Some mortgage brokers advise against it. By Dian Hymer August 11, 2008 Inman News It’s not uncommon for home buyers to talk with several mortgage brokers or lenders to compare loan products and interest rates. One buyer who shopped around was scolded by a mortgage broker when he found out she was talking to more than one broker. He… read more.
Will Shopping Multiple Lendors Hurt Credit?
Monday, August 11th, 2008Groundbreaking Law Aims to Strengthen Economy, Aid Homeowners
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008How home purchase federal tax credit works Kenneth Harney SFGATE.com Anybody who’s been sitting on the sidelines hesitant to jump into real estate until conditions settle down should know these dates: April 9, 2008, through June 30, 2009. They mark the eligibility time to qualify for the home purchase tax credit created by the massive housing bill approved by Congress. If you have not owned a house during the past three years – or are considering buying your first home – and can go to closing before the end of next June, you may be eligible for up to a $7,500 credit against your… read more.
Billion-Dollar Push on Public Housing
Monday, June 16th, 2008TMG, Related join nonprofit builders to overhaul S.F. projects San Francisco Business Times J. K. Dineen In a potential $1 billion investment into some of San Francisco ‘s most downtrodden neighborhoods, developers — including TMG Partners and the Related Cos. — are teaming up with nonprofit builders to rebuild and expand three public housing projects. The program, dubbed Hope SF, calls for replacing some 1,500 units of existing public housing at three developments: Sunnydale, Westside Court in Western Addition and Potrero Hill. In addition to replacing the existing housing, densities at the three projects would… read more.
What to Expect When You’re Inspecting
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008Everything you need to know about home inspections By Bill Thompson General Contractor / Home Inspector Perhaps the single most important aspect of buying a home is assuring that it is properly inspected. In this article, Bill Thompson, one of San Francisco’s top home inspectors, provides tips and advice on inspecting your potential new home. Finding a Home Inspector: 1…. read more.
A MarketWatch interview with Andrew Roth
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008Real Estate Metrics Can Help Your Home Buying Decision The San Francisco real estate market has been relatively insulated from the problems facing other regions. Howeverr,many potential home buyers still face uncertainty as to when to jump into the market. How can you be sure that you’re making the best… read more.
Friday, March 7th, 2008
Mortgage market needs $1 trillion, FBR estimates. Without that, prices of securities will fall, raising interest rates on home loans By Alistair Barr MarketWatch The answer is that the mortgage market is short of roughly $1 trillion in capital, according to Paul Miller, an analyst at Friedman, Billings , Ramsey. The modern mortgage market works with lots of leverage, or borrowed money. Investors, including hedge funds and mortgage real estate investment trusts, buy mortgage securities, but finance a lot of their purchases with this leverage. FBR’s Miller estimates that $11 trillion of outstanding U.S. mortgage… read more.
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007
Why is housing in some cities still booming? The answers may help you navigate your own market. CNN Money.com By Joe Light NEW YORK (Money Magazine) — When Elisabeth and Tom Merrill decided to sell their home in Wenatchee, Wash. (pop. 107,000), they braced themselves for a long slog. The couple and their four kids were bursting out of their 2,400-square-foot house, but they had read about the nation’s slow-as-sludge real estate market and expected the worst. But their house sold in 10 hours for $387,000, 80% more than they paid six years ago. “I was thrilled,” says Elisabeth. “I can’t believe how fast… read more.
Trade Apartments for Dream Home and Avoid Taxes
Friday, April 27th, 2007By Robert J. Bruss Inman News DEAR BOB: I know you answered a similar question several months ago, but I don’t recall the answer. I own a six-unit apartment building, in which my wife and I have a large profit. If we make an outright sale, we will owe a huge capital gain tax. My wife remembered an item in your … read more.
Real estate can tell you a lot about people and markets.
Hundreds of Web-savvy startups have sprung up in San Francisco’s oldest buildings in the South of Market district (called “SOMA” for shorthand). So behind that sleek new Apple iPhone whatever-it-does application… 
