By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer February 4, 2009: 1:35 PM ET NEW YORK  (CNNMoney.com)  Shopping for a home loan? Things have changed – here’s what you need to consider. (– If you’re shopping for a mortgage these days, it’s a whole new world out there. “There have been a huge number of changes over [...]

Have you ever read the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff?  It’s a cute story that I read to my daughters many times.  It goes something like this: If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for milk. When you give him the milk, he’ll [...]

The article below appeared on Forbes.com:  Can You Still Buy Without a Fixed Mortgage? Buying a house doesn’t necessarily require getting a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. More and more people are exploring alternative financing plans as it gets harder to get a conventional bank loan. Here are some creative ways to pay for a home, according to [...]

Can a vacation property qualify as an investment, meeting the guidelines for a 1031 exchange? Yes, but first let me say, as always, consult a tax advisor or attorney regarding your specfic situation. This blog is not meant to give legal or tax advice! The IRS recently released a Revenue Procedure ruling that clarifies whether [...]

Why Now is a Smart Time to Buy Now is a great time to buy a home, say the financial gurus at the Wall Street Journal. The Journal calls it a buyers market and offers these suggestions for first-timers getting their feet wet. While their advice is solid, it’s not revolutionary, but some potential customers [...]

Overnight real estate rates rise again 30-year fixed rate at 5.81%; 10-year Treasury yield at 3.77% Monday, February 18, 2008 Inman News Long-term mortgage interest rates rose again Friday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield decreased to 3.77 percent.The 30-year fixed-rate average climbed to 5.81 percent, and the 15-year fixed rate increased to 5.24 [...]

Ever thought of buying a million dollar home? You can get quite a spread in Omaha Nebraska, such as a 6650 square foot house with 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms….whew! That’s a lot of cleaning!!!   Or in Manhattan, you’ll only get a one or two bedroom apartment! It all depends on the location, median prices [...]

Home Sales to be Flat Before Rise A continuation of soft market conditions is forecast for existing-home sales in the months ahead, with improvement expected by the second half of this year if loan limits are increased, according to the latest forecast by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® . Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said [...]