San Francisco lawmakers will vote Tuesday on a possible building code change that could allow some of the tiniest apartments in the country. The new apartments could be as small as 220 square feet, which would include a kitchen, closet, and bathroom. For those looking for something a bit bigger, then consider checking other options like these 2 bedroom apartments.  In San Francisco, current building codes require that just a living room alone be 220 square feet. Those in favor […]

Originally from Long Island, Matthew has felt at home in New York City at a young age. He has an extensive lay of the land not only in its architectural landscape, but also in its current market trends. As an avid proponent of social networking, Matthew has laid the groundwork for an innovative marketing initiative through Halstead to establish significant connections between clients and their agents with ease. With an unparalleled support team coupled with his youthful energy and enthusiasm, […]

Homebuilding for single-family homes was at its fastest pace in more than two years during August, as the new-home market continues on in recovery mode. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that single-family housing starts soared 5.5 percent, marking the best pace since April 2010. Construction of homes and apartments increased 2.3 percent in August from July. Overall, home construction has jumped nearly 60 percent since April 2009, when it hit a recessionary low, the Commerce Department reports. Still, the sector […]

More than 20 million rental households spent more than 30 percent of their income last year on rents. In fact, more than half of those renters spent at least half their income on housing, “severely burdening” their finances, according to Census data. Rents have been on the rise the last few years as demand surges. In the past seven years, median rent payments have soared nearly 20 percent from $728 to $871. Sme markets have seen double-digit increases in rent […]

More home owners are finding their mortgages more manageable as fewer home owners default on their mortgage, according to Standard & Poor’s and Experian credit data. This marks the eighth consecutive month that the number of people defaulting on their mortgage has dropped. In fact, according to S&P and Experian, default rates are now meeting post-recession lows. The rate for first mortgage defaults was 1.4 percent in August compared to 1.92 percent a year ago. The default rate on second […]

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is proposing charging more for mortgages in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York because it takes longer in these states for banks to foreclose. The rationale is that the longer it takes a lender to repossess the collateral behind a mortgage, the higher the potential costs. Although the fees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge would only rise by 0.15 to 0.3 percentage point of the loan amount, creating state-level mortgage pricing could […]

The median list price was at $190,000 in August, dropping 2.51 percent from July, Realtor.com reports in its August housing data of 146 markets. However, a limited inventory of homes for-sale are helping to push prices up in many areas. “The recovery process, which began a year ago in Florida and has since spread to the West, continued to gain traction in August, with list-price gains in most California markets, as well as other hard-hit metros such as Phoenix.; Boise […]

Fannie Mae announced that it will no longer be using third-party management vendors and sales teams to help manage its REO properties. The mortgage giant will now be handling the management of its REO inventories through its in-house staff. “We have reduced our REO inventory from 162,489 properties at the start of 2011 to 109,266 as of June 30, 2012,” Fannie Mae officials told HousingWire in an e-mail. “With a reduced inventory of properties, Fannie Mae’s in-house teams now have sufficient capacity […]

Buying or selling a home is a process that requires the right resources to help you make informed decisions toward a successful transaction ~ these resources include the ability to search for homes, have homes that meet your specific needs sent to you automatically the minute they hit the market, get school and neighborhood reports, and detailed real estate information to help you understand the entire process. As a real estate professional, I have the tools you need to complete […]

Homeowner association meetings can get heated as neighbors fight with neighbors or dispute board rules. But a recent HOA meeting in Louisville, Ky., resulted in two people dead. A 55-year-old man, Mahmoud Yousef Hindi, has pleaded not guilty to two murder charges that stem from accusations that he opened fire at a home owners meeting on Sept. 6, killing two members of the board. According to police reports, Hindi allegedly confronted the Spring Creek Homeowners Association over a fence dispute. […]