May 27th, 2008
Despite spin, housing sales still weak
The National Association of Realtors yesterday released its latest report of housing sales across the country. To no one’s surprise, the numbers remained rather dismal.
The National Association of Realtors yesterday released its latest report of housing sales across the country. To no one’s surprise, the numbers remained rather dismal.
Now that Fannie Mae has discontinued its “declining markets” policy, borrowers in markets where housing prices have been falling can still get mortgage loans with a 95 percent loan-to-value ratio.
It’s hard to find anything positive to say about the residential real estate market. That’s not the case, though, with the commercial and multi-family side of the real estate industry.
Sometimes I forget that the housing slump is not only impacting real estate professionals along with buyers and sellers, but other industries, too.
Surprisingly enough, in this severe housing downturn, several governments across the country are proposing increases in homeowners’ property tax rates.
According to the story, if you’re trying to sell a home in San Jose, Calif., you’re in luck. Forbes ranks it as the best city in which to sell residential real estate. The biggest reason? New home construction in the city dropped 63 percent in 2007.
Doesn’t building a mansion automatically leave a big impact on the environment?
One theme kept coming up: Real estate agents need to shine some light on the bright side of our current real estate market. They have to do this, the panelists said, because the news media are only focusing on the negative side.
And overwhelmingly, people I speak with are ticked off that the government is even considering helping folks who can no longer afford their monthly mortgage payments.
Writer Dan Van Benthuysen in a story published in Newsday, wrote about those home buyers who don’t mind moving five or six times, who can’t resist the call of another fixer-upper and who can’t stop imagining what it’d be like to live in that other home down the street, in the next town or in the next state.
your one-stop real estate info blog!
Written by Dan Rafter [email] for b5media.
Accounting Solver
Behind The Buzz
Biz Chicks Rule
Biz Levity
Boss Hatch
Brandcurve
Business & Blogging
Buzz Networker
Common Sense PR
Contract Worker
Copyblogger
Daily Blender
Digital Money World
Doing Biz Abroad
E-shop Owner
Everyday Networker
Franchise Pick
Greener Assets
Health Care Insiders
Home Biz Notes
Interview Chatter
Just Make Money Online
Leadership Turn
LifeDev
My Organized Biz
One Vote Matters
Pimp Your Work
Project Management 411
Property Crossroads
Second Life Pros
Slacker Manager
Small Business Boomers
Startup Spark
Successful Blog
Talk Stock Trading
Taxgirl
The 501(c) Files
The Golden Pencil
Viva el Negocio
Work Boxers
Yielding Wealth
Recent Comments