The Hawaii Team Real Estate Blog
Is The Bottom Near
The bottom of the housing decline is near, predicted analysts and home builders attending the National Association of Home Builders’ semiannual Construction Forecast Conference last week. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Economy.com,...
It Pays To Be Flexible
The story goes like this. An agent with buyers wants to see a home on short notice. The sellers have indicated in the MLS they need a 24-hour notice for showings. But the buying agent asks the selling agent if they can see the house with only a two-hour notice. The...
Rates on Bigger Mortgages Poised to Come Down
Mortgage lenders will begin making loans between $625,500 and $729,750 in high-cost housing markets now that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have issued their underwriting standards. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have said they will begin buying loans up to the new...
Social Networking Wins Real Estate Fans
Social networking sites including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and ActiveRain are the medium for real estate professionals get the word out. On Twitter, users create profiles and post messages as long as 140 characters that can be viewed on a PC or a mobile phone....
Trading Places
Trading homes is not a new idea, but in this economy it is becoming a more valuable option. I know a builder that had a custom home for sale last year. Some potential buyers wanted it but needed to sell their home first. The builder took a look at the buyers’...
Federal Housing Rescue Plan Is Underway
The Obama Administration’s program to rescue distressed home owners got off the ground this week. The program was announced on Feb. 18, but it took several weeks to put the bureaucracy in place. Six of the nation’s largest banks signed up to...
FHA Is Picking Up Steam
For those of you that follow my column in the Denver Post you know that I tout FHA loans all the time particularly for first time home buyers. Here is some good information about how FHA loans are becoming more and more popular. "Federal Housing Administration loans...
Mortgage Rates Rise After Record Lows
Freddie Mac reports a jump in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to 4.87 percent during the week ended April 9 from record lows posted during the last couple of weeks. The 15-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 4.54 percent from 4.52 percent. Meanwhile, the five-year...
The 10 Happiest States
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can make life a whole lot easier. MainStreet.com’s Happiness Index examined household income, debt, employment, and foreclosures to choose the states that are surviving the current economic crisis with the most...
How Low Should You Go?
Most people don’t want to buy in the low. They want to sharp shoot for the bottom. But let’s face it. If you can predict the market’s bottom and buy at the perfect time, you’re either clairvoyant or have impeccable timing. In all...
The 53 Hour Open House Continues All Weekend Long
Hi Everyone the 53 Hour Open House Event had an incredible first day. If you are intown please stop out to Hertiage Estates (8170 Sawgrass Dr, Lone Tree, CO between 9-5 today or tomorrow. You’ll have a chance to win $1,000 dollars in cash. If you can't come...
Home Sale Rise Helps Offset Gloomy Jobs Data
Pending sales climbed at a seasonally adjusted rate of 2.1 percent in February from the previous month, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, up from an all-time low. Double-digit gains in pending sales were posted in the Midwest and Northeast, and the...