Vacation home market heats up

Vacation home market heats up Homebuyers looking for bargains are finding the time is right to make an offer on a second home. Plentiful choices, attractive interest rates and low prices are spurring activity in the vacation-home sector, industry members say. Another factor: uncertain returns elsewhere. “People are telling me they’re pulling their money out …

More Sellers of Luxury Homes Turn to Auctions

More Sellers of Luxury Homes Turn to Auctions Jack Warner leaned against his home bar and checked his watch before resuming his blank stare at the white tent outside his multimillion-dollar dream house, with its swimming pool and views of the Florida gulf, soon to be sold at auction. “My whole life happens in two …

Short sales: The odds are against cash-strapped homeowners

Short sales: The odds are against cash-strapped homeowners Cash-strapped homeowners who owe more than their properties are worth often try to get out of trouble by selling for less than the mortgage amount and asking lenders to forgive the difference. It sounds simple. But so-called short sales rarely are. The deals frequently are exercises in …

Housing begins to reverse 3-year recession in every US region, but 2nd half looks rocky

Housing begins to reverse 3-year recession in every US region, but 2nd half looks rocky It was — note the past tense — the worst housing recession anyone but survivors of the Great Depression can remember. From the frenzied peak of the real estate boom in 2005-2006 to the recession’s trough earlier this year, home …

Simple steps can prevent buying a home disaster

Simple steps can prevent buying a home disaster To avoid legal snarls when buying a new home, inspect the home carefully, check legal descriptions closely, read the title report and don’t rely on real estate agents for legal advice, experts say. Jessie and John Bates thought they got a real deal on their first home, …

How to prevent flipping fraud

How to prevent flipping fraud Flipping fraud was not invented during this decade’s real estate boom. It helped burst Florida’s real estate bubble during the 1920s and played a key role in the nation’s savings and loan crisis in the 1980s. But widespread flipping fraud does not have to happen again with the next real …