Congress passed legislation to extend the $8,000 home buyer tax credit to May 1, 2010 for first-time buyers and add a $6,500 tax credit for repeat buyers if they’ve lived in their home for five of the past eight years. Home prices are capped at $800,000.
The legislation in both houses was included in a bill to extend unemployment benefits and is expected to be signed by President Obama shortly. Under the bill, income limits are expanded to $125,000 for individuals and $2... Read Full Story
Insurance giant USAA has announced they are opening their doors to millions of veterans as potential customers of their insurance and financial services. The San Antonio-based company hopes to be the provider of choice for the millions of active duty, retired and former military personnel across the nation. The firm, formed in 1922 by 25 US Army officers in San Antonio, grouped together to take care of their own. Previously, military personnel were seen as too risky for traditional... Read Full Story
There are so many ways to have problems when you buy or sell a home, it befuddles me when folks go it alone. However, that is another issue. What we are discussing here is title insurance and why it is so very important for buyers to make sure they are covered on their purchase.
Title insurance is, basically, insurance for the buyer of a home to be protected from any “blemishes” or clouds” on the title for the property. This blemishes, clouds or issues are... Read Full Story
Reports on high temperatures in San Antonio, Texas are not the only “hot” news to share. San Antonio is also hot in the housing market and on the internet.
We are fortunate to have a climate where “snow birds” who are retirees looking for a more moderate climate for the winter months, flock to enjoy the great outdoors. We are also fortunate to have a great climate for new housing, resales of existing housing and relocations of businesses to our fair city ... Read Full Story
In a new report by the Brookings Institution, San Antonio is rated among the top US cities due to a strong economy. The San Antonio is considered to have a consistent, strong economy due to the lack of a housing bubble and the vibrant government, medical and military economic generators.
The San Antonio metro area is seen as more stable than other parts of the country. Housing prices rose less than other areas which resulted in less of a collapse in home prices. This, along wi... Read Full Story
Daily Real Estate News | September 14, 2009 |
Most Affordable Markets Ranked
In its annual survey of most- and least-affordable housing markets, BusinessWeek quoted a number of experts who believe that for many people, the current low interest rates and low housing prices have combined to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy a home. Dennis Torres, executive director of real estate operations at Pepperdine University, says, “People are going to talk about this as ‘... Read Full Story
Many folks are wanting to buy a home and believe their credit score will block their path. Rather than just “think” your credit score is a stumbling block to a new home, find out. Now folks callme and ask mortgage and credit score questions and it is my policy not to answer. Why? Because my license is in real estate, not financial services or as a mortgage broker. My best advice is to talk with your bank or a lender on where you stand and get the up-to-date facts on you... Read Full Story
The Toyota Motor Corporation has announced they will begin production of their Tacoma pickups in San Antonio, Texas beginning in early 2010. This is great news for South Texas as it means over 1,000 jobs for the area. Now what is the connection to real estate?
The impact on the area will be economic. There will be folks moving to the area to work at the Toyota plant located on the southside of the city. There will be additional jobs created by those suppliers to the Toyota pla... Read Full Story
(While this piece may be perceived as negative by some, it is meant as a pause for thoughtful consideration.)
The idea of an $8,000 tax credit to assist folks into home ownership is about to expire. There is talk of a new and improved tax credit of up to $15,000. Does this make sense?
While home ownership overall is a good idea, it is not a good idea for all. Some folks cannot afford to own a home. Putting them in one is setting them up to fail. Have we already forgotten the l... Read Full Story
When the opportunity for a fast (illegal) buck presents itself, the bad guys seem to come out of the woodwork. Today, foreclosure scams are on the rise. This impacts property owners and renters (tenants) too.
Some folks are going around, knocking on doors and telling tenants they need to move out because the property is being foreclosed. This may or may not be true–the foreclosure part that is. It is one of two scenarios.
One, the home is in the process of being fo... Read Full Story
