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Your REALTOR:
Dave Johnston
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"The Old House Man"®
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Copyright © 2006 Realty Times
All Rights Reserved.
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Real Estate Outlook:
Buyers Take Note
One of the country's top housing economists has come out with a new forecast and timeline for the market over the coming months - and it's got some great insights for anybody interested in real estate.
Dr. David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, says that housing starts are now down by about 20 percent from levels a year ago - but that should be no surprise.
After all, he says, after years of record housing production, the market had to cool off, "We are in the midst of an inevitable adjustment following boom
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years when housing market activity soared to unsustainable levels. The market that emerges from the current correction will display good balance between supply and demand, and move to a sustainable trend based on solid underlying fundamentals."
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Tips for Selling In a
Buyer's Market
As the fall season brings the usual slow-down in home sales activity, many regions of the country that experienced hot sellers' markets over the summer
are now seeing a change toward buyers' markets. But don't let that hamper your plans -- if you prepare properly and make the right moves, you can sell
your house.
One of the first things real estate brokers and agents will encourage you to do if you're selling in a challenging market is to price your house appropriately and add appeal.
So what can you do to give your house selling appeal? For starters, you should:
Set your price competitively.
Offer incentives. If your carpet is old or outdated, offer a carpet allowance up front. If a potential buyer knows this right off the bat, they might be able to overlook the unattractive carpet - probably the first thing they'll notice when they walk in the door. Or, offer to include your appliances
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Coping With A Changing Mortgage Market
After rising all year, interest rates recently fell for six consecutive weeks to their lowest point since July.
Less than a year ago, experts everywhere, from the Federal Bureau of Investigations to the Federal Reserve, questioned appraised values of homes. Now, as the boom wanes, lenders are more certain mortgages are backed by accurately valued collateral.
That doesn't mean lenders aren't still going gangbusters on riskier, high-leverage loans for those who qualify even if income, employment and asset documentation aren't checked.
Along with housing market change comes mortgage market change in a symbiotic -- sometimes nightmarish -- relationship of ebbs and flows that can leave consumers tossing and turning at night.
Fortunately, for home owners and those looking to buy, the fundamentals still apply.
Sound, consistent financial behavior can be like a dose of NyQuil.
Here are some timely mortgage tips to sooth your worries and to help you sleep more soundly.
Pull your credit report. Before you shop for any credit, pull your credit report
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Who Says Concrete Has to
Be Ugly and Boring?
It may not sound like the most decorative alternative, but concrete is becoming a popular choice for homeowners hoping to cut costs while still enjoying pleasing landscape. It is not, though, just any ordinary concrete that's being poured. Decorative/concrete overlay, concrete stamping, and acid staining are alternatives to the use of natural stones.
While the concept isn't new, it is increasingly becoming more popular due to the expensive cost of real stone. The look of concrete stamping, decorative overlay, and acid staining can mirror stone so convincingly that you might not know one of these alternative methods of décor was used. However, if you have visited a theme park then it's likely that you have seen and walked on concrete stamping or decorative overlay, and
Daily News and Advice
Read about the events shaping the Real Estate market today, find current interest rates, or browse the extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.
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