May 2008
Why It Will Be Cheaper And Easier To Buy A Home This Week Versus Next Week
May 29, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
Mortgage financier Fannie Mae is toughening its mortgage application decision-making process effective Monday, June 2, 2008.
The new guidelines will force many Americans to face higher mortgage rates, higher loan fees, or to be shut out from “prime” mortgage rates altogether.
The new “mortgage rules” include the following changes:
Higher income levels required for basic approvals
Interest [...]
18 of 20 Real Estate Markets Show Signs Of Improvement
May 28, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
The monthly S&P/Case-Shiller Housing Price Index is a popular and often-quoted measurement of the housing market’s health. The chart above is sourced from its report published yesterday.
In 18 of the 20 largest metropolitan areas, home values declined at a slower pace than in the previously measured month. The report also showed that national home prices [...]
How To Make Sure You Don’t Waste Money Over-Watering Your Lawn
May 27, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
At 32 million acres, homeowner lawns are the most irrigated crop in the United States.
That’s more acreage than the state of Pennsylvania.
Water is not free, however, and the 7 billion gallons deposited on lawns each day comes at a high cost to homeowners and to the environment.
Installing a basic rain monitoring device is [...]
How To Choose A Moving Company That Won’t Hold Your Furniture Ransom
May 23, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
The process of buying a home is very different from the process of selling a home, but they both end the same way — with Moving Day.
Choosing a moving company is the often-hurried “last step” that buyers and seller view as a hassle.
Because it’s difficult to differentiate between the moving companies, they look for [...]
Simple Real Estate Definitions : Loan-to-Value
May 21, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
Loan-to-value is a math formula that represents the relationship between how much a home is “worth” and how much money is borrowed against it.
Loan-to-value is often abbreviated as “LTV” and is one of the many factors that lenders consider when underwriting a mortgage application.
The math formula is straightforward:
In the LTV equation, Loan Size is [...]
How U.S. Homes Lose $4 Billion To Vampires Each Year
May 19, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
Sometimes, turning electronics off doesn’t really turn them “off”.
Because of clocks, battery chargers, and other LED displays, devices in Standby Mode slowly suck energy from the national power grid and have earned the nickname “Energy Vampires”.
Some examples of standby energy include:
Clock displays on home applicances
Computers in Hibernation Mode
Battery rechargers
Communication between base units and portable units [...]
Smart Money Magazine Says Renters Have Lame Excuses
May 16, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
It’s not often that a mainstream media publication taunts renters into buying homes, but that’s exactly what Smart Money magazine tries to do in its latest issue.
The Smart Money Web site “lead-in” reads 5 (Lame) Excuses for Not Buying a Home. The title is a little forceful for my taste … and apparently a [...]
The “Inevitable” Recession That Never Was
May 15, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
Retail Sales measures total receipts at stores that sell tangible “things” and — aside from weak demand for automobiles and automobile parts — Retail Sales displayed surprising strength in April.
So much strength, in fact, that many experts are changing their predictions about the U.S. economy’s fate.
Several months ago, most pundits declared that a economic [...]
Use Pressure Washers To Restore Your Home’s Exterior
May 12, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
Season after season, dirt and moss collect and gather on your home’s exterior, rendering your home less attractive to your neighbors and less appealing to would-be home buyers. The best (and fastest) way to restore your home’s original appearance is with the careful use of a pressure washer. A pressure washer is a [...]
How The 84,000 Parts Of Inflation Impact Monthly Housing Costs
May 9, 2008 by MikeRosen · Leave a Comment
When the everyday “Cost of Living” increases, our dollars don’t go as far as they used to. Economists call this inflation.
One popular method of measuring inflation is to track prices for 84,000 individual items and lump them together into a “basket”. If the overall price is higher, then the economy is experiencing inflation.
If a picture [...]
