Post Index

The Realty Report Post Index:

These are posts that have valuable information for buyers or sellers. We’ve posted this index to give you a quick way to access these important posts from the past.




Year End Buying and Selling


Determine the price of your home


Housing affordability


The Holiday Slowdown


Tenants in Common Ownership


Rent vs. Buy


Mortgage Tax Deductions at risk


How to get a better deal on a mortgage


Identity Theft


How to get rid of Telemarketers and Junk


Housing Crisis


Real Estate Market Trends


Home buyers using the internet

Fed holds Interest rates

Rumor has it that the Federal Reserve is going to slow the pace of its continuing credit tightening plan. Which means interest rates may not be raised for a while.

I think this is good news but, again, it is just rumor based on reports derived from the Fed’s last meeting on November 1st. Initially this is good news because it means more potential homeowners have an extended opportunity to purchase before rates continue to rise. I’ll make one bet with you though – rates will go up within a month or two after the new year. At least that’s my opinion and I base that on the historical rise and fall of interest rates.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Year end buying & selling.

Regular readers are well aware of the holiday slowdown. And anybody who has tried to buy or sell during this time, knows it well.

This can be a great time to buy or sell though. If you are selling a home, consider – Decorations, images of family, joy, and, love are excellent marketing tools. The emotions these things invoke are impossible to duplicate with even the best salesmanship. Part of buying a home is imagining your future there. What better way than to see yourself as you do the family down the street sitting for an elegant holiday meal, or whole families helping to decorate?

One seller’s tip though, make sure your agent knows your holiday schedule and pick convenient times (for you) to go over sales business. You don’t want to be signing papers while stuffing turkeys.

If you’re a buyer, ask your buyer’s agent to look for property that has been on the market for a while. These properties if still listed during the holidays may have very eager sellers who want to get an escrow open before shipping off to Aunt Effie’s.

A tip for both buyers and sellers, don’t be discouraged if you begin to feel things aren’t moving quickly enough during this time. Getting in now will save you a great deal of headache and money, instead of waiting for things to pick up in spring.