Washington Report: FHA Tightening Standards

FHA is tightening up its standards for home buyers – but the changes are not as tough as some analysts had feared – especially on downpayments.FHA commissioner David Stevens outlined the agency’s new underwriting policies last week, including an increase in the “upfront” mortgage insurance premium charged all borrowers, and a decrease in the amount [...]

Real Estate Outlook: Sobering News?

You might have seen the headlines last week about an unexpected drop in housing starts, and you might have thought: Uh-oh. That’s not the direction we ought to be headed in a rebounding economySo what does that mean for real estate in 2010? Well, as is often the case, you’ve got to peel below the [...]

New Year, New Money-Saving Strategies for Builders

With every New Year comes the promise of a new start, of new beginnings. For builders and those in the construction and development industry, many couldn’t wait to say goodbye to 2009. With lending frozen on new development and customers looking to purchase or make improvements to existing homes, and development costs surging, 2009, and [...]

How to Repair Your Home Without Damaging Your Wallet

Some homeowners have a long laundry list of to-do repairs and, interestingly enough, many of those items don’t get addressed until (or if at all) it’s time to sell the house. In hot real estate markets, repairs are sometimes not done before the sale. Remember bidding wars over properties that needed work? Well, today sellers [...]

Investor Report: Florida Condos

Investors in foreclosures and REOs: Get ready to rev up your business volume.That’s because starting February first, HUD is waiving its controversial 90-day anti-flipping rule for FHA financing. Investors who buy and fix up foreclosed and bank-owned properties now will have a reliable go-to source of low-downpayment financing for retail buyers sooner than 90 days. [...]