Pending home sales, a measurement of existing homes under contract that have yet to close, have increased for the second month in a row, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The 4.5% increase in pending home sales in August over the July number is particularly important in my opinion given the forecast the mainstream [...]

Shadow inventory is making news since the S&P published it’s new report in which it seems the director Diane Westerback was quoted saying, “While our estimates for the time it will take to clear the supply of distressed homes on the market have declined after reaching a peak in mid-2008, the number has been on [...]

Many folks have been asking, “Is now the time to buy a house?”. To answer this question, first let me say “now” is Fall of 2010. With that out of the way, let’s take a look behind the “doom and gloom” media reports and get the real scoop. I have compiled a list of the [...]

Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world, often called the “Oracle from Omaha”, and the single best investment picker in the history of the US stock market has broken his normal hesitancy to make public predictions in his most recent shareholder letter. If you don’t know who Warren Buffet is…well, this post [...]

You are going to hear a lot about the housing market today since the Case-Shiller Index came out this morning. As usual those who are fearful or optimistic will use the data to support their predetermined position. I will attempt to put my bias aside and just evaluate the data for you dispassionately. Here we [...]

Lease to Own (aka. rent to own, lease option, or lease purchase) home transactions seem like a good idea in a slow market. In truth, the benefits of a lease to own deal never outweigh the dangers for both home buyer and home seller. Lease To Own Home Purchase “Pros” Let’s take a look at [...]

Real estate help is all about what to do. However, we are going to tell you what NOT to do. This is about what not to do when picking a real estate agent and during the buying process. I can’t tell you how many times over my 15 years in the mortgage industry when I [...]

Property value confusion is not uncommon out there. After talking with countless borrowers over the years, I found a common theme. One, people think all improvements increase property value. And two, they think their home has to be spotless before they can let the appraiser in. People tend to look only at their property and [...]

I have good news: Existing home inventories are dropping..and the same goes for new home inventories too. I have contended until the housing market finds a new equilibrium, we won’t see the banking crisis or the recession averted. So this gives us all a flicker of hope in a sea of despair. Home Inventories Key [...]