December 2006
Monthly Archive
28 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Mortgage rate survey and analysis
Bankrate's weekly survey of large lenders tells you where mortgage rates are, and our analysis hints at where they're headed.
27 Dec 2006 03:11 pm
Dow Hits New High as Sales of New Homes Pick Up
Sales of new homes jumped last month after a big drop in October, helping push the Dow above 12,500.
27 Dec 2006 02:24 pm
Square Feet: A SoHo for the South Boston Waterfront
Developers in Boston see a bright future for Fort Point, a dingy old warehouse district.
27 Dec 2006 11:49 am
Sales of New Homes Rise in November
WASHINGTON -- Sales of new homes rose in November while the backlog of unsold homes fell for a fourth straight month, providing hope that the serious slump in housing could be ending.
27 Dec 2006 11:13 am
New Home Sales Up on Low Long-Term Rates
New home sales were stronger in November than they were in October due to low long-term rates. What will the New Year hold for housing sales?
27 Dec 2006 10:09 am
Holidays Ease Mortgage Activity Despite Low Rates
Even though long-term rates are still very low, the holiday season caused a slow-down in mortgage activity last week. Will long-term rates rise and will mortgage applications continue to be strong for the New Year?
26 Dec 2006 05:50 pm
Home Away: The Vacation-Home Swap
Second-home exchanges are hardly a new concept, but they?re gaining momentum and can offer great rewards.
26 Dec 2006 05:49 pm
Property Values: What You Get for …$1.5 Million
Homes on the market in Naples, Fla., Grand Lake, Colo., and Sedona, Ariz.
23 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Condos Where Joiners Get Their Wish
Just a few years ago, the abandoned office building on Eastern Avenue in Silver Spring was a bleak eyesore occupied occasionally by homeless people. Debris and weeds filled its parking lot.
23 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Home sales dip in the winter, especially during the holiday season. But they don't stop, as Ray Hrabec has learned over the years.
23 Dec 2006 12:00 am
My 2007 Wish List: An Intercounty Connector, a Purple Line . . .
With the year-end holidays upon us, it seems appropriate to make a wish list for 2007.
23 Dec 2006 12:00 am
30-Year Rates Creep Up to 6.13%
Rates on 30-year mortgages, after sinking for a month, crept up for the second week in a row.
23 Dec 2006 12:00 am
A Holiday Rush On Refinancings
You may be thinking about the holidays, but thousands of your fellow homeowners have been thinking about refinancing, rate reductions, cash-outs and money-saving debt consolidations.
23 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Odds and Ends on Flora and Fauna
You can think of this potpourri of gardening trivia as a collection of stocking stuffers:
23 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Getting Help With a Foreclosure
Q: DEAR BOB: Due to illness and unemployment, we have fallen two months behind on our mortgage payments. My husband is now back at work and I've taken a part-time job to help with the bills.
22 Dec 2006 01:01 pm
Finding the Down Payment for Your Investment Property
Investing in real estate property is a good way to increase your cash flow. But where do you come up with the money to finance the purchase?
20 Dec 2006 02:35 pm
Long-Term Rates Remain Low; Mortgage Activity Lightened
Though long-term rates continue to stay low, the number of mortgage applications has slipped somewhat. Could the holidays be affecting the market or is this a sign of things to come?
19 Dec 2006 09:54 am
Long-Term Mortgage Rates Trigger Housing Starts Increase
Lower long-term interest rates are spurring an increase in new housing construction. Will this increase hold for 2007? And what does this mean for the housing industry?
16 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Each week, in addition to writing my Real Estate Mailbag advice column, I read and review at least one new real estate book. At the end of each year, I select the best of those 52.
16 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Leafy Spaces And Growing Family Trees
Residents of Ashton Heights can walk to schools, Metro, and the busy restaurants and stores of Clarendon and Ballston, then retreat to their quiet neighborhood where towering oaks shade vintage houses and wide front porches.
16 Dec 2006 12:00 am
30-Year Mortgage Rate Ticks Up
Rates on 30-year mortgages, after falling steadily for a month, edged up slightly this week but still remained well below the levels of a year ago.
16 Dec 2006 12:00 am
It’s a Good Time to Look Into Refinancing
Q: Last week's Real Estate section reported that mortgage rates around the country fell, "with rates on 30-year mortgages dipping to the second-lowest level of the year, pushed down by further signs of economic weakness."
16 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Keep Watch on Exotic Plants, Welcome or Not
Nonnative plants that have been introduced to the region might seem as if they belong here because they have thrived for many years, but they aren't what nature intended.
16 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Home buyers and refinancers face higher fees for credit reports beginning Jan. 1, a price boost that has mortgage, credit industry and consumer group leaders fuming.
16 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Q: DEAR BOB: My mother died in 1988 and dad passed away this year. The house was, and still is, in my late mother's name. All dad did after mom's passing was continue to pay the property taxes on the house. A couple of children belong to dad only from a prior marriage.
15 Dec 2006 10:49 am
What Are Seller Concessions or Contributions?
Whether you're a first-time home buyer or you've gone through the process of moving and buying a home, you may not know that there are ways you can reduce your expenses and close your home loan with less money out-of-pocket.
13 Dec 2006 10:26 am
Mortgage Applications Surge on Low Interest Rates
Long-term rates continue to stay low, causing homeowners and home buyers to continue choosing long-term fixed rate mortgages over adjustable rate mortgages. Housing is in a very good position for folks these days.
13 Dec 2006 09:15 am
Choose your new property wisely, and you'll be living in your dream home. Buy a real estate lemon, and you could wind up making lemonade in a place you hate.
12 Dec 2006 02:53 pm
Fed Holds Rates; Refinance Boom Expected to Continue
The Federal Reserve has once again decided to keep short-term rates at their current levels. This is good news for folks with short-term mortgages with adjustable rates.
09 Dec 2006 12:00 am
A Divine Landscape, Revered by Residents
Cloverly owes much of its spacious and quiet character to a speckled brown fish.