Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 20. Aug, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

Some slowdowns are good.  DJ Shamantis created an internet hit this week with “U Smile 800 Percent Slower.” A rendition of pop star Justin Bieber’s hit played eight times slower. Give it a full listen if you have 35 minutes to spare. What is speeding up:  The rate of new mortgage applications, quickening 13 percent [...]

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Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 13. Aug, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

Social media’s power in capturing the public’s imagination was in full display again this week when a Jet Blue flight attendant quit his job after he “hurled obscenities at passengers over the airliner’s PA system, then deployed the inflatable emergency chute, slid down and fled.”  He instantly became an Internet sensation, spawning a Facebook page [...]

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Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 30. Jul, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

There was a lot to digest this week, and I’m not just talking about the half-size “Super Sub” President Obama ordered in Edison, New Jersey as part of his tour supporting a small business plan. Food for thought in our industry came in the form of mortgage-to-income ratios at the lowest in more than 30 [...]

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Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 28. May, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

With Memorial Day this weekend, the perfect storm is setting in for the summer home buying season. Riding the tails of a 7.6% increase in sales of existing homes in April, agents need to take advantage of the season and help sellers spruce up their outdoor areas and to communicate with buyers on what an [...]

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Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 07. May, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

Of course, last Friday was the long anticipated deadline of the home buyer tax credits. While it did cause last minute deals to hurry in and reportedly boosted monthly sales 5.3 percent in March, the results were far less significant than many anticipated. We think this is good news, as it shows the tax credit [...]

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Taking Suggestions

Posted on 16. Apr, 2010 by Rick Gregory.

The White House wants our input on how to overhaul the nation’s $11-Trillion mortgage market. Through the Office of the Federal Register, the administration will be asking the public to provide comments to questions regarding the futures of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the broader U.S. housing-finance system.

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Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 12. Feb, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

This week officially kicks off the beginning of real estate season or, as I like to say, the Real Estate New Year. The 2.9 percent increase over December on new “For Sale” homes in January certainly will help the market get off to a great start. I wish everyone a Happy Real Estate New Year [...]

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Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 05. Feb, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

We had a mixed bag of news this week. Do you want the good news or bad news first? A storm cloud hung over the many homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages who are paying as much as 25 percent more than homeowners with similar loans. Additionally, new research suggests that a large group of distressed homeowners [...]

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Part 2 – “As the Early Signs of Recovery Emerge, Don’t Pop-the-Cork Just Yet!”

Posted on 23. Jun, 2009 by Robert Albanese.

Selling through the current economic “Yin-yang”
(The coherent fabric of nature and mind, exhibited in all existence)

The Yang

It is interesting how there always seem to be two sides to every economic rebound. One recent effect of increased real estate market activity is a gradual increase in long-term mortgage interest rates. After bottoming out this past March in the vicinity of 4.5% for a 30-year fixed loan, the current and still historically low rate of 5.5% seems inflated to increasingly price-sensitive consumers. As a result, homes sales and refinancing are being impacted, albeit only slightly.

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What Keeps You Up at Night?

Posted on 09. Sep, 2008 by Nicolai Kolding.

Photo by JOE M500/Flickr.com Posted by Nicolai Kolding I’m an insomniac.  That hardly makes me unique around here – it’s a bit of a running joke in our halls as we see each other in the morning:  “So, how many times did you wake up last night?!”  On many nights there are just too many [...]

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Fannie and Freddie – The Shoes Keep Dropping…

Posted on 08. Sep, 2008 by Sherry Chris.

Posted by Sherry Chris In a meeting this morning, Alex Perriello eloquently stated, “I feel like I am in Imelda Marcos’ closet – the shoes just keep dropping.” What he was referring to of course was the breaking news yesterday morning that the federal government had taken over control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, [...]

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