October 29, 2009 Senators agreed Wednesday to extend a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers and to offer a smaller credit to some repeat buyers. The tax credit provides up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers but is set to expire at the end of November. Senators agreed to extend the existing tax credit [...]
Filed under: Economic Recovery, First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, First-Time Homebuyers, Home Buying, National Real Estate News, Tax Issues on October 30th, 2009 | Comments Off
Months before a law takes effect that cracks down on abuses by credit card issuers, the bank increases interest rates to almost 30% on customers who pay their bills on time. By David Lazarus Ed Myska works as executive vice president of El Segundo’s Bank of Manhattan, so it’s pretty fair to say that he [...]
Filed under: Consumer Protection, Economic Recovery on October 26th, 2009 | Comments Off
In approximately two hours and six blocks, the walk traverses more than 130 years of Santa Monica history, from its Wild West frontier beginnings to the sophisticated metropolis of today. You’ll learn about the civic leaders whose vision built the growing city and experience downtown’s diverse architectural heritage, including: The 1875 Rapp Saloon, opened the [...]
Filed under: Santa Monica Activities on October 21st, 2009 | Comments Off
Job losses have replaced subprime loans as the main cause, experts say. Despite sub-5% mortgage rates and signs that home prices have bottomed out in some places, executives and economists are decidedly downbeat about the future of the country’s mortgage industry as well as the housing market it depends on. The Mortgage Bankers Assn. said [...]
Filed under: Economic Recovery, Foreclosures and Short Sales, Home Prices, Market Update, National Real Estate News, Refinancing on October 14th, 2009 | Comments Off
The median sale price is unchanged from August, but down 11% from September ’08. O.C. has a slight gain. Southern California’s housing market took another small step toward recovery in September as the median sales price for homes in some areas rose above last year’s levels – the first such increases since the market crashed. [...]
Filed under: Economic Recovery, Home Buying, Home Prices, Local LA Real Estate News, Market Update on October 14th, 2009 | Comments Off
Question: We are buying a bank-owned home built in 1953. It is in horrible condition and needs to be demolished. When we talked to the county building department, it said that the asbestos had to be removed before demolition. We have heard that the seller is responsible for removing asbestos. Is this true? If not, how [...]
Filed under: Home Buying, Home Ideas and Tips, Home Inspections, Problem Solving on October 14th, 2009 | Comments Off
If banks truly want to treat people with respect, they should do more to prevent customers from overdrawing their accounts. by David Lazarus, The LA Times When it comes to pesky overdraft charges, most leading banks seem determined to do everything they can to help customers – except actually help them avoid the fees. Bank [...]
Filed under: Economic Recovery on October 9th, 2009 | Comments Off
Lending rules that were once catastrophically lenient are now heartlessly strict. By David Lazarus The Los Angeles Times October 4, 2009 One reason we got into our current economic mess is because banks handed out home loans to pretty much anyone with a pulse, regardless of their ability to, you know, actually make mortgage payments. [...]
Filed under: Mortgage News, Refinancing on October 7th, 2009 | Comments Off
The kitschy, barn-themed landmark has been around since 1948. Now landlord and developer James Rosenfield plans to take its down-home yet upscale sensibility to Malibu, Montecito and Marin County. With its picnic tables, overfed pigeons and fast-food stands, the kitschy barn-themed shopping center looks like a throwback from an era before air-conditioned malls took over [...]
Filed under: Brentwood News, Local LA Real Estate News on October 5th, 2009 | Comments Off
You finally decided that your residence should be a condominium. Condos can be an appropriate choice for a number of reasons – fewer maintenance worries and no yard work are only some of the benefits. But what about insurance on your property? In most cases, homeowners insurance differs from condominium unit owners insurance. Homeowners insurance [...]
Filed under: Condos, Property Insurance on October 2nd, 2009 | Comments Off
