Bethany

Welcome to 2011! Most people want to know when the real estate market will finally rebound and they also want to know if the market will continue to fall. I believe we have hit bottom and that prices have begun to stabilize. Foreclosures and short sales will continue to trickle into the market throughout this year which will give buyers one last really good opportunity to buy at the "bottom". How can I reasonable predict this? Well, here's how, many of these foreclosures that come onto the... Read Full Story

The spring market was pretty active with many first buyers wading into the market. The Government's tax credit helped people decide to get off the fence and actually purchase. Lots of buyers rushed to get into contract by April 3oth and to close by June 30th in order to receive $8000 (first time buyers) or $6500 (trade up buyers). The time table to close has now been extended til September but this will only help buyers who had already signed their contracts by April 30th. The big fear now is... Read Full Story

Well I still believe that we have hit bottom but as I said before we will not see a strong recovery til 2012. There are still too many obstacles in the way of any real significant market changes. The biggest obstacle is still the tightest credit market we have seen in years which is keeping many potential buyers from purchasing due to their inability to secure mortgage financing. Even the FHA is about to tighten their lending standards by decreasing the allowable seller's concession which is... Read Full Story

Well I've been watching and waiting for some signs to signal that the end of the bottom is approaching and I have begun to see those signs. Foreclosures and short sales are still coming out on a daily basis but now they are being snatched up pretty quickly if they are good deals. Buyers are wading back into the market at a rapid pace and are no longer scared of their own shadows. The number of contracts being signed are up and the days on the market are down. In some "hot" areas where there... Read Full Story

Well the good news is that many homes are selling for 50 to 60% of what they had sold for in 2005 to 2006. This really means that buyers have a lot of options available and they can now buy homes that were completely unavailable to them a mere 3 years ago. The other good news is that interest rates are insanely low, anywhere from 4.625% to 5.55% depending on the program, the down payment, the points, and your particular credit worthiness. The bad news is that most banks are still looking for... Read Full Story

First the good news: It's good to have a President that can  assess a situation and move quickly to try to fix a known problem of enormous magnitude namely the Real Estate and Mortgage MESS.  I am glad that many existing homeowners who have fallen on hard times will get the opportunity to remain in their homes because they now will be able to get their interest rates automatically reduced and may also get part of their loan balance forgiven. That sounds nice but it also reeks of a Giant... Read Full Story

I've been meaning to get this topic off of my chest for awhile so here it goes..... Everyone, including the papers, the pundits and now the politicians say we are in a bad economy, right? So why is it that when I call a company for service they don't get back to me or lose my information? I'll give you an example of this. I called a permit expediting company several months ago because I thought I needed professional help in legalizing a structure. I left not one but two messages w/the... Read Full Story

Well it's that time of year again when most of our thoughts turn to holiday festivities and holiday stress. I have definitely noticed a more somber attitude this holiday season due to the overwhelming financial pressures that face most of us. Big retailers are having sale after sale and yet are selling less. Internet retailers are offering bigger and better bargains and even free shipping. It's a pity that there seems to be so much pressure on people to make sure that they buy plenty of gifts... Read Full Story

Our country finally did it, we chose hope over fear. A new day is dawning for America and it couldn't come at a better or bleaker time. We will have new leadership in the White House and we will have a thoughtful and intelligent President who was voted in by a majority of us. Things will not change overnight, it took time and many poor decisions to get us into the mess we are in now and it will take time and many good decisions to get us out of it. Still, this is really, really big history in... Read Full Story

Well, my pretties, with Halloween approaching, it is time to think of Trick or Treating. When you are going door to door asking for candy, will your neighbors answer their door and hand you a treat or will they be chained to the door hoping to stave off foreclosure. These are awful times for many homeowners and while the average "Joe the Plumber" says that they do not want government interference in their lives it is time the government really does something to help out all the struggling... Read Full Story