WASHINGTON - Jan. 15, 209 - If all home buyers become eligible for a tax credit without a repayment feature, it could result in an additional 555,000 home sales - enough to meaningfully draw down excess housing inventory, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).First-time homebuy
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01/15/2009
MORTGAGESQualifying for a mortgage is not as easy as it used to be. Still, mortgages are approved every day, even for homebuyers with less-than-sterling credit records. "If you have over a 580 [credit] score, you have a chance," says Marie Martin, a veteran broker with Mortgage Crafters in Brevar
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01/14/2009
FORECLOSURESEvery day, hundreds of Florida homeowners enter the foreclosure process, and too many get scared and do nothing. The first step is to face the issue directly and prepare for days and weeks of making phone calls and corresponding with people who may be able to help.Read the full story:
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01/13/2009
HOME SELLERSFalling house prices and a slow market are forcing more homeowners to consider renting their current properties when it's time to buy a new home. It's something Tampa Realtor Julia Vakulenko suggests to potential clients.Read the full story:http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents
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01/13/2009
HOMEBUYERSIs now the time to buy a house? The answer depends on many factors, but it's generally a resounding "yes" for first-time buyers. "I think that, if someone buys a home today and locks in a low-rate, long-term mortgage, they will be glad they did 10 years from now," says Chris Toadvine, a
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01/12/2009
SHORT SALESFannie Mae has launched pilot projects in Orlando and Phoenix intended to reduce foreclosures by pre-approving short sales - agreeing on a price and the loss the bank will take prior to a deal being made. Read the full story:http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n2-010909.cfm
01/09/2009
FEDERAL BAILOUTHomebuilders from around the country flew to Washington on Wednesday to push a $150 billion plan to revive the housing market. "Don't take their usual squishy answers," exhorted Jerry Howard, chief executive of the home builders' trade group in a morning pep talk. "We need to know
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01/08/2009
FEDERAL BAILOUTA real estate investor who owns a half-dozen homes in Central Florida believes the federal bailout should help more than banks, and he's taking his fight to the streets. He's now talking to lawmakers and took out a full-page ad in the Orlando Sentinel complaining about the inequiti
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01/07/2009
ORLANDO, Fla. - Jan. 6, 2009 - What did the typical Florida homebuyer look like in 2008? The answer lies within the pages of the 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Florida Report released by FAR and compiled by NAR, which is now available at floridarealtors.org. Because the real estate marke
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01/06/2009
MORTGAGE RATESRates on 30-year mortgages fell to a record low for the third straight week, to an average 5.1 percent, and borrowers took advantage of the drop, sending new applications soaring. Mortgage rates have plunged by about 1.3 percentage points since late October.Read the full story:http:
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01/05/2009
