Lori Blank

01

Oct

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Around The Home

How To Interview An Architect When Building A New Home

Making the decision to build a home might be one of the biggest you make in your life. You've found the perfect plot of land and have a vision of what type of home you want, but you need someone to bring your dream to life. That means it's time to start interviewing architects. Hiring an architect isn't as simple as just calling up a few and seeing who might have the time. You'll want to ensure you choose a professional that understands your design aesthetic, communicates well, can design on budget and has an upstanding reputation. Below are a…

30

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Housing Analysis

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week-September 30, 2013

Last week brought a variety of housing related news. Highlights included the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for July, which showed a 12.40 percent year-over-year increase in national home prices. This was up from 12.10 percent in June. The FHFA Housing Price Index reading traces home prices on properties securing mortgages owned or backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The year-over-year reading for July showed an increase of 8.80 percent as compared to a year-over-year reading of 7.80 percent in June. Rising mortgage rates and rising home prices have caused some buyers to leave the market, while others are jumping…

27

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Around The Home

Before And After Tips When Dealing With A Disaster

Weather patterns across the United States seem to be getting more and more erratic. From tornadoes and earthquakes to flash floods and wild fires, there are many natural disasters that can quickly consume your home without warning. Because you never know when disaster might strike, it’s best to be prepared. Disaster insurance is the only precaution you can put in place to ensure compensation for your belongings and get your life back to normal as soon as possible. Below are the tips to take before misfortune strikes. Create An Inventory Most insurance agencies prefer if you include photographs of every…

26

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Home Buyer Tips

4 Quick Tips On Becoming A Young Real Estate Investor

Investing in property at a young age seems like a bit of a daunting prospect sometimes. Most young people don't have a lot of disposable income, often have poor credit and perhaps even student loans. When you are in your early 20s, you are not likely thinking about investing in property and are probably focusing on other things. However, investing in property at a young age can bring you a lot of advantages. It requires a different approach and style and you might be the only one of your peers who is doing so, but you will definitely reap the benefits…

25

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Housing Analysis

Case Shiller Price Index Shows An Annual Growth Rate Of Home Prices

Home prices were still gaining in July, but for 15 of 20 cities included the S&P Case-Shiller 10 and 20-city Home Price Indices, the pace of increasing home prices is slowing down. National home prices rose by 1.80 percent in July as compared to 2.20 percent in June. Home prices grew by 0.60 percent from June to July on a seasonally-adjusted basis. This was the lowest month-to-month gain since September 2012. David Blitzer, index committee chairman of S&P Dow Jones Indices, said that higher mortgage rates are hitting the housing market. Mr. Blitzer noted that mortgage rates rose by more…

24

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Housing Analysis

Highest Existing Home Sales Since February 2007

Sales of existing homes reached their highest volume in almost six years in August. The National Association of REALTORS reported Thursday that sales of existing homes rose 1.70 percent in August to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.48 million existing homes sold. This was the highest number of existing home sales since February of 2007. August's results exceeded estimates of 5.20 existing homes sold, which was based on July's unrevised reading of 5.39 million existing homes sold. The NAR also reported that the national median home price increased to $212,100 in August. This represents a year-over-year increase of 14.70 percent…

23

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Housing Analysis

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week — September 23, 2013

Last week's economic news was dominated by the Federal Reserve's decision not to taper its $85 billion in monthly securities purchases. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke noted in a scheduled statement after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting that economic conditions were not yet adequately improved to withstand any decrease in the federal quantitative easing program. The Fed also reaffirmed that the target federal funds rate would remain at 0.00 to 0.25 percent until the national unemployment rate reached 6.50 percent and inflation reaches 2.00 percent. The national unemployment rate was 7.30 percent and the Fed projects that inflation will remain…

20

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Home Buyer Tips

Quick Tips To Beat Out Cash Buyers

You've been searching for the perfect home for quite a while, and finally, you've found it! You get all of your finances in order and place an offer on the house. However, you're not the only one that loves the home, because there are multiple offers — and one of them is cash. Cash buyers are seen as desirable because they're almost always a guaranteed quick close. They don't have to borrow money from a bank therefore won't have any financing hang-ups, which is where a large portion of offers fall through. Don't worry; not all hope is lost. Follow…

19

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Home Buyer Tips

Tips For Buying A Home That Your Pets Will Love

When you are buying a new home, it is important to take into consideration the four-legged residents that will be living there, as well as the two-legged ones. What things should you keep in mind if you are house hunting and you own a pet? Layout Of The House When you are looking at the house layout, think about how it will accommodate your pet. If you have an old dog that can't climb stairs very well, look for a home that is mostly one level. Cats like to have little alcoves and quiet spaces where they can hide away.…

18

Sep

By Lori Blank

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Housing Analysis

Home Builder Confidence Has Far Outpaced Actual Home Construction

Home builder confidence was unchanged for September according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index HMI released Tuesday. After four months of rising confidence, September's HMI reading came in at 58, which was not far from expectations of a reading of 59. August's reading of 58 was revised from 59. Readings over 50 indicate that more builders view housing market conditions as being positive than negative. Housing Market Index Readings Rise Components of September's HMI include readings for home builder views of current market conditions, which maintained August's reading of 62. The September reading for buyer…