The Hawaii Team Real Estate Blog
Top 20 Renovation Mistakes Part One
I think this title speaks for itself so let’s get right to it – the top 20 mistakes people make when remodeling or renovating their homes. We’ll count down in reverse order. Remember to be here next week to learn what blunder made number one. 20....
Top Tax-Friendly Communities for Retirees
Spending the least amount possible on taxes is smart money-saving strategy for retirees. To find the most tax-friendly places to retire, U.S. News & World Report sifted through more than 2,000 U.S. locales to find spots with low taxes and the amenities that are...
30 Year Mortgage Rates Drop Below Six Percent
Mortgage Brokers’ phones rang off the hook last week as 30-year mortgage rates dropped below 6 percent. Some brokers say their rates are as low as 5.25 percent. The rates are down because the Federal Reserve announced that it would buy $500 billion in...
Selling Your Home Over The Holidays, Part Two
Last week we discussed the pros and cons of listing your home before the holidays. Does it make any sense? Will you have any showings, or are you just going to be inconvenienced? To check out that column, go to CoDreamHouse.com and follow the link for “News.â€...
FEMA Rolls Out New Flood Map
For all those who read my blog on a regular basis you know I just went through a flood in my basement. I then wrote two newspaper columns talking about my problems and frustrations with the insurance industry. You'll also remember I advocated looking into flood...
Cities Where Most Homes Are Mortgage-Free
Amid the subprime mortgage disaster, it's easy to forget that a lot of people own their homes outright. In fact, a full one-third of U.S. homeowners don't have a mortgage to worry about. According to an analysis of census information by USA Today, there are 123 areas...
Selling Your Home Over The Holidays, Part One
I did an informal survey of real estate agents, asking them this question: Should people list their homes over the holidays? Sorry, but there’s no surprise statistic here. Answers were split right down the middle—50/50 for yes versus no. Some agents thought...
The Great Flood Part Two
Last week I wrote about how my sump pump failed and flooded my basement. And how my insurance agent broke the news to me that I was “not covered†for the damage. I also shared with you how to avoid this predicament with a little $10 fix. If you’d like to...
Short Sale Standards On The Horizon
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conservator James Lockhart got an earful about short sales from REALTORS® last week at NAR's Conference & Expo. Practitioners complained about lenders' slow and inconsistent handling of loan modifications and short sales, but Lockhart...
NAR Affirms Four Point Legislative Plan
The Board of Directors of the National Association of REALTORS® in its Monday meeting in Orlando, took actions to keep its members positioned for success in today’s challenging real estate markets. Economic Stimulus The Board affirmed a four-point...
The Great Flood Part One
Naturally, it was about 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday when I discovered our basement was flooding. Can someone please explain to me why floods never happen between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday? The float on our sump pump decided to go on strike, so the...
Bernanke Offers Plan for Securitzing Mortgages
Speaking to a mortgage-finance symposium in Berkeley, Calif., by videoconference Friday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke described a plan for managing the mortgage-securitization crisis. He suggested creating a government bond insurer for mortgage funding....