Borrowers can complete an application to modify existing home loans via the site’s user dashboard.
According to Jonathan Ende, CEO of FreeMortgageFix.com, "by using our free online program, [...]
January 29, 2011
- Rental Home Owners Face New Tax Reporting Burdens
If you own rental homes the federal government has made your world a bit more complicated in 2011. Buried in the Small Business Lending Fund Act that passed in 2010 there was a new provision for rental home owners. Now every time you work with a contractor that charges you over $600 you will have [...]
January 28, 2011
- Tips To Reduce Heating Bills
During the winter, most Americans experience low temperatures and an increase in utility bills, especially for the cost of heating their homes. Each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, approximately 43 percent of utility costs go toward heating and cooling. With even warm states experiencing an unusually cold winter this year, more Americans [...]
January 27, 2011
- Resolutions 2011 - Paying Off Debt
Did you resolve to get in better shape financially this year? One way to do it is to shed some of that unsightly debt.
Have any other "Reduct the Debt" tips for our readers? We'd love to hear your ideas. Just click the "comment" link below and tell us your plans…
January 26, 2011
- 2011 Inflation Forecast
What's it going to cost to gas up the car this year? How about health insurance? And are college costs going up? Let's find out…
Think these inflation cost forecasts are low, high, or just about right? We'd love to hear your opinion. Just click the link below to sound off. Your email address will [...]
January 25, 2011
- How to Get a Mortgage Now
What do mortgage lenders look for when they scrutinize your finances? It all boils down to financial stability and making sure you’re a good credit risk.
On your application, you’ll be asked to disclose personal finance information that will help the lender decide whether your finances are stable or precarious at that moment in time.
Salary/Annual Income: [...]
January 24, 2011
- The American Home Keeps Shrinking
The nation’s love affair with McMansions continues to wane: The average size of new single-family homes completed last year fell again, a trend expected to continue for several years, the National Association of Home Builders said at its annual conference recently.
In 2010, completed homes measured an average 2,377 square feet, down about 3% from the [...]
January 23, 2011
- Resolutions 2011 - Budgeting
Whether it's saving more, spending less or paying down debt, it starts in one place…
Have any special ways you use to "set a budget" that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear about it. Use the "comment" link below to sound off.
January 22, 2011
- Housing starts to grow 21% in 2011
Housing will see gradual improvements this year, establishing momentum for stronger gains in 2012, said economists at the National Association of Home Builders International Builders’ Show recently.
"This year’s spring selling season will be better than last year’s,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe, with job growth providing a stronger stimulus in the housing market than [...]
January 21, 2011
- Sellers Drop Asking Prices on Fewer Homes in December
The number of price-reduced homes on the market in December 2010 fell by 7.7 percent from the previous month, according to a survey of 26 major U.S. markets conducted by the national real estate brokerage ZipRealty.
Despite the month-to-month decline, the company says the number of homes with a reduced asking price remained high compared to [...]
January 20, 2011
- Resolutions 2011 - Saving More
If one of your resolutions this year was to save more, you're in the right place.
Any other ideas for "Saving Money" this year? Tell us about yours.. use the comment link below to tell us your plan.
January 19, 2011
- Construction Spending on Positive Streak
A sign that an economic recovery is slowly getting underway is evident by figures from one of the most deeply impacted industries during the recession — the construction industry.
November marked a third consecutive month with construction spending up. Development of new homes, along with an increase in government funding for federal construction projects, is giving [...]
January 18, 2011
- Housing Recovery Increasingly Tied to Job Growth
Steps to limit price declines may have helped, but economic growth is now critical.
Home prices in twenty major metropolitan markets dropped 1.3% from September to October, the third straight month-over-month drop, according to the December S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index released in late December. The decline erases a significant share of the modest gain in home values [...]
January 17, 2011
- Why Credit Counseling Often Fails
MSN Money columnist Liz Pulliam Weston recently wrote an interesting column about the high failure rate in the credit counseling business. It turns out that most people who sign up for credit card counseling, even if they’re working with a legitimate counselor licensed by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, fail to pay down their [...]
