January 2011

Does It Make Sense To Buy a Home?

January 31, 2011

The financial turmoil we have experienced over the last five years has definitely taken it’s toll. It has especially been a difficult time for real estate. Nationally, values have fallen over 25% and there may be more softening in prices to come. We realize that this has caused difficulty, and in some cases, heartbreak for [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Where Are Housing Prices Headed?

January 28, 2011

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has been reporting great news recently. Last week’s Existing Home Sales Report and yesterday’s Pending Sales Report both showed consecutive months of increases in the number of homes sold. Finally, buyers are jumping off the fence and taking advantage of one of the most opportune times to purchase a [...]

Share
Read the full article →

What The Crystal Ball Says About Rates

January 27, 2011

Predicting what will happen with interest rates is risky for a person’s credibility.  Last year at this time, I (and the KCM Crew) believed rates would climb after June and for very logical reasons: the end of the Fed’s purchase of mortgage-backed-securities (MBS) and the end of the Tax Credit. What we didn’t anticipate was [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Does Health Care Bill Contain 3.8% Home Sales Tax?

January 26, 2011

As the states and the new Congress renew the debate about the Administration’s Health Care Bill, we are again getting many questions about a possible 3.8% tax on home sales that some claim is in the bill. To answer these questions, we have decided to re-run a blog post we did last year. – The KCM [...]

Share
Read the full article →

The Real American Idol – HOMEOWNERSHIP!

January 25, 2011

Simon Cowell would have to be considered congenial compared to the critics of real estate in the last few years. But like the popular TV show, where the ultimate winner is not chosen by a select few but instead by the vote of the nation, homeownership again has proven to be the choice of the people. [...]

Share
Read the full article →

Distressed Inventory to Step Out of the Shadows

January 24, 2011

We are beginning 2011 with much more positive news about real estate than we have had in several years. The pending sales numbers (houses going into contract) have been climbing for several months. Last month’s Existing Homes Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors showed an increase of over 12%. Demand definitely seems to [...]

Share
Read the full article →

← Previous Entries