Daily Real Estate News | March 24, 2011 What Is a 'Safe' Mortgage? Later this month, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will consider new rules that define what a safe or “qualified” residential mortgage is as part of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law. Experts say the classification will likely have broad sweeping effects on the mortgage market.. The Dodd-Frank financial overhaul … [Read more...]

Daily Real Estate News  | March 15, 201What Buyers Want in Homes Today Buyers have a long list of what they want when home shopping, but one of their biggest desires: A good deal. "And no matter where a seller prices their property, they're looking to negotiate," says Patricia Szot, president of the MetroTex Association of REALTORS®. But that’s not all they want. Bankrate.com recently … [Read more...]

By JUNE FLETCHER Q. I have been thinking about downsizing my home to save money. But I'm wondering if that's smart from an investment standpoint. Will a smaller house hold its value as well as a larger one? --Montclair, N.J. A. If the small house is in the same general vicinity as the larger one, probably not. That's because, all other things being equal, people will almost always … [Read more...]

  Effective March 11, 2011, the new Masschusett's Homestead Act went into affect.  The new Massachusetts Homestead Booklet is available here; see link at the end of this posting. On December 16, 2010, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a series of important amendments to the Homestead Act (Mass. General Laws, Ch. 188) that current and future homeowners should know about.  These … [Read more...]

Daily Real Estate News  |  March 17, 2011  |    Share Gen X Buyers to Lead Housing Recovery Generation X — adults ages 31 to 45 — are expected to lead the recovery in the housing market, according to real estate experts in a recent webinar produced by the National Association of Home Builders. During the event, speakers highlighted results of a survey of 10,000 buyers in 27 metro areas. While … [Read more...]