Category Archives: Real Estate

NYC Churches Booted From Renting Public Schools

I’ve attended church in a movie theater, in schools and now meet every Sunday in an office park. For many churches these public buildings are great places to gather, but the Supreme Court recently refused to review a church’s appeal of a ban on holding worship services in public schools. Pastor Caleb Clardy says he’s … Continue reading

How I Got Free Advertising on the Today Show

I’ve scored some pretty nice freebies in my day including free shoes, free beauty supplies and free food. But I probably scored my best one last week. I really have no idea how much an ad on the Today Show would cost, but I’m guessing it’s pretty pricey. As I’ve mentioned here before, my house … Continue reading

Not So Great News About the Housing Market

There’s some bad news coming out from the National Association of Realtors regarding the state of the housing market. Existing home sales, which had been increasing for three straight months, fell 9.6 percent in February to 4.88 million. In January they were at 5.4 million. Here’s how Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist explained it in … Continue reading

Selling a Home in the Winter

Our house is still on the market and to be honest, my husband and I were totally expecting to have zero showings between Thanksgiving and the new year. But we were wrong. We had one on Thanksgiving weekend and we have another one this Saturday. Preparing your home for a showing during the winter is … Continue reading

Many Troubled Homeowners Fail to get Help from Mortgage Relief Program

A new report from the Associated Press says that nearly half of the 1.3 million homeowners who initially tried to get help from the Obama administration’s mortgage relief program have left the program due to difficult paperwork and red tape. The $75 billion program was created to help those at risk of foreclosure avoid losing … Continue reading

Quick Tips for Real Estate Showings

After two years of major renovations, my husband and I put our house on the market late last week. We have our first showing today so I’ve been researching some quick tips for getting ready for real estate showings. Don’t have much time to prep for a visit from a potential buyer? Here are some … Continue reading

Free Help for Avoiding Foreclosure

Foreclosure rates rose by four percent in July. There were an additional 325,229 filings which is almost ten percent higher than compared to July 2009. It marked the 17th straight month of foreclosures over the 300,000 mark. “Declines in new default notices, which were down on a year-over-year basis for the sixth straight month in … Continue reading

Lowest Demand for Mortgages in 13 Years

The Mortgage Bankers Association announced this week that the demand for home loans in the US slid to a 13-year low, despite record-low mortgage rates. According to Reuters, requests for mortgages fell by 3.1 percent in early July which was the lowest level seen since December 1996. Refinancing has also slowed down, falling 2.9 percent. … Continue reading

Helping Your House to Sell with Incentives

There are lots of factors that go into trying to get your house sold. When competing against other homes in your price range sometimes it can help to offer incentives for buyers. It can be a great way to convince buyers to choose your home over others in the market. There are several options for … Continue reading

The Dangers of Over-Pricing Your Home

Planning to put your home on the market? Lots of sellers end up pricing their home too high. With the housing bust, homeowners are having a hard time being realistic about what their home is worth now compared to a few years ago when real estate hit its peak. According to a recent issue of … Continue reading