The Senate has reached a compromise on extending and expanding the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, a boost the housing industry believes will help it pull out of its two-year-old downturn.While its passage remains uncertain, the agreement would extend the existing credit for first-time homebuyers, worth up to $8,000, while offering a new credit of up to $6,500 for some existing homeowners, ...
To see how foreclosures and short sales are affecting various neighborhoods and cities, visit the in-depth neighborhood reports and commentary. (Source: MAAR)
The full report can be found on the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® website at www.mplsrealtor.com , and includes more analysis and an explanation of the research methodology.
Susan Throndrud ...
The number of foreclosures in Woodbury already has exceeded the 2008 total, and officials say there is no indication the rate will slow in the next several months.
There were 338 sheriff’s sales in Woodbury in the first three quarters of 2009, according to Washington County records. The city saw 335 sheriff’s sales in all of 2008.
At the current pace, Woodbury could see 400 sheriff’s ...
The Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation is vital to assit sellers in this Real Estate Market. This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when the area is ravaged by “distressed” homes in the foreclosure process.
Short sales allow the cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than ...
Foreclosures now selling three times as fast as short sales
Our Q3-2009 Update to “Foreclosures and Short Sales in the Twin Cities Housing Market” has just been released. Here’s a few highlights:
The inventory of available foreclosures is shrinking very quickly, while short sale inventory is not.
Lender-owned foreclosure inventory available for sale in the Twin Cities is down ...
Everybody has probably heard of an energy audit, but not many people have the time or money to have one conducted. In the meantime, here are some very simple suggestions to increase your home's energy efficiency.
-Switch from incandescent bulbs to compact fluourescent light (CFL) bulbs. The government is going to make you do it anyway starting in 2012, but why wait. Anytime an incandescent ...
The fall Twin Cities housing market has been full of wild things, mostly first-time home buyers stampeding to take advantage of the federal tax credit before it expires on November 30. The week ending October 10 was no different than others we've seen this fall. There were 947 signed purchase agreements for the week, a 37.6 percent increase over the same week last year. At 1,543 new listings we're ...
30-Year Fixed Rate Still Below 5 Percent for Third Consecutive Week
Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.92 percent ending October 15, 2009, up from last week when it averaged 4.87 percent.
Last year at this time, the 30-year rate averaged 6.46 percent.
For more info, click here.
The purpose of this post is to help Sellers better understand how the expiration of the Home Buyer tax credit can impact the sale of their home or investment property. By default, Buyers will do well by also reading this post.
The Home Buyer Tax Credit ends on November 30, 2009. This factor alone will negatively impact the demand for your home. Further, the mere existence of the Tax ...
Turning On The Lights Can Help Sell Your Home....in two ways:
Any time you can bring light into your home, it makes people feel good and makes your home appear more spacious. (Think of it as "putting your square footage on steroids".) That's why it's a good idea to open curtains and blinds and turn on all the lights before a showing.
And you can do it in ...