Recent reports on the health of the economy and the housing market have shown improved conditions. The federal tax credit for first-time buyers, the newly implemented tax credit for current home owners, affordable home prices, and low interest rates also are driving many buyers into the market. However, housing markets are local, and can vary [...]
Nov
10
2009
10
2009
Nov
10
2009
10
2009
Thinking of halting payments on your house?
Some homeowners who are underwater on their houses—they owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth—wonder what would happen if they were to stop paying their mortgages. When lenders do not receive payments, the first action taken by the lender is to report the missed payment to the credit bureaus by the first [...]
Nov
10
2009
10
2009
Homeowners win big with extension and expansion of federal tax credit
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 403 to 12 to extend and expand the home buyer tax credit. The bill passed the U.S. Senate and was signed by President Obama last week. The tax credit will be extended through April 30, 2010, with a 60-day extension if a binding contract is in place prior to [...]
Nov
3
2009
3
2009
About the Central East Bay and a few local links
Oakland: From Crocker Highlands’ stately traditional homes to Montclair’s sophisticated contemporaries, from Glenview’s Craftsman bungalows to Rockridge’s family neighborhoods, Oakland has homes for everyone. What is there to do? Yoshi’s for jazz in Jack London Square, classic Friday night movies at the stunning art deco Paramount Theater, ice cream at Fenton’s on Piedmont Avenue, dog [...]
