I SAW AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW RECENTLY WITH Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Zillow. The premise was that shopping for a home online is a lot like looking for a date using online dating services. This is particularly amusing to me. Zillow is a company that so many hate, but is also the most commonly used site […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: (Legitimate) credit help
THERE IS AN OLD SAYING that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. This is never more true than in the world of credit repair. I hear from borrowers frequently that have been ensnared by companies that claim they can “clean up” a borrower’s credit profile, claiming, in some cases, that […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: Credit tips
I TRY TO KEEP THIS COLUMN RELEVANT by giving readers useful, topical information. Typically, I write about topics that cross my desk frequently, or give updates on how the real estate market is doing in general. Since credit reports are an important part of qualifying for a home loan, consumers’ understanding and use of credit […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: Refinance 101: What you need to know
AS OIL PRICES CONTINUE TO DROP and concerns about the global economy weigh on investor confidence, the value of treasuries continues to climb, moving interest rates down to levels not seen since the summer of 2013. Which seems to indicate that there could be another opportunity to refinance for the folks who were not able […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: There is hope if you want to buy
I OFTEN HEAR PEOPLE SAY, “We will probably never buy a home” or some variation on this theme. It is really frustrating to me when I hear these words, because the implied statement is, “We would really love to buy a home but it is just hopeless.” The hopelessness usually comes from one of three […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: What will boomers do?
THE LAST OF THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION turned 50 this year. As this generation nears retirement, everyone in the housing business want to know how boomers will affect housing. Will they be a drag on the market by selling off properties in droves? Will they leave California in a mass exodus to live in cheaper […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: About those termite reports …
I WAS RECENTLY TALKING WITH MY WIFE about a termite report on an old Victorian home. The report came back with over $50,000 in needed repairs to the property. Her first reaction was to ask if the home was going to have to be tented and fumigated. This is a common misconception that many homeowners […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: A home of one’s own
OWNING REAL ESTATE HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART of the American dream since time immemorial. There is significant pride and a sense of security in owning your own home. With the recent economic realities, though, this dream turned into a nightmare for many — replacing their sense of security with a tremendous sense of fear […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: First homes
WHENEVER SOMEONE IN THE MORTGAGE OR REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY starts talking about making it easier for folks to buy homes, people start getting nervous, thinking, “Here we go again.” So before I even begin, let me put this qualifier out there: Steps are being taken by the industry to make homeownership more widely available and […]
Making $ense of Real Estate: Recent news — a mixed bag
EVERY YEAR AROUND THIS TIME there always seems to be an unending slew of announcements regarding changes coming in the New Year. In real estate it is no different. Beginning at the end of November, the announcements start streaming in, heralding all the good and not-so-good things we can expect come Jan. 1. So today’s […]