http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:24:41 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Potential home buyers who delay have a lot to lose. First-time home buyer and move-up tax credits worth $8,000 and $6,500, respectively, expire April 30. Buyers who qualify get a dollar-for-dollar reduction in taxes or a cash payment if they don’t pay enough taxes to cover the credit. Other factors that ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/11/buyers-who-wait-may-lose-a-lot/ I subscribe to this great website that helps remind me of great tips to get and stay organized. Here's a sample of some of their tips: Personal goals can help you accomplish an assortment of objectives and serve a variety of purposes. Goals may be short term and relatively easy ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/10/great-tips-to-stay-organized/ By Marilyn Kennedy Melia of Bankrate.com Many home sellers are losing money -- precisely because they're determined not to lose money. So why won't your home sell? One reason homes are languishing on the market is that owners are suffering from “sunk cost fallacy,” says Ohio State University economist John Kagel. This fallacy describes the reluctance ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/09/are-you-the-reason-your-home-wont-sell/ A short sale is a transaction in which the lender, or lenders, agree to accept less than the mortgage amount owed by the current homeowner. In some cases, the difference is forgiven by the lender, and in others the homeowner must make arrangements with the lender to settle the remainder ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/08/what-is-a-short-sale/     I saw this article in Realtor Magazine and thought it presented something sellers don't usually focus on. Sellers seem to focus on the interior-paint, removal of clutter, staging of furniture instead of making improvements to their home's exterior. The exterior of a home is the FIRST thing a seller sees ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/05/exterior-remodeling-best-bang-for-your-buck/ The choice between a home equity loan or a line of credit is seldom black or white. But here are a couple of generalizations: A home equity loan might be the best fit if you plan to use the money in a lump sum for a one-time occasion such as consolidating ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/04/helpful-questions-to-ask-when-choosing-a-loan-or-line-of-credit/ Murder. Suicide. Homes with dark histories can be difficult to sell and often suffer severe drops in value. Here’s how to learn whether a home has a sketchy past and how to mitigate the stigma if you own one. By Marilyn Lewis of MSN Real Estate I have always had a fascination with haunted houses ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/03/homes-with-sordid-pasts/ I saw this article on Realtor.com and thought it was quite interesting. It's a good thing that foreclosures are shrinking-hopefully this means that the housing market is improving and will only get better and better with time. Foreclosure Bargains Getting Harder to Find Home buyers hoping to snag a really good deal ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/03/01/foreclosure-bargains-still-around/ The Lowcountry Chapter of the South Carolina Native Plant Society is sponsoring the Society's 2010 Symposium, Nuture Nature from May 7-9 in Charleston. It will be held on the grounds of the historic Magnolia Plantation & Gardens. The 2-day event will feature speakers, field trips and workshops promoting practices for ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/02/27/sc-native-plant-societys-12th-annual-symposium/ Thu, Feb 25, 2010 Provided by McLean, VA – Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.05 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending February 25, 2010, up from last week when it averaged 4.93 ... http://elizabeth.hbrtwn.com/2010/02/26/long-term-rates-rise-to-over-5-for-first-time-in-3-weeks/