FHA to require tighter regulations for mortgage brokers

Mortgage Insurer Turns to Lenders to Police Brokers 
 The Federal Housing Administration, the government agency that insures a bigger and bigger portion of home loans, plans to rely more heavily on lenders to police mortgage brokers.The changes will put more of the onus on lenders to make sure there is no fraud or faulty underwriting in the loans they fund, and less on the FHA. The lenders could be held liable for losses if a loan insured by the FHA goes bad and there are signs of fraud or mistakes in the underwriting.
Wall Street Journal Reports:  Click Here for full article

Washington Post reports: 30 year mortgage rates hit a 6 week low!

30-year mortgage rates hit six-week low

 The average rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages was 5 percent this week, down from last week's average of 5.06 percent. A year ago, 30-year, fixed rate mortgages averaged 4.84 percent, Freddie Mac said.
The average rate on a 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 4.36 percent, down from 4.39 percent last week.
Washington Post reports:  Click Here for Full story

How much home can you get for $450,000?

Property Values

What You Get for ...$450,000

New York Times monthly feature on how much home you can afford for $450k in three different locations around the country:  Click here for full story

Bang for your buck! HGTV on maximizing return on renovation investments

Watch episodes online of HGTV's helpful show "Bang For Your Buck"

When considering renovations, a professional opinion is always helpful on what will get the most retrun on your investment!  this HGTV show offers suggestions on all kinds of renovation projects and demonstrates exactly what kind of jobs will get the best bang for your buck!

Forbes Online Reports: How to detect shabby workmanship in home construction

Eight Dream-Home Dupes

New building exploded during the housing boom. So did lazy construction practices.

List: How To Detect And Deal With Problem Homes

In early 2009 homeowners in Florida, Virginia and Louisiana began noticing odd things. Bathroom mirrors and pipes turned black. Computers and televisions stopped functioning, their circuit boards inexplicably fried. A foul smell plagued some houses. They reported health concerns too, from respiratory problems and bloody noses to insomnia....

Click here for full article

Spruce up the exterior of your home, before summer heat

CNN Money's Real Estate section reports:

The best outdoor jobs to tackle now

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Josh Garskof, Money Magazine contributing writerMay 3, 2010:

(Money Magazine) -- You probably know that boosting your home's curb appeal is one of the most important ways to maximize its value. But that doesn't mean you need to take on a pricey job like replacing the windows or installing a blue-stone walk. In fact, you'll probably get a bigger bang for your buck with upkeep that costs a few hundred dollars at most -- like touching up the paint, mulching planting beds, and staining fences and decks. "A lot of buyers expect to invest in big projects to customize the house, but no one wants to deal with deferred maintenance," says Rick Wohlfarth, a realtor in Cundy's Harbor, Maine. 
Click here for full article. 

Bethesda Home With Zero Carbon Footprint

Washington Post reports:  

A Bethesda home with zero carbon footprint

By Elizabeth Festa

Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Architect Marcie Meditch set out to show how a highly energy-efficient home could be built for a typical market price in a dense, suburban neighborhood like Bethesda... Click here for Full Article: