Property Values
What You Get for ... $580,000
The living and dining area has concrete floors and views over White Rock Creek.
Friday, July 30, 2010
MSNBC Reports: Mortgage rates drop to New Record low
Mortgage rates set new low again
National average for a 30-year fixed loan is at 4.54 percent
Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level on record for the fifth time in six weeks, making homebuying and refinancing the most attractive in decades for those who can get loans.
Freddie Mac says the average rate for 30-year fixed loans this week was 4.54 percent, down from 4.56 last week. That's the lowest since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971. The last time home loan rates were lower was during the 1950s, when most mortgages lasted just 20 or 25 years.
The rate on the 15-year fixed loan dropped to 4 percent, down from 4.03 percent last week and the lowest on record.
Rates have fallen since the spring. Yields on U.S. Treasury bonds have dropped as jittery investors seek safer investments. Mortgage rates tend to track yields on Treasurys.
Click here for Full Article
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
MSNBC Real estate Video Report: Beware Of Co-Signing a Loan
Local Family wins "Living Like Mad Men" Competition -Washington post
With Silver Spring home, family wins Washington Post's Mad Men Look contest
By Elizabeth Razzi
Special to The Washington Post Saturday, July 24, 2010
"It's the first time in our lives we've been hip. And it came to us -- we didn't go to it," said Melissa Talley, 51, winner of The Post's Mad Men Look contest.
Clck here for full Article
Monday, July 26, 2010
NBC Washington Reports: More Help For Homeowners in Trouble
Homeowners Hope for Mortgage Help
Over the next week, many homeowners will be able to negotiate lower interest rates. Some may also be able to lower the principal on their homes.Click Here for Full Article
Thousands of struggling homeowners, hoping to get a break on their mortgage payments, started lining up outside the Washington Convention Center early Friday morning.
They were waiting for the start of the Save The Dream tour. The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America has brought together lenders, financial counselors and homeowners in danger of losing their houses.Over the next week, many homeowners will be able to negotiate lower interest rates. Some may also be able to lower the principal on their homes.Click Here for Full Article
Friday, July 23, 2010
HGTV's Bang for your Buck
About This Show
Click here for full episode
CNN Money Reports: Bankruptcy Instead of Foreclosure
Bankruptcy can save your house from foreclosure
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Slick TV commercials and online ads tell delinquent borrowers that they can save their homes by filing for personal bankruptcy. But is it true -- or just too good to be true?
True!
Bankruptcy can bring foreclosure proceedings to a halt, end harassment from debt collectors, and give borrowers time to make up missed payments and reorganize their finances. In some cases, bankruptcy can also help mortgage borrowers save their homes permanently.
Click here for full article
Friday, July 16, 2010
Fannie Mae to Hold Appraisers Accountable : Washington Post Reports
To boost quality, Fannie Mae calls for experienced appraisers
Picture this: You've signed a contract to sell your house. Your buyers say they have nailed down the right mortgage. All is well. But then the appraisal comes in low -- $25,000 to $50,000 under what was agreed upon in the contract.
The lender insists on cutting the mortgage amount to reflect the lower appraised value. You refuse to negotiate anywhere near the price indicated by the appraisal, and suddenly -- poof! The whole deal is off. You, the buyers and the agents involved are all left sputtering over the appraisal that scuttled the transaction.Click here for full Article
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Northrop Grumman Makes Its Choice
Corporate Giant Brings New offices to Falls ChurchAfter months and months of persuasion, flirtation and secrecy, aerospace giant Northrop Grumman has selected a site just inside the Beltway on Arlington Boulevard to plop its headquarters.
Faint hopes that the 300 high-rolling execs would move to a spot served by Metro turned out to be a pipe dream. The location is in the curl of a vast interchange but close to neither rail lines nor a community for the headquarters to serve.
It will be across the “street” from a Raytheon complex, though. Maybe they can have mixers.
Click Here for Full Article
Monday, July 12, 2010
NBC washington reports: Historic Georgetown mansion for sale
Home SWEET Home
Got a few million bucks to spare? Why not splurge on a mansion?
By ANDY SALSMAN
Realtors say this is the best time in years to buy a new house, so we thought we’d pass on details about a little abode in the Georgetown area.
Its views of the Potomac are stunning! And if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe its five bedrooms and nine full bathrooms will.
What’s the asking price, you ask? Well, you may want to sit down for that. Ready? It's going for $19.5 million.
Still interested?
Click here for full article
Got a few million bucks to spare? Why not splurge on a mansion?
By ANDY SALSMAN
Its views of the Potomac are stunning! And if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe its five bedrooms and nine full bathrooms will.
What’s the asking price, you ask? Well, you may want to sit down for that. Ready? It's going for $19.5 million.
Still interested?
Click here for full article
Are Energy Star Certifications on Appliances Legitimate?
U.S. agencies try to restore faith in Energy Star appliance testing
By Sonja Ryst
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 10, 2010
When you buy something with an Energy Star label on it, are you getting ripped off for trying to be green?
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy have been fighting to end such worries in recent months. They are taking steps to reassure consumers that the blue and white stamp really means what it says, namely that the product is highly energy-efficient, and they are revamping the way they certify products that bear the label.
This comes after the Government Accountability Office flayed the Energy Star certification process because manufacturers could exploit it. GAO investigators said in March that they set up Web sites, mailboxes and cellphones for four bogus manufacturing companies and then used that contact information on Energy Star commitment forms. The bogus companies received Energy Star partnership status within two weeks. When the GAO investigators filled out forms describing 20 bogus products, 15 qualified for Energy Star labels, including a gas-powered clock radio and a feather duster attached to a space heater.
Click Here for Full Article
By Sonja Ryst
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 10, 2010
When you buy something with an Energy Star label on it, are you getting ripped off for trying to be green?
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy have been fighting to end such worries in recent months. They are taking steps to reassure consumers that the blue and white stamp really means what it says, namely that the product is highly energy-efficient, and they are revamping the way they certify products that bear the label.
This comes after the Government Accountability Office flayed the Energy Star certification process because manufacturers could exploit it. GAO investigators said in March that they set up Web sites, mailboxes and cellphones for four bogus manufacturing companies and then used that contact information on Energy Star commitment forms. The bogus companies received Energy Star partnership status within two weeks. When the GAO investigators filled out forms describing 20 bogus products, 15 qualified for Energy Star labels, including a gas-powered clock radio and a feather duster attached to a space heater.
Click Here for Full Article
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Washington Business Journal Reports: Refinances are up?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 12:19pm EDT | Modified: Wednesday, July 7, 2010, 2:45pm
Mortgage refinancing jumps to highest in a year
Washington Business Journal - by Jeff Clabaugh
The number of applications to refinance an existing mortgage jumped to the highest level in more than a year last week, even as home sales slow, according to the D.C.-based Mortgage Bankers Association.The trade group’s weekly report says overall mortgage applications rose 6.7 percent last week. Applications for purchases fell 2 percent from the previous week, while applications for refinancing rose 9.2 percent. Refinance applications reached the highest level since May 15, 2009, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Tax Credit Closing Date Extended!
Tax credit extension relieves late homebuyers
Deadline to close sale and qualify for up to $8,000 pushed back to Sept. 30
NEW YORK — Homebuyers worried about closing their house purchases by the tax credit cutoff can relax after the government extended the deadline.
Congress sent President Barack Obama a plan to give homebuyers an extra three months to finish qualifying for federal tax incentives that boosted home sales this spring. The House approved the measure on Tuesday and the Senate approved it Wednesday night. Obama is expected to sign it.
The legislation gives buyers until Sept. 30 to complete their purchases and qualify for tax credits of up to $8,000. Under the original terms, buyers had until April 30 to get a signed sales contract and until June 30 to complete the sale.
The bill only allows people who already have signed contracts to finish at the later date.
Click Here for full article
Deadline to close sale and qualify for up to $8,000 pushed back to Sept. 30
NEW YORK — Homebuyers worried about closing their house purchases by the tax credit cutoff can relax after the government extended the deadline.
Congress sent President Barack Obama a plan to give homebuyers an extra three months to finish qualifying for federal tax incentives that boosted home sales this spring. The House approved the measure on Tuesday and the Senate approved it Wednesday night. Obama is expected to sign it.
The legislation gives buyers until Sept. 30 to complete their purchases and qualify for tax credits of up to $8,000. Under the original terms, buyers had until April 30 to get a signed sales contract and until June 30 to complete the sale.
The bill only allows people who already have signed contracts to finish at the later date.
Click Here for full article
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