Foreclosures are still impacting the housing market and this will likely continue through 2010. This Updated Field Guide provides foreclosure information and resources for REALTORS® and their clients, including information for those interested in investing in foreclosed properties.

Filed under: Buying, Economy, Foreclosure, Real Estate Market, VRN | No Comments »

Important advice to anyone planning to contact their lender directly for a loan modification: The key here is to be tenacious. These lenders and servicers (lenders) are large with hundreds, and even thousands, of employees. Whenever you call your lender, you should plan on being on the phone for a long time (figure an hour [...]

Filed under: Foreclosure, Investor Words, Mortgage, Real Estate Market, VRN | No Comments »

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

Filed under: Commentary, Technology, VRN | No Comments »

What’s new in the NAR Information Central library collection? This month you’ll find books on urbanism, real estate investment, vacation homes, remodeling and many more. Interested in borrowing any of these titles from the library? Simply click on the title to make your request right over the web!

Filed under: Real Estate Market, Realtor, VRN | No Comments »

The latest idea bubbling up in the world of real estate is the use of principal reductions to stem the foreclosure tide, the theory being that if we lower mortgage balances then homeowners will have smaller monthly payments and fewer foreclosures. It sounds great, but don’t look for lenders to gleefully cut mortgage balances anytime soon. In fact, principal additions rather than principal reductions are the rule of the day.

Filed under: Commentary, Economy, Foreclosure, Mortgage, Politics, Real Estate Market, Selling, Short Sale, VRN | No Comments »

Home Decor: Drawing on inspiration from its bright and lively name, Lollipop Couture emphasizes bold design and customer satisfaction in the luxury market.

Lollipop Couture provides the design industry with an alternative to using the sa…

Filed under: Home Design, VRN | No Comments »

Mortgage interest rates change as often as two to three times in one day. Securing the lowest rate possible is every borrower’s goal. However, it’s impossible to time the finance market, just as it’s impossible to predict exactly when the housing market will peak or slide.

Filed under: Buying, Current Events, Finance, Money-Saving, Mortgage, Real Estate Market, VRN | No Comments »

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

DEAR BENNY: I am shopping for a new mortgage (I will refinance about $160,000 remaining on a condo worth about $300,000) and discovered my mortgage holder wants about $2,200 in closing costs. I just financed with this bank three years ago and have stellar credit. There seems to be no [...]

Filed under: Commentary, Credit, Finance, Money-Saving, Mortgage, VRN | No Comments »