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Are Green Homes Always Better? Depends on Location
Tweet Share on Facebook December 13, 2011 Comment (1)You have the latest "green" appliances, energy-efficient windows, and a cutting-edge heating and cooling system. But if you live in the suburbs and commute to work every day, all those eco-friendly bells and whistles might not matter.
Take a look at the chart above. The average suburban household consumes 240 million BTU per year living in a 2,000-square-foot home, according to recent research. The average urban household consumes a fraction of that at 89 million BTU per year. Energy consumption goes even lower among urban multifamily households.
But contrary to what you might think, upgrading your appliances and buying a Prius doesn't really solve the problem of inefficient energy use in the suburbs. You'd still consume more energy overall than an average urban family.
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Fewer Foreclosures, But No Relief for the Housing Market
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2011 Comment (1)Things aren't getting any better for the housing market, but at least they aren't getting any worse.
Realtors sold fewer distressed homes in October, according to a new report, and the overall inventory of foreclosures on the market has been shrinking, easing downward pressure on home prices. Sales of foreclosed homes and short sales fell to 28 percent of all sales in October, according to the latest Realtors Confidence Index survey, down from 30 percent in October and a high of nearly 50 percent in March 2009.
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As HARP 2.0 Heats Up, Beware of Fraud
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2011 Comment (2)If you're a stressed-out homeowner facing delinquency notices, foreclosure, and eviction, you might be looking for someone or something to make it all go away.
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Down Payments: What Are Buyers Really Paying?
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2011 CommentWe've all heard banks have upped the ante when it comes to borrowers' credit scores and making sure would-be homebuyers have enough "skin in the game."
But what are Americans really putting down to buy a home these days? According to a new LendingTree study, it might be less than you think.
[Read: Let It Snow: Housing Market Heats Up.]
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Could Real Estate Investors Ruin America's Communities?
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2011 Comment (3)The good news? People are buying more government- and bank-owned properties, which should help soak up the nation's excess inventory of homes for sale.
The (arguably) not-so-good news? An increasing number of those buyers are investors, not average Americans, according to a study by New Vista Asset Management. That has many people concerned that a flood of real estate investors to hard-hit markets could change the face and personality of neighborhoods and ultimately drive down home values.
"We are troubled by the significant drop in owner-occupant purchase of REO properties in these hard-hit markets," Kevin Stein of the California Reinvestment Coalition said in a statement. "The increased investor acquisition of REOs is reversing the years of community development progress that nonprofits have facilitated throughout California."
[Read: Let It Snow: Housing Market Heats Up.]
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Super Bowl Fans: Are You Ready For Some...Real Estate?
Tweet Share on Facebook December 7, 2011 CommentUnless you're talking about the mega-mansions of sports stars, it's not often you hear football and real estate in the same sentence.
But that's about to change. National real-estate firm CENTURY 21 plans to run their first 30-second spot during Super Bowl XLVI and will sponsor part of the pre-game show on NBC, a spokeswoman told U.S. News.
Although the company is staying mum on the specifics of the ad, it will "focus front and center on our agents," says Bev Thorne, CENTURY 21's chief marketing officer.
[Read: Let It Snow: Housing Market Heats Up.]
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President Obama Still On Top With Homeowners
Tweet Share on Facebook December 7, 2011 Comment (1)Obama is still on top when it comes to homeowners, a recent survey found.
When asked which presidential nominee they would vote for if the election were today, homeowners picked Obama over his GOP challengers with a wide margin, according to HomeGain's 4th Quarter Home Values survey.
A solid 41 percent of homeowners would vote for Barack Obama, the survey reported, compared with 25 percent for Mitt Romney; 16 percent for Herman Cain; 10 percent for Ron Paul; and 8 percent for Rick Perry.
[Read: Let It Snow: Housing Market Heats Up.]
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Let It Snow: Housing Market Heats Up
Tweet Share on Facebook December 7, 2011 Comment (1)Home buying usually goes into hibernation in the winter months, but according to a new report, the market might be shaking off December's chill. A new set of house keys under the Christmas tree, anyone?
Mortgage activity, which measures both refinancing and new applications, jumped almost 13 percent last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, as interest rates continued their downward march.
"Coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday, applications increased significantly as mortgage rates dropped to their lowest levels in about two months," Michael Fratantoni, MBA's vice president of research and economics, said in a statement.
[Read: Mortgage Rates Are Falling Again.]
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Occupy Movement: From Wall Street to Main Street
Tweet Share on Facebook December 6, 2011 Comment (4)What do you get when Occupy Wall Street-ers turn their ire on the housing and foreclosure crisis? The Occupy Our Homes movement, of course.
On Tuesday, Occupy Wall Street joins forces with housing activists in a National Day of Action to "stop and reverse foreclosures" according to the Occupy Our Homes web site.
Rallies—which will take place in more than 20 cities across the nation from Los Angeles to St. Louis to New York City—unify the efforts of organizations around the country to stop banks from repossessing homes and raise awareness about the devastating impacts of the foreclosure crisis. Protesters plan to protect families facing eviction by police and reclaim vacant bank-owned homes for families in need.
[Read: 'Occupy Wall Street' Tries to Harness Anger on the Left.]
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Staffer: Newt Noodling Over Housing Market Fix
Tweet Share on Facebook December 5, 2011 CommentNewly-christened GOP presidential race frontrunner Newt Gingrich may not a have a solid plan on how to fix the housing market now, but he's working on one, a campaign staffer said late Monday.
Gingrich, whose plan for economic revival glosses over the housing hurdle has been having discussions with a "hybrid of realtors, contractors, mortgage providers and the sort," says R.C. Hammond, spokesman for Gingrich. "[They are] going through and evaluating what they see is wrong with the current system and what they think would be helpful."
[Read: No Housing Plan From Newt.]
