Monthly Archives: March 2008

As a twist on the typical “Best Places To Live” surveys, CNN Money released its 2008 “Best Places to Live and Launch“. The rankings rate the business friendliness of 296 Census-designated metro areas, and then identify that area’s town that … Continue reading →

When mortgage rates change rapidly, it’s a fiscal challenge to shop for a home and/or home loan. Lately, mortgage rates have been especially volatile, mirroring the wild moves of the stock market. Here’s how up-and-down stock markets have been in … Continue reading →

Each month, the Commerce Department and the National Association of REALTORS release national housing data. The former’s release is called the New Residential Sales report and the latter’s is called the Existing Home Sales report. Both reports highlight the “median … Continue reading →

Consumer Confidence fell to its lowest point in three years and anybody who watches the evening news can understand why. Each day, news programs barrage Americans with tales of economic woe and American Opinion is largely shaped by the media. … Continue reading →

Each quarter, the Census Bureau releases the Homeowner Vacancy Rate, a housing statistic the measures the percentage of homes for sale that are vacant. A home listed for sale may be vacant for several reasons including: The home has been … Continue reading →

Some home improvement projects are just too big to be tackled alone. Before you start searching Web sites for handymen, though, watch this 3-minute news piece. Large, online, third-party search services are often reputable (including the company highlighted in the … Continue reading →

Since December 2007, mortgage lending guidelines have changed very quickly and often without notice. Some of the more well-known changes include: Broad restrictions on stated income home loans Broad restrictions on 100 percent financing “Risk-based fees” for credit scores under … Continue reading →

The Fed lowered the Fed Funds Rate by 0.750% to 2.250% yesterday. Because it is tied to the Fed Funds Rate, Prime Rate also fell by 0.750% yesterday. Prime Rate is now to 5.250%. Holders of home equity lines of … Continue reading →

The Federal Open Market Committee meets today and will issue a press release in addition to cutting the Fed Funds Rate at 2:15 P.M. ET. The verbiage of the press release will be as widely watched as the rate cut … Continue reading →

Springtime means Spring Cleaning and VideoJug’s “How to Clean a Window” teaches you the right way to get your windows sparkling clean and clear. The 5-minute video lesson explains: Why it’s better to clean windows on a cloudy day Why … Continue reading →