Category Archives: Real Estate

June 2013: Perception Is 9/10’s Of The Law

Great news for property owners: Case-Shiller, S & P’s housing index, shows home values are up across the nation.  Prices in some areas like Los Angeles Metro, are up for the 15th consecutive month and up over 20% from the … Continue reading

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Choosing A Realtor: Should You Hire A Friend Or Family Member As Your Agent?

There’s an old adage in real estate: everyone knows a Realtor.  So if that’s the case, how do you choose an agent to represent you if you already have a personal relationship with some who sells real estate? Choosing a … Continue reading

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A Case For Keeping Fannie And Freddie

The President came out two days ago in support of the conservative agenda to do away with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  But there is something that I just don’t understand about the push by the President and Congressional conservatives, … Continue reading

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So You’re Thinking About Buying A Modest Fixer

You’ve been looking for a home and you’re on a pretty tight budget.  You’re well qualified and have the down payment in hand along with a strong preapproval letter.  There’s a home that just came up and you like the … Continue reading

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Some Thoughts On Bernanke, Interest Rates And The State Of The Market

Today, the National Association of Realtors’ pending homes sales data, representing June’s homes entering contract, showed a decline of .04%.  Analysts expected a smaller decline of .01%.  The Decline is being blamed on a combination of low inventory (can’t go … Continue reading

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It’s Good To Be Right, But This Time Let’s Hope I’m Not

Yesterday I was asked by the real estate company I work for to participate in a panel and speak on a couple subjects.  The first topic was on how to successfully create a business based listings and the second, on … Continue reading

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Best And Final, eDocs And The Demise Of Real Estate Practice As We Know It

There was a time when a buyer walked into a property, accompanied by their Realtor, fell in love and wrote an offer for what they hoped would be the home of their dreams.  Once written, the offer was personally delivered … Continue reading

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Thoughts On Interest Rates And Housing

Mortgage rates have risen 1.10% since May and while 1% may not sound like much, it represents an increase of 67% and that does sound like a lot.  Effectively rising interest rates means a home buyer can afford less and … Continue reading

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Personal Debt, Student Loans and Real Estate

UCLA’s Anderson School of Economics reported yesterday that the economy is not growing and in fact, that it is “not even normal… it’s bad.”  Not exactly the warm and fuzzy one might expect given the overwhelming indications from Wall Street … Continue reading

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Something To Keep In Mind

Yesterday was an interesting day for anyone involved with real estate.  Whether you’re a Realtor, mortgage broker, buyer or seller, the events of May 28 were pretty incredible.  As is the story on the last Tuesday of every month, the … Continue reading

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