2013

At least the real estate industry has 2013 to look forward to.

Continuing foreclosures and an "overhang" in housing inventory will likely prolong the housing slump for several more years, said economists who spoke Friday during an annual meeting of the National Association of Real Estate Editors.

While home sales likely reached the bottom of the current cycle last year, home values in many markets are still in decline, said Stan Humphries, chief economist for online real estate search and information company Zillow.

Get Ready, Hurricane Season is Fast Approaching

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  Hurricanes: Protect Your Windows and Doors

  Improvements that protect your windows and doors from hurricanes can lessen damage and lower homeowners insurance premiums. Read
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  Is the Cost of Hurricane Insurance Worth It?

  You need to decide whether the cost of hurricane insurance is worth it to you long before storm clouds appear on the horizon. Read
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  Create a Home Inventory for Insurance

  Create a home inventory before disaster strikes to make filing an insurance claim a smoother process. Read
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  Create a Home Emergency Preparedness Kit

  Having a home emergency preparedness kit could be the key to your family’s safety if disaster strikes. Read
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  Portable Generators: Backup Power at a Lower Cost

  A lower-priced alternative to standby generators, portable generators can keep power running in an emergency, as long as you don’t mind a few inconveniences. Read

Mortgage Rates Hit Yearly Low

U.S. borrowers can get the cheapest mortgages this year, thanks to worries over European debt, and that could keep homebuyers active even after the expiration of a tax credit designed to lift sales.

Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level of the year this week as yields on U.S. government securities fell, Freddie Mac said Thursday. Fixed mortgage rates tend to follow the yield of 10-year Treasury notes.

Are you the reason your home won't sell?

Many home sellers are losing money -- precisely because they're determined not to lose money. So why won't your home sell?

One reason homes are languishing on the market is that owners are suffering from “sunk cost fallacy,” says Ohio State University economist John Kagel.

This fallacy describes the reluctance people have to sell for less than they paid or put into a home, even when hanging on and waiting for the right price will ultimately prove costly.

Risk of real estate price declines drops

Inman News is reporting that the risk of home-price declines in 93 percent of 384 markets tracked at year end 2009 by analysts PMI Mortgage Insurance, Co. decreased.

Affordability and declining foreclosure starts were responsible for the dramatic decrease in the overall risk of price declines according to PMI.  In addition to affordability, lower home prices, lower mortgage interest rates and increasing personal income contributed to the risk reduction.

PMI stated it expects risk scores to continue to fall due to slowing (lower) unemployment rates 1st quarter 2010 and onward.  This should prove to be "important new force in reducing the risk of lower prices."  "House prices have dropped sharply relative to incomes in most areas suggesting that prices have fully, or more than fully, adjusted for their unsustainable increases during the housing boom," PMI Chief Economist David Berson said in a statement accompanying the report.

First Housing Price Increase in 3 Years!

Nationally, home prices increased in February 2010 for the first time since 2006. Part of the increase can be attributed to the tax credits to homebuyers and pent up demand.

The Case-Shiller home price index, released on Tuesday, revealed a tight 0.6 percent gain.  Of the 20 cities tracked by the index, 11 showed continued declines.  The South Florida Metropolitan Area (Miami-Fort Lauderdale) saw a decline of a bit less than 0.4 percent.  This indicates that there are still bargain properties available.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  The South Florida market typically trails the California markets by about a year.  The three California markets

What to Do If a Contractor Puts a Lien on Your House

Here’s a scary thought: Imagine you’ve just completed a home improvement project and paid the contractor in full for the work. Next thing you know, one of his subcontractors puts a lien on your house—a legal claim against your property that could force your house into foreclosure within a year to pay the debt if you don’t write a check yourself. Turns out the general contractor skipped out without paying the subcontractor, who’s now trying to collect his bill from you. The general contractor can also file a so-called “mechanic’s lien” if you haven’t paid him, even if you’re unhappy with his work.

 

What to do if this happens to you

 

A contractor will usually warn you before he files the lien and it’s worthwhile to either pay the bill (if he’s right that you owe it), negotiate a settlement (if there’s truth in both sides’ claims), or try to work it out somehow before he files the lien. If you can’t, and he drops a mechanic’s lien on you, here’s how to respond—and how to protect yourself from ever receiving one to begin with: