Monthly Archives: March 2014

Realtor.com Soon To Show Remodeling History On Site

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Cliff

Realtor.com® and the home improvement startup Porch have teamed up to offer a new tool that will display information about the remodeling history of for-sale homes listed on realtor.com®. The Porch Home and Neighborhood Report will provide buyers with access … Continue reading →

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Property Taxes at a 20 Year High

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Cliff

Property taxes continue to increase, as the amount collected by state and local governments in 2013 reached the highest level in about two decades, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.                        About $488 billion in property taxes were collected last year, … Continue reading →

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Banks Lower FICO Score Requirements

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Cliff

More banks are lowering minimum FICO score requirements in an attempt to shore up lending for underserved borrowers. Carrington Mortgage Services is the latest company to announce that it has lowered its minimum FICO score to 550. It also has … Continue reading →

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Flood Insurance Relief Into Law

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Cliff

President Barack Obama signed into law a bipartisan bill that will delay flood insurance rate hikes for property owners nationwide. The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act repeals the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s authority to increase premium rates when a property … Continue reading →

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Inventories of Homes For Sale have increased 10 percent

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Cliff

Inventories of homes for sale have increased 10 percent year-over-year, signaling growing seller optimism and a strong, early start to the spring home-buying season, according to realtor.com®’s latest National Housing Trend Report, which tracks 146 markets. The median list price … Continue reading →

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Time To Pay Down Mortgage Debt?

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Cliff

As home prices rise, consumers are once again prioritizing their mortgage debt payments over paying down credit card debt, according to a new report from TransUnion. It’s the first time since 2008 that borrowers have shifted their focus back to … Continue reading →

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Ft. Lauderdale Named in Best Downtowns In US

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Cliff

“The best downtowns instill a sense of pride in their cities,” according to Livability.com. The website recently ranked the top 10 best downtowns. Among the factors analyzed for the list, say the editors, were data on improvement in retail and … Continue reading →

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Asking St Joseph To Help Sell Your Home

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Cliff

Some home owners have long believed that a statue of St. Joseph buried in their yard can help bring about good luck with a quick sale. But a new study suggests that home owners tend to put that trust more … Continue reading →

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Zombie Foreclosures: Do You Have One Near You?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Cliff

Zombie foreclosures are properties in which banks may have begun the foreclosure process on a home, contacted the home owners about it, but then later abandoned the foreclosure process. The home owners may have already moved out, at which point … Continue reading →

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4 Million Renters Want to Purchase

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Cliff

Renters Want to Purchase Ten percent of U.S. renters want to purchase a home in the next year, according to a new survey of renters in the 20 largest housing markets by Zillow. That means if all the renters buy … Continue reading →

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