http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:21:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The questions are simple enough: What's going on with mortgage rates? What makes them rise, or fall? Is it the Fed? The economy? Inflation? The banks? The President? Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac? Is it a secret conspiracy? The answer is that rates are moved by a number of related factors, and ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=229 It's About the Basics: RISMEDIA, August 23, 2010—Since the housing boom ended and the market began to shift, the phrase “going back to basics” has been tossed around quite frequently. From the way agents handle their business to the way they communicate with clients, the phrase has gotten quite the workout. But ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=228 Vacant Homes Pose Insurance Risks RISMEDIA, August 4, 2010--As the U.S. housing market struggles to rebound, many homeowners are stuck with hard-to-sell properties longer than expected. Some frustrated home sellers who must relocate for a new job opportunity, want to downsize or simply want to buy a new place have left ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=227 The Markets. Rates fell once again to their lowest levels since Freddie Mac started tracking them in 1971. Freddie Mac announced that for the week ending July 1, 30-year fixed rates averaged 4.58%, down from 4.69% the previous week. The average for 15-year fixed fell to 4.04%. Adjustables were mixed ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=226 After a close brush with the deadline, Congress has passed an extension of the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline, the Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623). The extension applies only to transactions that have ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010 that have not yet closed. The ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=225 At this hour, the Senate is still debating the unemployment bill which includes the extension of the tax credit that will permit the credit to be taken on loans closed through October.    Senate leadership is aware of the fact that there are many loans "in the pipeline" that could be ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=224 June 18, 2010--(MCT)--Allison Rinehart's best hope for saving her home isn't the massive federal effort to stem foreclosures. She's been denied, possibly in error, for that plan so she's banking on an alternative mortgage modification to keep her Charlotte townhouse. "This is the only thing my daughter and I have," said Rinehart, ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=223 From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, July 2010 var seg2=GetRSISegs(); document.write(''); if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV")>= 0) { document.write(''); document.write(''); } We live in challenging times. Unemployment remains high, and the U.S. lead in technology and science is ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=221  May 27, 2010--Social media is here to stay and everyone is using social networking sites such a Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If you’re worried about how to best use Twitter, propertyadguru.com’s offers the following tips for real estate agents who are looking to get the most out of Twitter. 1. Understand ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=220 Here's some good news for the struggling US housing market: Thanks to the European debt crisis, mortgage rates are at historic lows. The current average rate for a 30 year fixed loan is 4.87 percent, according to Bankrate.com. That's the lowest rate for the 30 years since Bankrate started keeping track ... http://homeselectteam.com/wordpress/?p=219