Michael LaFido's (sellmorerealestatetoday) Blog

How To Trim Your Utility Bill Without Inconveniencing Yourself The average family spends $2,200 per year in electric bills and the average home is responsible for twice the amount of greenhouse gases than the average automobile. Whether you want to save mon...

How To Increase Your 2009 Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction For many American homeowners, interest paid on a mortgage is tax-deductible in the year in which it was paid. Knowing that, eligible homeowners can increase their 2009 tax deductions just by making t...

The Hidden Household Hazard That Will Send 40,000 People To The ER This Year As temperatures turn cooler and home heating systems get fired, homeowners should learn to recognize the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to safeguard against it. Carbon monoxide poisoning presents like the...

This morning's jobs report is causing mortgage rates to rise, capping a week during which rates have already jumped 3/8 percent off all-time lows. The government's November Non-Farm Payrolls report reinforced the notion that the recession is nearly over, if not over already. Just 11,000 jobs wer...

'Tis the season to do shopping -- and get bombarded with offers to open credit cards. The deals are tempting, too. "Open a charge card today" and save up to 20% on your purchase. Considering that the average Black Friday ticket was $343, that's $68 saved per store. For big-ticket items like tele...

Pending Home Sales Data Forecasts Higher Home Values Ahead When a home seller accepts a contract on an MLS-listed property, the property's status changes from "Active" to "Pending". This means the home is scheduled to sell, but not yet sold. Each month, the...

  The supply of newly-built homes fell to its lowest levels since 2006, offering additional proof of a housing market in recovery. Home supply is defined as the amount of time it would take to sell the current inventory of homes at the current pace of sales. In October, for the 8th consecutive mo...

  Difficult home odors plague homeowners.  Ground into rugs, absorbed into walls, and clinging to furniture, some smells are slow to fade, leaving lasting impressions on both guests and potential buyers. Often, that impression is unfavorable. Do something about it.  In this video 4-minute piece f...

One Reason Why Mortgage Rates Are Back To All-Time Lows   Home affordability improved this week after the Federal Reserve released its November 3-4, 2009 meeting minutes. The FOMC Minutes is a companion to the Federal Reserve's post-meeting press release. It's released 3 weeks after the Fed adjou...

The Home Price Index Shows Home Values Increasing. Case-Shiller Agrees.   It's official -- home prices are no longer in free fall.  According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Home Price Index posted its first quarterly increase since 2007 last quarter. The news was reported Tuesday. The...