Lady Luck Lounges on A Red Couch
By Ylan Q. Mui, Washington Post Staff Writer, August 8, 2009
Real estate agents have long chanted the mantra “location, location, location.” But sometimes more mystical forces are called on to help close a deal. Witness the power of the lucky number. READ MORE
New Appraisal Rules Backfire in Down Market
By Jack Guttentag, www.washingtonpost.com,August 1, 2009
Enacting rules to curb abuses that arose during a housing bubble, but which don’t take effect until the succeeding financial crisis, can easily do more harm than good. This is the case with new rules requiring that property appraisals be insulated from pressures exerted by any of the parties with a financial interest in an appraised value. Those parties are primarily lenders, mortgage brokers and real estate agents. READ MORE
Why Your House Isn’t Selling
By Ilyce R. Glink with Samuel J. Tamkin, www.washingtonpost.com August 1, 2009
The spring selling season — such as it was — has quickly faded away. Homeowners who want to sell are now pinning their hopes on the third quarter of 2009. With a strong buyer’s market in place, many sellers are bound to be disappointed as buyers skip over their homes for others nearby. Why does a house not sell? READ MORE
Maximum-Security Landscaping
By Joel M. Lerner, www.washingtonpost.com, August 1, 2009
Personal security is always on our minds, especially at home. We double-lock our doors, arm our homes with security systems and motion-sensor lights, and even install bars on our windows. But not many of us think about landscape design as a way to protect our homes from intruders. READ MORE
Showing Your Cards Early
By Elizabeth Razzi,www.washingtonpost.com,August 1, 2009
Home buyers in much of the Washington area had better be prepared to tell the sellers what their salaries are and how much cash they have in the bank. And they will be expected to lay bare such financial details before they even learn whether the seller is seriously considering the offer, and long before a final price has been negotiated. READ MORE
Average 30-Year-Mortage Rates Hit Six-Week Low at 5.2 Percent
www.washingtonpost.com, July 11, 2009
Average rates for 30-year mortgages fell for the second consecutive week to the lowest level in six weeks but remained above record lows reached earlier this year, Freddie Mac said Thursday READ MORE
Coming Up Short, More And More
By Renae Merle, Washington Post Staff Writer, July 11, 2009
More than two years into the housing crisis, lenders are beginning to allow more troubled homeowners to unload their homes for less than they owe. The practice, known as a short sale, is gaining popularity as an alternative to foreclosure, but it remains a difficult and lengthy task to pull off because the lender bears the brunt of the loss. READ MORE
For Sale, Still: Grand Homes In Gracious Neighborhoods
Dina ElBoghdady, Washington Post Staff Writer, June 27, 2009
When Natalie deWolf and her husband listed their District home for about $1.2 million in April, they were competing with roughly 25 similarly priced houses in their Chevy Chase neighborhood. READ MORE
As Mortgage Rates Move, Headaches Follow
Jonathan Starkey, www.washingtonpost.com,Saturday, June 20, 2009
When Jennifer and Sam Lam put a contract in on a home in late April, they had timed the deal perfectly, with mortgage rates hovering under 5 percent. After an inspection revealed structural problems, it took the couple only a few weeks to find another place — this one a three-bedroom, 2 1/2 -bath Capitol Hill rowhouse with a basement rental. READ MORE
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Jeff Gaffney,
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Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate III
