Why Americans Move – or Don’t
Although the majority of Americans have moved to a new community at least once in their lives, nearly four in 10 have never left the place they were born, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.People who move usually do so to pursue economic opportunity, while people who have never moved say [...]
Predictions for Next Year’s Housing Market
As the year draws to a close, several online real estate information sources have released their predictions for the housing market in 2009. HGTV’s Frontdoor.com says 2009 will bring additional adjustments in home values and buyer expectations. The real estate listing service also predicts that homeowners will receive some assistance from the federal government to [...]
As more foreclosed properties flood the marketplace, many potential homebuyers aren’t sold on the idea of owning one. A new Harris Interactive study commissioned by Trulia and RealtyTrac, finds that only 47 percent of U.S. adults surveyed would consider buying a foreclosed home, down from 54 percent of respondents surveyed in April 2008. A majority [...]
U.S. Homes May Lose $2 Trillion in Value This Year
U.S. homeowners will likely lose more than $2 trillion in home value during 2008, according to a report released this week by Zillow.com.Home values have dropped 8.4 percent year-over-year during the first three quarters of 2008 compared to the same period last year, and at the end of the third quarter one in seven homeowners [...]
Russia Wharf Considering Reducing Residences
After unsuccessfully trying to sell the residential portion of the development known as Russia Wharf, executives at Boston Properties Inc. are now examining reducing the number of residences to 65 from 215. Boston Properties declined to comment on any changes that may be under consideration. But one real estate source with knowledge of the plan [...]
Foreclosure Activity Decreases in November
Foreclosure activity decreased 7 percent in November from the previous month, but was still 28 percent higher than November 2007, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosure properties. Foreclosure filings — which include default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — were reported on 259,085 properties for the month, [...]
‘Extreme Makeover’ Winners Face Foreclosure
One of the most-watched winners on ABC-TV’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is about to undergo foreclosure. The Nov. 6, 2004, show, which set an “Extreme Makeover” ratings record, featured Judy and Larry Vardon, who are both deaf. The show remodeled their home to accommodate their blind, autistic son Vance, now 16 years old. The Vardons [...]
Hawaii Seller Offers $100,000 Buyer Finder Fee
A Hawaii couple is offering a $100,000 bounty to whomever brings them a full-price buyer, but real estate practitioners aren’t eligible. David Bangert and Linda Harris of Kailua listed their properties five months ago with no luck. One of the properties is 2,500-square-foot, four-bedroom home on a 35,000-square-foot ocean-front lot in the Windward Oahu community [...]
Are Some Owners Purposefully Falling Behind?
Housing experts are growing increasingly alarmed that programs to bail out troubled home owners might have the unintended consequence of encouraging people to miss mortgage payments in order to qualify for easier loan terms. Such initiatives typically require that borrowers be 60 to 90 days late on payments to get a mortgage reworked. In an [...]
One Marina Park Drive Topped Off
Construction of One Marina Park Drive hit an important milestone Wednesday: the topping off. A topping off ceremony is usually held to put the last steel beam in place. Due to wind gusts, developer Joseph Fallon held off hoisting the beam but celebrated the milestone nonetheless. The 525,000-square-foot office and retail building under way on [...]
