A Community For Massachusetts Home Buyers And Homeowners

All Blog Posts (279)

Steps to Sell Your House Faster

When trying to sell your house, try to look at it as a potential buyer would. There are many things you can do to help your house sell faster as well as for a better price, but it will take some effort. The most important thing to do is to do your homework. The more prepared you are, the more at ease the buyer will feel, which could lead to a faster sale. Research the area you live in to see what the common prices and upkeep of homes are like. Do not try to price your home for your needs, but pr… Continue

Added by Leah LaCourse on November 20, 2009 at 11:36am — No Comments

Low Rate of Long Term Loan Modifications

Recent studies have found that fewer than 5 percent of borrowers that are in line for loan modification actually get a permanent, long term modification. Obama’s foreclosure prevention plan has received $75 billion in order to help troubled borrowers hold onto their homes. The effectiveness of the plan is being questioned. So far the push has been on banks to give borrowers trial modifications. The trouble is that of the people receiving the trail modification barely any of them are getting lon… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 19, 2009 at 2:17pm — No Comments

What to Expect in 2010

With the year coming to an end shortly and the holiday season typically being slow in real estate sales, many buyers and sellers are looking forward to the 2010 real estate market. CnnMoney.com published an article that helps show us what to expect in the near future. The upcoming year brings both benefits and disadvantages to the buyers and sellers of tomorrow. The consensus among real estate professionals is; buyers should buy, sellers should wait, and homeowners should know to focus on the l… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 17, 2009 at 11:54am — No Comments

Tips for Improving Your Credit

RISMedia.com released a list on Friday that gave the top tips for improving your credit score. Your credit score plays an important part in getting home loans--with excellent scores needed for the best loan rates. The first step in the process is finding out what your credit score is. Once a year you are allowed to get your credit score for free by one of the three credit bureaus—Experian,… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 16, 2009 at 1:47pm — No Comments

Listing Your Home During the Holidays

When deciding whether you should list your home on the market this holiday season, remember the old adage “there’s no time like the present.” The holidays can give you an advantage in making your home worth buying, with the ability to decorate your home in more than the typical way. A lit fireplace or the smell of holiday cookies in the oven could give you an advantage you wouldn’t have any other time. There is also the fact that interest rates are low and investors peak at the end of the year.… Continue

Added by Leah LaCourse on November 13, 2009 at 11:02am — No Comments

Foreclosures Down in Three Straight Months

CnnMoney.com reported that Foreclosures have been down for three months straight. Is this the beginning of the end of the foreclosure crisis? To read the article click here. Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 12, 2009 at 3:20pm — No Comments

Home Prices Up Again

Single-family home median prices were up yet again in the third quarter. This is the second straight quarter of median price gains. The national average median price went up to $177,900, a $7,000 increase over the second quarter this year. Although the national averages are still down in respect to the same time periods last year, the margin of difference between 2008 and 2009 home prices is shrinking. The second quarter of 2009 was down 15.4% compared to Q2 of 2008, but the third quarter this… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 11, 2009 at 11:40am — No Comments

Top 12 Ways to Make Your Home Worth More

Recently HomeGain.com released a study that was done in order to find the best home improvement projects for increasing your homes value. A survey was taken by nearly 1,000 Realtors across the country and a list was compiled of the top 12 do-it-yourself home improvements before selling a house. “Inexpensive cosmetic home improvements and basic improvements greatly enhance the value of the home,” stated Carol Wilson HomeGain AgentEvaluator member since 1999. Here is a list of the top 12 improve… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 10, 2009 at 10:39am — No Comments

It's Official -- Tax Credit Extended!

It’s official, on Friday President Obama passed the bill extending and expanding the first time homebuyer tax credit. As stated in earlier posts, the tax credit will continue to benefit first-time homebuyers with an $8,000 credit, and will also cover homeowners that have been living in the same residence for five of the past eight years. These homeowners can get up to a $6,500 credit. Eligible income levels were also raised from $75,000 to $125,000 for single buyers and from $125,000 to $225,00… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 9, 2009 at 12:02pm — No Comments

Cost of Real Estate in College Football Towns

The attraction of living in a college town is high, especially those who house a football team, regardless of their skill level. Many families move to the area until their kids are out of school, some older couples move their once their kids grow up and move out of the house, and of course there are the students. Across the US in more than sixty-two percent of college towns, the average four bedroom house with two and a half baths and twenty-two hundred square feet are going for less than $250,… Continue

Added by Leah LaCourse on November 6, 2009 at 11:23am — No Comments

President Set To Sign Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension

With the expiration of the first-time home buyer $8,000 tax credit set to expire in less than a month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 403-12 yesterday to extend and expand the tax credit to include many buyers who already own homes. The U.S. Senate approved the measure Wednesday, and the White House said the President would sign the bill today. Buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years would be eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500. First-time home buyers, defin… Continue

Added by Rich Rosa on November 6, 2009 at 9:57am — No Comments

The Houses Passes the Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension

The House Passes the Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension The House voted 403 to 12 Thursday afternoon to extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit until April 30, 2010. The legislation will also expand the tax credit to include home buyers who are buying their second or subsequent home. The tax credit for existing or past homeowners will apply only to those who have owned and lived in their primary home for at least five of the last eight years. The tax credit for these… Continue

Added by Lewis J. Corcoran on November 5, 2009 at 4:36pm — No Comments

The Senate Passes the Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension

The Senate Passes the Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension The Senate voted 98 to 0 Wednesday night to extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit until April 30, 2010. The legislation will also expand the tax credit to include home buyers who are buying their second or subsequent home. The tax credit for existing or past homeowners will apply only to those who have owned and lived in their primary home for at least five of the last eight years. The tax credit for these ho… Continue

Added by Lewis J. Corcoran on November 5, 2009 at 8:57am — 1 Comment

Massachusetts Home Buyer Guide

Check out Rich Rosa's real estate blog. Here is his newest post. Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 4, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Sales and Prices Up Across the Country

RealtyTimes.com reported that according to the Case-Shiller home prince index, a report that measures home prices in twenty designated real estate markets, found the seventeen of the twenty regions it measures have seen a gain in home prices in each of the past four months. Some of this may have to do with the decreasing monthly supply of unsold homes. As of September there has been an eight month supply of unsold homes, down from a nine month supply in August. For the real estate market to be… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 3, 2009 at 2:12pm — No Comments

Big Savings in Renovation Projects - But Be Careful

The Wall Street Journal reported that some homeowners are saving as much as 20 percent on home renovation projects if building now as opposed to a few years ago. With the current housing market being much slower than that of a few years ago, contractors are competing over renovation projects, and homeowners are getting lower bids. One story highlighted in the article was about a couple in Texas that had renovation plans in place two years ago. At the time the lowest bid the couple received on t… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on November 2, 2009 at 1:50pm — No Comments

First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit Extension

With the first home buyer tax credit nearing its deadline, there has been a lot of talk about extending the end date, as well as talk about extending the credit to more people. At this time, there is still support in Congress and the Obama administration to extend the credit, but the terms are unknown. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan said the Obama administration wanted to extend the credit for a “limited period”. CNN has reported a compromise is under discus… Continue

Added by Leah LaCourse on October 30, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

moving

Moving is never fun. Finding a new job, lining up Short Term Health Insurance to cover you during the interim, and changing all the bill addresses. It is a lot of work. We could buy a couple of Super Bowl Packages for what we are paying in deposits. Is there any way a… Continue

Added by Cindy Fallsen on October 29, 2009 at 11:54pm — 1 Comment

New Foreclosure Capitols Rising in the US

CSMonitor.com reported yesterday that with foreclosure rates finally slowing down in the worst foreclosure areas in the country, new areas that were not of concern a short while ago are now contending for the top 10 foreclosure capitols of the US. Everyone knows Las Vegas has been one of the worst foreclosure areas in the country, with roughly 1 in every 20 homes foreclosing. However, now there are areas like Reno-Sparks Nevada and even Salt Lake City that are posing a threat to the most forecl… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on October 29, 2009 at 12:12pm — No Comments

Massachusetts Sales Up in Third Quarter

The Warren Group released a report yesterday showing an increase in single-family home sales over the last three months as well as an increase in third quarter sales compared to last year. Warren Group CEO Timothy M. Warren Jr. stated “The increase in home sales for three months straight is giving us some hope that the housing market is truly on the mend. We believe that some of these gains were the result of first-time homebuyer tax credit which is due to expire in several weeks.” With the be… Continue

Added by Andrew Firger on October 28, 2009 at 10:57am — No Comments