Starting Monday, December 13, 2010, Fannie Mae is changing its mortgage lending guidelines. For some mortgage applicants of Florida , the loan approval process will simplify. For others, it will toughen. How you'll be affected personally will depend on......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Fannie Mae Rolls Out New Lending Rules December 13, 2010 10/08/2010

Conforming mortgages is so named because, literally, they conform to the mortgage guidelines set forth by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Of the many traits of a conforming mortgage, one is "loan size" and loan sizes have limits. Mortgages exceeding this loan size limit cannot be securitized as.....   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: 2011 Conforming Loan Limits : No Change From 2010 10/06/2010

A mortgage is generally the largest debt most homeowners have to manage.  It's a good idea to give your personal real estate finance portfolio a check-up at least once a year. Since there are many reasons a homeowner may choose to refinance, we'll take a look at the four most common....   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Four Possible Reasons To Refinance 10/06/2010

Consistent with calls of a housing rebound, the Pending Home Sales Index rose again in August. It marks the second straight month of improvement after May's post-tax credit drop-off. A "pending home" is an existing home under contract to.....   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Pending Home Sales Data Points To Higher Home Prices This Fall 10/06/2010

Consistent with calls of a housing rebound, the Pending Home Sales Index rose again in August. It marks the second straight month of improvement after May's post-tax credit drop-off. A "pending home" is an existing home under contract to.....   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Pending Home Sales Data Points To Higher Home Prices This Fall 10/06/2010

With the start of autumn comes a chill in the The Crossings air, plus a simple way to drop your home's energy bill. For homeowners with ceiling fans, it's as simple as moving a button. In this vintage video from The Weather Channel, you'll learn how the blades of......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: With The Start Of Autumn, An Easy Way To Save On Energy Bills   10/04/2010

The value of a home is based on the basic economic principle of Supply and Demand. When the number of buyers exceeds the number of sellers, home prices rise. Conversely, when sellers outnumber buyers, home prices fall. There's always a opening price point for.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes (2010 Edition) 10/04/2010

September was a crazy month for sales in Central Florida.  The $8000 tax credit came to an end this month - if you had a straggling contract from back in April but didn't close it before September 30, your chance at getting the credit is gone. Sadly I know a few short sale buyers that lost deals because of this deadline.  Additionally GMAC, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and a few other REO bank owned sellers pulled their listings off the market this month - including listings that were pending to close.  It should be quite interesting to see the affect this will have on the monthly sales statistics.  We did manage to close quite a few deals during September though.  Check these deals out:                        Moorings                              Leon                              ... 10/03/2010

Home builder confidence held firm this month, according to the National Association of Home Builders' monthly Housing Market Index. September's reading of 13 equaled a 17-month low. The HMI is on a 1-100 scale. A value of.....   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: As Homebuilder Confidence Stagnates, Deals Abound 10/01/2010

For the 17th straight month, the Case-Shiller Index reports that home values are rising across the United States. As compared to June, July's prices were up by 4 percent. However, despite the improvement, July's Case-Shiller Index showed weaker as......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Case-Shiller Shows Slowing Growth In Home Prices... Two Months Ago 10/01/2010

Although every situation is unique, it is not uncommon for homebuyers to qualify for a mortgage on a new home while still living in their primary residence. Perhaps you are outgrowing your current house, or have been forced to relocate due to a job transfer?  Regardless of the motivation for keeping one property while purchasing another, let’s address this......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Do I Need To Sell My Home Before I Can Qualify For A New Mortgage On Another Property? 09/28/2010

A kitchen is often a home's busiest room -- a meeting place for meals and conversation. It's also among the home's most grimy rooms. Bacteria, dirt and germs collect on floors, on countertops, and inside appliances. In this 4-minute clip from NBC's The Today Show, you'll learn how to rid your kitchen of "nastiness".  The featured fixes use.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Rid Your Kitchen Of Hidden Dirt And Grime 09/27/2010

Sales of existing homes in recovered in August, perhaps the result of a post-tax credit normalization. As compared to July, Existing Home Sales rose 8 percent in August, buoyed by falling interest rates and slow-to-rise home prices. There's lot of "good deals" out there and home buyers in.........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Existing Home Sales Rebound In August, Give Hope For Autumn 09/24/2010

The number of single-family Housing Starts rebounded in August, climbing 4 percent from July's 14-month low. A "Housing Start" is defined as a home on which construction has started and the August increase represents 18,000 single-family units nationwide. If you only read the headlines, however, you would think the data was stronger. This is.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Housing Starts Rise In August, But By Less Than The Headlines Report 09/23/2010

Today, in its 7th meeting of the year, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-to-1 to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged.  The Fed Funds Rate remains at a historical low, within a Fed's target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release, the FOMC said that.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (September 21, 2010 Edition) 09/23/2010

How can a fully approved loan get denied for funding after the borrower has signed loan docs? Simple, the underwriter pulls an updated credit report to verify that there hasn't been any new activity since original approval was issued, and the new findings kill the loan. This generally won't happen in a 30 day time-frame, but borrowers should anticipate a new credit report being pulled if the time from an original credit report to funding is more than 60 days. Purchase transactions involving short sales or foreclosures tend to.......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Ten Credit Do's and Don'ts To Bear In Mind Prior To Getting Your Mortgage Loan 09/22/2010

The Federal Open Market Committee adjourns from its 6th scheduled meeting of the year today, and 7th overall. Upon adjournment, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will release a formal statement to the market. In it, the Fed is expected to announce "no change" to......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: The Federal Reserve Meets Today. Should You Lock Your Rate Before It Adjourns? 09/21/2010

If a home is an expression of personality, then these 10 homes say something unique about their owners.  Culled by Zillow, this list of one-of-a-kind properties make for excellent party conversation. There's the "round house", the geodesic dome, the firehouse home, and........   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Unique Homes Across The Country   09/21/2010

Cranes Roost Altamonte Springs Located at the heart of Uptown Altamonte. The area offers shopping, dining, offices for rent and a unique destination of living at the Lofts at Uptown. The Lofts are where you can find the view is Amazing overlooking the surrounding Cranes Roost Lake. This beautiful lake one-mile long is well manicured well maintained body of water. Cranes Roost Altamonte Springs offers an exercise facility with water fountains every quarter of a mile. If you love birds, Cranes Roost offers a variety of birds such as Cranes, Egrets, Barn Owls, Cuckoos, and Red Tail Hawks. On any given day other wildlife can be spotted including turtles, snakes and otters. Residents and visitors can enjoy the wooden boardwalks and shaded areas to sit and feed the fish, ducks, and turtles.  ... 09/20/2010

  Is it better to rent a Longwood home, or to buy one? The answer may not be as clear-cut as you think. In this balanced, 3-minute joint interview from NBC's The Today Show, you'll hear the case for both sides. From the pro-renting part of the talk, there's valid points about the economic impact of low credit scores and/or no cash for downpayment, and the ongoing, annual cost of......   Read the COMPLETE BLOG POST HERE: Rent A Home Or Buy A Home : The Case For Both Sides   09/17/2010