Category Archives: Real Estate

Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling

The latest Housing Starts numbers. At first blush, the December report seemed disappointing, down 4% for the month. But starts overall are UP 24.9% from a year ago and December’s drop was all from multi-family starts, very volatile month-to-month. Single-family … Continue reading

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6 Reasons to Buy a New Home

When buying a new home there can be so many decisions to make. How much can we afford? What location should we choose? Do we build a new home or buy a used home? Here are six reasons why you … Continue reading

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RALEIGH NC – New Home Sales Rise

In the Raleigh, NC market new home sales grew year-over-year in October, and the percentage hike was greater than September 2011, giving hints of improving market conditions. New home sales saw a hike of 15.9% from the year earlier to … Continue reading

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Summary for the Week

For investors, 2012 began in the right direction as stocks ended the first week of the year UP. But this result was due mainly to an upsurge on Tuesday that was big enough to offset tepid performances the next three days, … Continue reading

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New about interest rates

As directed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the mortgage agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are required to increase the guarantee fee charged for all new mortgages financed on or after April 1, 2012. What does this mean? … Continue reading

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4 Lessons Sellers Can Learn From Customer Service

1. Get in the Right Frame of Mind Before Asking Questions   Lesson: When you initiate your call, keep an open mind. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Explore to discover opportunities, not to place your product. 2. Don’t Put … Continue reading

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sales 14% lower for the past four years, WHAT???

The National Association of Realtors has revised existing home sales 14% lower for the past four years. The drop represents the loss of more than two million sales from an inflated rate, bringing cumulative sales to 17.7 million for the … Continue reading

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Barclays Capital – potential recovery in the U.S. housing sector in 2012

The brokerage also raised 2012 earnings estimates and price targets for a host of other U.S. homebuilders, including Toll Brothers Inc (TOL.N), Lennar Corp (LEN.N) and Meritage Homes Corp (MTH.N). “It has become increasingly apparent to us that the pieces for a … Continue reading

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Fitch Ratings has affirmed a stable outlook

U.S. commercial real estate is expected to stabilize and perform better going forward. Cautiously optimistic about the modest economic growth and job creation, Lawrence Yun, chief economist of National Association of Realtor, predicts that the overall drop in vacancy rates, … Continue reading

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Construction Spending Reports False Gains in October

Construction spending was up in October, gaining 0.8% from September, to reach a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $798.5 billion, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. October’s figure was down 0.4% year-over-year. The monthly gain was ill-got, however, … Continue reading

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