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You Can?t Spell Maine Without M-E
2008-05-27 22:00:00 As I have detailed in the past here and here, I think I am the center of universal attention ? hence the blog and all. Despite my debilitating self-absorption, I actually managed to ride my new bike to work last week without breaking out in a nervous sweat (or any sweat at all; the two-mile ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "You Can’t Spell Maine Without M-E", url: "http://www.familyrags.com/fhtp-/2008/05/27/m-e/" });
Homeownership Through Residential Mortgages
2008-05-21 00:00:00 First of all, what is a mortgage? A mortgage is promising of a piece of property to a lender as collateral for a mortgage loan. Be careful to note, however, that a mortgage is not a loan. It is a proof of a loan. Through mortgages, individuals and businesses are able ...
Garage Banned
2008-05-20 19:29:00 Last night was our free estimate appointment with a local contractor ? we?re hoping to put up a two-car garage. Not having a garage stinks, especially in Maine where winters are cold and snowy. Plus, it?d be cherry to have a place to store the lawnmower, snowblowerthrower, bikes, and sundry other things that we don?t ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Garage Banned", url: "http://www.familyrags.com/fhtp-/2008/05/20/garage-banned/" });
Don?t Grumble - Give a Whistle
2008-05-05 17:33:00 One of the best skills a person can have is the ability to put a positive spin on a potentially bad situation. I?m not talking about someone who blindly ignores the icky parts of life in favor of Precious Moments figurines and posters of kittens staunchly ?hanging in there.? This optimistic outlook needs to be ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Don’t Grumble - Give a Whistle", url: "http://www.familyrags.com/fhtp-/2008/05/05/dont-grumble-give-a--whistle/" });
All Wet
2008-05-01 18:01:00 I realize that I have been remiss in reporting funny Hazel anecdotes, illustrated by unbelievably cute photos of our little girl. Just so you know, this post won?t really have much to say about Hazel, but with her First Birthday coming up in just two weeks(!), she?ll have much attention lavished upon her. For now, ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "All Wet", url: "http://www.familyrags.com/fhtp-/2008/05/01/all-wet/" });
The Road To Homeownership
2008-04-28 16:27:00 Hi Paul, Ok, here’s the deal: We are trying to become first time home owners. We want to get a mortgage in my husbands name because my credit is beyond repair. His credit report shows 8 collections, 6 of which are medical, and the other 2 are a cable and gas bill. We want to pay these ...
HOMEOWNERSHIP TAX CREDIT MAKES PROGRESS
2008-04-18 15:06:00 This just in from the Maine Association of REALTORS: National Association of REALTORS reports House and Senate lawmakers are moving quickly on a tax incentive to help stimulate housing markets. In the Senate, legislation would create a $7,000 tax credit, taken over two years, for individuals who purchase a foreclosed property as a principal residence between ...
Homeownership solid
2008-04-14 05:44:00 In another set of statistics to show that much of this "housing recession" is manufactured by biased news reports, come reports that homeownership rates are still strongH/T to How Can It Be?from Christopher HedgesDespite the constant drumbeat about an ever worsening economy that will send all of us to the breadlines of the Great Depression because we?re all going to lose our homes, comes news that homeownership rates are still higher now ? even in the midst of the ?subprime crisis? ? than they were during the Clinton years.
By: Synergy Thoughts
Single Women clearly gaining on homeownership
2008-04-11 20:21:00 Latest National Association of Realtors® (NAR) research shows single women accounted for more than one in every five home sales in 2006, and for one-third of all condo sales. By contrast, single men bought only 9 percent of all homes. So what features attract single female buyers? Other than price, the experts say it's the kitchen and master bath. Islands, luxury finishes and professional-style appliances make a big difference in the kitchen; in the master bath it's the amenities, like luxury showers and storage that score well. Other key elements are flexible floor plans, outdoor living space and security features. By 2010, the number of households headed by women with no spouse will increase to about 28 percent of all U.S. households. Clearly, single women comprise a substantial - and growing - share of the home real estate market.
How to Prepare For Homeownership
2008-03-12 16:38:00 Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you may make in life. There are several things you should do to ensure you make the right and best investment. First of all you should get pre-qualified. This is where working with a Real Estate Professional can help take the stress out of buying a new home. A REALTOR® can help you go over your credit history and determine your buying power (how much home you can realistically afford) or recommend a local lender who can do a loan pre-qualification with you to let you know what price range you should be focusing on. You should never make any major purhcases, such as buying a new car, or move your finances around before buying a new home. A lender will need to see a history of liquid assets. The more debt you accumulate with a new car or credit cards, the less house you will qualify to purchase. After determining what you can afford, select a REALTOR® to work with you as a Buyer's Agent...it doesn't cost y...
Las Vegas homeownership made affordable for teachers, police, firefighters,
2008-02-28 04:45:00 Las Vegas homeownership made affordable for teachers, police, firefighters, and medical workers Neighborhood Champions® Protected Mortgage® Program. Your clients make a difference in the lives of the people they serve everyday. By working together we can make a difference in...
The dream of homeownership
2008-02-26 07:15:00 Why not put your rent money into an appreciating asset instead of in your landlord’s pocket? Do you cringe every month when it’s time to write that monthly rent cheque? Like many other renters, you probably wish that your hard earned money was being put towards something that has potential payback but haven’t explored your ...
California a Red State: Analyzing the Myth of Homeownership for all.
2008-02-12 09:36:00 It wasn?t too long ago that we were told that having an ownership society would be a good thing for this country. In fact, this was such a good thing that in 2004 the national homeownership rate peaked at 69.2 percent. It would seem that we were on a clear and easy path ...Related Posts:?About?A Tale of 5 Cities: Not All Bubbles Burst at the Same Time.?Exposing the Southern California Housing Numbers and the DQ Special. DataQuick Numbers and 2007 Examined.?Sexy Bottom: The Naked Truth of the 10 Percent Southern California Housing Drop.?Screw This Housing Market! Black & Decker Sucked into the Housing Abyss.
Homeownership Drops In 2007
2008-01-30 20:25:00 The latest figures from the Census Bureau show that homeownership is down. In fact, the homeownership rate in the last quarter of 2007 was back to where it was in 2002. What does this have to do with reverse mortgages? Many reverse mortgage programs assume that borrowers will be able to increase the number of dollars available ... read more
The ?Dream? Of Homeownership
2008-01-30 05:00:00 Back on December 16, 2003, President Bush talked about the importance of homeownership to the national interest: This Administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in America. We want more people owning their own home. It is in our national interest that more people own their own home. After all, if ...
By: Boom2Bust.com
Credit Crunch Didn't Kill The Homeownership Dream.
2007-12-23 11:21:00 So you heard that loans are harder to get. But, you still want/need to buy a home. Is there any program that you can qualify for a home with little or no down payment?Lots of them. We may not be talking number of grains of sand on the beach or drops of water in the ocean, but there are more ways to get get into a property with no down payment than most laypersons would believe.Many loan officers would have you believe that it is a hard loan or that takes something special to get 100 percent financing. It doesn't. In 95 percent plus of all cases, that's just setting you up for three points of origination, setting them up to ask you for referrals, and trying to get you to not shop around. Nor is it a difficult loan to do. As long as you meet the guidelines, 100% financing is routine. Many lenders are begging for these loans, even today. When I wrote the original article, I talked about how in my humble opinion, some of these lax underwriting processes were setting the lenders up for...
LEGISLATION AND REGULATION: The Homeownership Preservation and Protection A
2007-12-14 22:45:00 As a part of a comprehensive strategy he says will “protect, preserve andpromote the American dream of homeownership,” U.S. Senator Christopher Doddyesterday introduced legislation to help put an end to the abusive and predatorylending practices that have sent nearly a million Americans into foreclosure andput just as many more in danger of losing their homes.I am linking you to Ralph Robert's Flippingfrenzy Blog to view his post on Senator Dodd's proposed legislation. As you read his post you will come to my response at the bottom. Mr. Roberts does a very good job of reporting what is being said and published and in conversations with him personally, I find that he truly is seeking the truth while attempting to thwart fraud not only in the mortgage industry but in real estate and related industries as well.I admit that we have and have had problems in the mortgage industry but don't agree that we need to legislate and regulate it in the manners that are being proposed by man...
The Joys of Homeownership Revisted
2007-11-27 03:30:00 If you download the program Google Earth, you can use it to zoom in on satellite imagery much closer than you can on the web using Google Maps. I jus1 Vote(s)
By: JeQQ it
Homeownership Down 1 Percent From It?s Peak In United States
2007-10-30 16:40:00 Here is an interesting stat that came from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Homeownership rose from 64% in 1994 to 69% in 2004. Since 2004 the rate of homeownership has declined nearly a point to 68.2%. The combination of upward mobility and easier credit opened many doors to owning ones own home. However, back in 2004 ...
Senator Chris Dodd on his ?Homeownership and Prosperity Plan?
2007-10-07 09:01:00 As near as I can tell, Dodd doesn’t hold borrowers responsible at all in this mess. He does, however, have this amazing generalization about brokers: [2:42] If you go to their [sic] website of brokers, the very first thing they advise their brokers is to convince the borrower that you are their financial advisor- even though ...
By: HousingDoom
Agriculture Sector Leads Homeownership, Says New Survey
2007-08-16 13:21:00 ---Quote--- ACCORDING to the data released by the study ‘Invest India Incomes and Savings Survey 2007’, homeownership in India is the...
Agriculture Sector Leads Homeownership, Says New Survey
2007-08-16 13:08:00 ACCORDING to the data released by the study ?Invest India Incomes and Savings Survey 2007?, homeownership in India is the highest among the people engaged in the agriculture sector. Of total homeownership in India, farmers and other agricultural workers make for 37.94%. The farmers with marketable surplus grab the top position among homeowners in India and ...
What to do When Credit Card Debt is Keeping You Locked Out of Homeownership
2007-06-06 16:42:00 If you want to be on national TV show House Hunters, you can be featured on HGTV if you buy a home in the next 30 days with us. It’s a painful position — mounting credit card debt with increasing interest rates and no real vision of how to crawl out from underneath all that financing. According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Santa Clara and Ventura County, California, (CCCS) what got most people in financial troubles are: overspending (25 percent), reduced income or unemployment (31 percent), medical reasons (11 percent), divorce or separation (8 percent). The non-profit agency helps people alleviate their financial burdens and provides financial education and counseling on preparing to buy a home. Last year 7,043 households were counseled and received financial education which included developing a budget, a debt payout plan, analysis of assets and liabilities, and an action plan to solve their financial concerns. An additional 1,604 household...
By: Ann Arbor Talks
What to do When Credit Card Debt is Keeping You Locked Out of Homeownership
2007-06-06 16:40:00 If you want to be on national TV show House Hunters, you can be featured on HGTV if you buy a home in the next 30 days with us.It's a painful position -- mounting credit card debt with increasing interest rates and no real vision of how to crawl out from underneath all that financing.According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Santa Clara and Ventura County, California, (CCCS) what got most people in financial troubles are: overspending (25 percent), reduced income or unemployment (31 percent), medical reasons (11 percent), divorce or separation (8 percent).The non-profit agency helps people alleviate their financial burdens and provides financial education and counseling on preparing to buy a home. Last year 7,043 households were counseled and received financial education which included developing a budget, a debt payout plan, analysis of assets and liabilities, and an action plan to solve their financial concerns. An additional 1,604 households received pre-discharg...
What to do When Credit Card Debt is Keeping You Locked Out of Homeownership
2007-06-06 16:32:00 If you want to be on national TV show House Hunters, you can be featured on HGTV if you buy a home in the next 30 days with us.It's a painful position -- mounting credit card debt with increasing interest rates and no real vision of how to crawl out from underneath all that financing.According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Santa Clara and Ventura County, California, (CCCS) what got most people in financial troubles are: overspending (25 percent), reduced income or unemployment (31 percent), medical reasons (11 percent), divorce or separation (8 percent).The non-profit agency helps people alleviate their financial burdens and provides financial education and counseling on preparing to buy a home. Last year 7,043 households were counseled and received financial education which included developing a budget, a debt payout plan, analysis of assets and liabilities, and an action plan to solve their financial concerns. An additional 1,604 households received pre-discharge e...
Subprime fallout may hurt homeownership
2007-03-11 17:56:00 With the increasing defaults of Subprime Adjustable Rate Mortgages, (Subprime is a loan that does not meet the quality of what is called A paper, in general usually a middle credit score of 620 or more) many lenders are leaving that side of the business and it seems like the federal regulations for these types of loans are going to tighten. For example, New Century a long time subprime lenders has stopped taking new loan applications because of the large increase in defaults. According to Reuters, they may soon seek bankruptcy protection. In addition, more than 20 subprime lenders have quit lending or gone bankrupt in the past year or so. Even large lenders like Countrywide recently halted their no-money down programs. Now borrowers are required to have at leat 5% equity in their homes.So why do I mention all of this? Well, because of these recent occurrences, potential homebuyers that may have lower credit, but have every intention in making their mortgage payment may be push...
The Advantages of Homeownership
2007-03-08 17:03:00 The Advantages of Homeownership If you’re wondering whether home ownership is right for you, a good place to start is by weighing all the ?pros’ and ?cons’. Consider the many advantages of owning your own home. There are many practical and financially sound reasons for buying your first home, whether you start with a condo, a ...
Home Buyers?California Condominiums Are An Attractive Homeownership Option
2007-02-28 21:06:11 With the median home price of a single family home in California at $567,690, according to the California Association of Realtors, condominiums have become an increasingly attractive home ownership option for singles, young couples, young families and retired couples as starter homes as opposed to the traditional detached single family home. Condos are usually located in well established, proven suburban neighborhoods and yet are usually located close to major freeways which provide the homeowner with accessibility to the workplace. Some condos are the same size as houses in regard to square footage, and others have the square footage of comparable apartments. They vary in price range and can be a good starter home for young couples or singles. While the rapid price appreciation in the state, especially in the Los Angeles, California area, has accelerated the price of single family homes, according to a California Association of Realtors report it has also strained the purchasing ab...
Harrine Freeman will be a vendor at a Homeownership Fair on 9/23/06
2006-09-22 19:01:00 I will be doing a book signing at the Homeownership Fair sponsored by the Department of Housing and CommunityDevelopment and Union Temple Baptist Church (1225 W Street SE Washington DC) on September 23, 2006 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. The fair will have workshops providing information on how to buy a home and how to improve your credit. Hope to see you there.
Energy Efficient Homeownership -- 13 SEER Required for '06
2006-02-14 22:12:00 Recent government regulations, while a benificial move in the long term, are likely to require some short term adjustments for builders, heating & air contractors, and home buyers.As of January 23, 2006, minimum SEER rating (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) requirements for all newly manufactured A/C units climbs from a minimim rating of 10 to that of 13. The new units will be larger and therefore likely more costly for installation, but any additional expense should be more than offset by the projected 30% increase in energy efficiency.While there is no replacement requirement for existing 10 SEER units, a gradual phase out is inevitable, as supply dimishes and older units are replaced. A certain side effect of this type of obsolescence for the 10 SEER in years to come, as with any outdated product, is difficulty in obtaining parts and repair services. With this in mind, homeowners looking to replace an A/C unit now might do well to go ahead and plan a switch to the larger unit, w...
By: CurbView Jasper
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