On April 5th, FHA mortgage insurance premiums increased.  The increase is a full half percentage point, from 1.75% to 2.25%.  This is a $500 upfront increase for every $100,000 borrowed.  For a buyer borrowing $300,000, this means an upfront mortgage insurance premium of $6750, instead of the $5250 previously charged.  The good news is that [...]

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Back in early 2006, National City Corp. and IHS Global Insight compiled a report of over-valued real estate by city.  The report, at the peak of the real estate bubble, purported to show the most over-valued cities ranked.  The report listed 213 cities as over-valued, and the top city was Naples, FL, with 84% of [...]

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The NAR, National Association of Realtors, has reported that home sales in January of 2010 involved 26% all cash transactions, up from 18% a year earlier.  This is a logical situation, as investors are returning to the market to pick up bargains from foreclosure or short sales.

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In the last couple months, President Obama has been busy with a lot of things, and some personal appearances and speeches around the country.  It seems that a lot of government's focus is still on how to alleviate the housing and mortgage crisis, especially since foreclosures continue to plague lenders in all areas of the [...]

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  Whether a first-time home buyer, moving up in size, or even down sizing, there's a "perfect storm" of home buying opportunity right now. If a current home must be sold, it can be a drawback, but for those who are renting, a search through history really cannot turn up a better set of circumstances for [...]

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