Nearly 80 percent of home buyers say now is a great time to buy a home, but sellers say it’s not a great time to sell, according to a new study, “The Great Recession and Attitudes Toward Homebuying,” released this week by the Mortgage Bankers Association. In fact, homeselling sentiment has fallen to record lows. As for home buyers, they certainly have plenty to be happy about — housing prices have fallen and interest rates are at record lows, pushing […]

Talented in the art of negotiation and the kind of person that one instinctively trusts, Daniel Otto has earned a reputation as an impeccable guide to many Chicagoans for both buying and selling their homes. His understanding of the Chicago real estate market and mastery in the art of the deal is really calculated by the number of his enthusiastic and satisfied clients over the past nine years. “I believe that real estate is often the single most important investment […]

Stocks jumped Tuesday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average back above 12,000, driven in part by news of an increase in housing starts. Check out https://www.stocktrades.ca/, you will check out the perfect list to find dozens more of the best stocks to buy or watch. The Dow increased 337.32 points, or 2.87%, to close at 12,103.58. Nasdaq and the S&P 500 rose 80.59 and 35.95 points, or 3.19% and 2.98%, respectively. Homebuilder stocks showed significant gains, including PulteGroup (PHM: 6.17 […]

The state’s mandatory mediation program for home foreclosures is no more. The Florida Supreme Court did away with the two-year program Monday, saying it wasn’t helping enough people. The banking industry said the mediation didn’t work because the banks and homeowners had already tried to work out a solution. But foreclosure defense lawyers blame banks, saying they were interested only in modifying mortgages and did not seriously consider short sales and other options. “It was modification or bust,” Weston lawyer […]

Insurance Consumer Advocate Robin Wescott backed insurers’ calls for changing personal injury protection insurance laws to fight fraud and abuse in a report she released last week. But she said if the laws are approved, insurers must be required to pass savings to policyholders. “It is imperative that insurance companies be held accountable for passing savings on to consumers through a required rate filing within 12 months of enacted reforms, and every six months thereafter,” she wrote. The requirement is […]

Existing single-family home sales in Texas rose 9% from a year ago in November, the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University said in a report Monday. The real estate research center found that 15,000 homes sold statewide, with the median home price hitting $147,600. That is up 1% from November 2010 levels. The state’s inventory level currently sits at a 6.6-month supply. Home sales in Dallas and Houston rose 16% and 11%, respectively, from last November, suggesting more robust […]

Opera, Golden Retrievers, and Real Estate ~ These are important to me but the most important thing to me is our relationship. Regardless of whether you are selling a home you have loved and cared for, or are buying a new home and starting a new adventure, I will be there for you. I will guide you and advocate for you, striving to help you achieve your goals as easily as possible. This relationship will not end when our business […]

While many celebrities head to Malibu for vacation homes and away from the bright lights of Hollywood, others flee to more rural areas for respite. Renee Zellweger chose Connecticut for a vacation spot, picking up a pastoral estate in November 2004 for $1.32 million. The blonde starlet recently listed the home for sale on the Pomfret Center real estate market for $1.5 million. According to Real Estalker, Zellweger’s Connecticut home isn’t the only Northeast estate she owns. She also has […]

Homeowners usually dread having foreclosures in their neighborhoods because it tends to put a drag on the value of surrounding properties, but they might not mind living next to 188 Minna St., in San Francisco. Among the nearly 4 million homes owned by banks today, according to Barclays Capital, this one stands out. For one thing, there’s the waterfall in the foyer. And the 2,500-square-foot master bedroom with a hallway just for closets. And the 22-foot glass walls that look […]

The federal regulator overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sued the city of Chicago on Monday over an ordinance that makes mortgage creditors liable for the upkeep of vacant properties. Lenders are liable for daily fines of as much as $1,000 if they don’t mow lawns and provide basic maintenance on vacant buildings under an ordinance signed into law by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Lenders especially opposed the requirement they maintain properties they hadn’t yet taken back through foreclosure. After lenders […]