Real Estate Consumer News » Special Posts

Majority of Housing Discrimination Complaints are filed based on disability

Dennis Norman — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:51:01 +0000

Over forty years ago Congress passed Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 known as "The Fair Housing Act". This act prohibits discrimination in public and private housing markets that is based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or familial status. At that time, the most common type of discrimination in housing was based upon race or color. Today, according to a recent report by HUD, the majority of housing discrimination complaints filed are based on disability discrimination. [...] Related posts:

Helpful Spring Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

Gerry Loesch — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:26:30 +0000

Spring Maintenance It is that time of year again. Here are a few things to remember:

Clean debris from the gutters and downspouts. Re-establish good slope and secure anygutters that may have sagged from ice and snow. Caulk any joints that leak. The maincause of moisture in basements is poor drainage (e.g. gutter, downspout [...] Related posts:

Survey shows 8 in 10 people still say home ownership is a good investment

Robert Fishel — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:56:22 +0000

In a presentation given at the International Builders Show, Jill Waage, Editorial Director for Home Content for Better Homes and Gardens revealed survey results about consumer attitudes towards home ownership, upkeep and renovations, design and personalization, and more. A primary point revealed in the presentation shows that, despite continuing economic uncertainty, consumer thoughts toward home ownership remain strong with 8 in 10 saying home ownership is still a good investment and an important part of the American Dream. [...] Related posts:

Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest Mortgage Servicers to Address Mortgage Loan Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses

News Desk — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:33:02 +0000

$25 Billion Agreement Provides Homeowner Relief & New Protections, Stops Abuses

WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Colorado Attorney General John W. Suthers announced today that the federal government and 49 state attorneys general have reached a landmark [...] Related posts:

Real estate markets to watch in 2012

Dennis Norman — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:54:31 +0000

Where will the "Hot" real estate markets be in 2012? What would be the best cities to buy real estate in? Boy, wouldn't we all love to know the answers to those questions! Considering this is, by far, the worst, and longest lasting, downturn in the real estate market I have seen in my 33 years in the biz, and, last week, Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS, called this a "very strange" market since the market was not reacting to low interest rates and high affordability, I think it is tough for anyone to predict what is going to happen. Having said that, Inman News came out with a list of 10 markets to watch in 2012 that they feel are showing "signs of strength" in areas including price-appreciation, jobs and a high rate of sales to population. Below you will find the list and, beneath that, you will find some charts on some of those markets I put together to show what the markets are like as well as some charts for some cities I think are worth watching that are not on Inman's top 10 list. [...] Related posts:

What are the hot spots in the U.S. attracting home buyers?

Dennis Norman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:32:55 +0000

Well, I guess my wife and kids aren't the only people that want to move to Florida! According to a report released by Trulia, house hunters from all over the country are searching for homes in Florida. In fact, of the top 10 metro areas where demand among online house hunters is strongest, seven are located in Florida! Florida also, according to the report, leads the list of states existing residents don't want to leave as well with many times more people from outside of Florida searching for homes in Florida than searches outside the state by people living in Florida. The metro in the number 1 slot is Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida with 8.8 times more "inbound" property searches than "outbound" property searches. Wow! [...] Related posts:

Houses and the human body have a lot of similarities

Gerry Loesch — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:12:14 +0000

Have you ever thought about the similarities between houses and the human body? For example as our bodies age, things are not quite as straight, square and firm as they once were in our younger years. At one time I had a 44 inch chest and now with age it seems that chest dimension is closer to my waist line. In most cases, this aging in homes translates into floors not being totally level and windows and doors being skewed slightly or not latching. While this may create slight operational issues these conditions are quite common in older homes, some more so than others depending on the age, floor plan, design etc. While one could, in theory go through and re-level the floors, in my opinion in most cases this would be an unnecessary expense and cause additional problems. Quite frankly many look at these conditions as part of the “character” and “charm” of an older home. [...] Related posts:

Austin, Texas, Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud and Identity Theft in Connection with Nationwide Foreclosure-rescue Scheme

News Desk — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:00:51 +0000

An Austin, Texas, man pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Texas for his role in operating a foreclosure-rescue scam in Southern California and elsewhere that charged distressed homeowners fees in exchange for fraudulently postponing foreclosure sales. [...] Related posts:

SEC Halts Father-Son Ponzi Scheme in Utah Involving Purported Real Estate Investments

News Desk — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 03:49:55 +0000

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a father and son in Utah with securities fraud for selling purported investments in their real estate business that turned out to be nothing more than a wide-scale $220 million Ponzi scheme. [...] Related posts:

California Number 1 in Mortgage Fraud Ranking

Dennis Norman — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:22:42 +0000

The Mortgage Fraud Index from MortgageDaily.com has California at the top of the list for mortgage fraud activity during the third quarter of 2011. The mortgage fraud index for third quarter was at 1173, down almost seven percent from the prior quarter when the index was at 1261, but up over 16 percent from a year ago when the index was at 1007. [...] Related posts: