Lean times call for budgetary triage. But while you should clearly opt for orthodontics before Disneyland, the choice is tougher when it comes to home maintenance.
Entries Tagged as 'CNN Real Estate'
Home repairs: Which jobs come first?
February 3rd, 2012 · Comments Off
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Finally, a foreclosure settlement (Maybe)
February 3rd, 2012 · Comments Off
States have until late Monday to agree to the latest draft deal aimed at relieving homeowners struggling with mortgages bigger than their home’s value.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Mortgage rates hit another new low
February 2nd, 2012 · Comments Off
Just one day after President Obama detailed a proposal to enable millions of homeowners to refinance to record-low mortgage rates, those rates notched another record.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Mortgage probe unveiled as foreclosure talks loom
February 2nd, 2012 · Comments Off
President Obama’s latest probe into the mortgage meltdown will have more power than past efforts, and federal officials say it won’t derail a possible $20 billion settlement for underwater and foreclosed homeowners.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Obama proposes new home loan refinancing plan
February 1st, 2012 · Comments Off
The Obama administration on Wednesday detailed its latest plan to help millions of homeowners refinance their mortgages to today’s historically-low rates.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
REITs to avoid
February 1st, 2012 · Comments Off
Investors are racing into REITs that promise higher yields than equity REITs. But be forewarned, the higher yields of these other types of real estate vehicles come with very real risks.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Don’t rush into REITs
February 1st, 2012 · Comments Off
You’d think that investors would be leery of companies that own and manage commercial real estate. Vacancy rates remain elevated in office buildings and shopping centers. Except for apartment buildings, rents really haven’t grown at all in four years. And given the possibility that the global economy may retrench yet again, things could still get worse before they get better.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Become your kid’s mortgage lender
February 1st, 2012 · Comments Off
Between slumping prices and low mortgage rates, it’s a good time to look for real estate bargains. But thanks to tightened lending standards, legions of young would-be homebuyers aren’t exactly in a position to take advantage of the opportunity. That’s where their parents come in: One in three first-time buyers received either a gift or a loan from their families to help buy a home in 2011, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Top 10 turnaround towns
January 31st, 2012 · Comments Off
Florida’s cities were some of the hardest hit by the housing bust, but now they are leading the charge back. Of Realtor.com’s top 10 turnaround towns, eight are in the Sunshine State.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Home prices post steep decline
January 31st, 2012 · Comments Off
Home prices posted a steep, month-over-month drop in November, falling 1.3%, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city report. Prices fell in 19 of the 20 cities the index covers.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Obama expands foreclosure prevention program
January 30th, 2012 · Comments Off
The Obama administration is taking another swing at improving its main foreclosure prevention program.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
The housing recovery that wasn’t
January 27th, 2012 · Comments Off
FORTUNE — Over the past few months, a spate of good news about the U.S. housing market has led some to think a recovery is finally on the horizon.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
New-home sales hit a record low
January 26th, 2012 · Comments Off
Just 302,000 new homes were sold in 2011, 6.2% below 2010 and the lowest number of annual sales since the government started tracking home sales in 1963.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Foreclosures made up 20% of home sales in 3Q
January 26th, 2012 · Comments Off
Sales of homes in foreclosure comprised 20% of all U.S. residential sales during the third quarter, according to RealtyTrac.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Romney’s real estate deals
January 25th, 2012 · Comments Off
Out of all of the presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney owns the most real estate — even after unloading a couple of sizable properties.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Mortgage crimes are focus of new task force
January 25th, 2012 · Comments Off
A new special task force to investigate and prosecute those responsible for bad mortgages during the housing boom will be part of President Obama’s 2012 agenda.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Has Obama’s housing policy failed?
January 24th, 2012 · Comments Off
President Obama is expected to once again offer ways to help the beleaguered housing market in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Foreclosures: America’s hardest hit neighborhoods
January 23rd, 2012 · Comments Off
The housing collapse has dramatically changed the nation’s foreclosure landscape.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
China’s housing market is set for a hard landing
January 22nd, 2012 · Comments Off
The numbers are grim: China’s property bubble is heading for a spectacular burst, and its effect on the country’s economy will be widespread.
Tags: CNN Real Estate
Steal this house! 7 foreclosure deals
January 20th, 2012 · Comments Off
A three-bedroom home for $15,000? These foreclosed homes may be in some of the U.S.’s hardest hit neighborhoods, but the deals may be too good for some buyers to pass up.
Tags: CNN Real Estate