From our friends at Realtor.com
Looking for vacation property that’s a good investment as well? These communities offer weather, scenery and active real estate markets. Plus: 10 more up-and-comers.
By Liz Pulliam Weston
Popularity is a mixed bag when you’re looking for vacation property.
A hot destination means more crowds, more traffic, longer lines. But if you’re keeping an eye on investment potential — and more than one out of three second-home buyers say they are — then you want to buy where others want to be.
What you really want, though, is to buy today in an area that’s going to be hot tomorrow, so what are the ingredients that will turn a sleepy village into the next Aspen or Hilton Head? (more…)

Tags: Real Estate News

From our friends at Realtor.com
Housing affordability is reaching record levels with nearly 73 percent of all homes sold in the first three months of 2009 considered affordable.

That’s the highest percentage ever reported by the 18-year-old, quarterly Housing Opportunity Index, compiled by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo Bank. (more…)

Tags: Real Estate News

From our friends at Coldwell Banker.com

According to very preliminary figures from the IRS, some 567,685 taxpayers claimed more than $3.9 billion worth of first-time homebuyer credits on their 2008 tax returns, according to Steve Cook of realestateeconomywatch.com. Even though 38,158 may be disqualified because the IRS has found they had ownership in a personal residence within the past three years, the total will certainly exceed the $4.6 billion estimated by Congress last year. The preliminary figures were from returns received by March 6-five weeks before 2008 returns were due. (more…)

Tags: Add new tag, Real Estate News

From our friends at Realtor.com
Short sales and bank-owned properties represent one of the best opportunities to grow your business today.
Yet they can expose you to serious legal liability if you’re not careful, legal experts said Wednesday at the 2009 REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C. Here are their tips for steering clear of trouble. (more…)

Tags: Real Estate News

From our friends at REALTOR®.com

Home prices must stabilize before the broader economy can turn around, a panel of housing and economic experts said yesterday at a real estate summit hosted by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® as part of its Midyear Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C., this week.

Although there are encouraging signs in the housing market—including a pick-up of home sales in previously hard-hit markets, record affordability, and continuing low interest rates—prices have not yet hit bottom. (more…)

Tags: Real Estate News

From our friends at Realtor.com
Consumer Reports magazine advises home owners not to put off important maintenance projects, noting that waiting until the economy rebounds could end up making the repairs more costly while putting a family’s health at risk.

The magazine identifies five crucial maintenance issues: (more…)

Tags: Real Estate News

From our friends at Realtor.com

Pending home sales rose with many first-time buyers taking advantage of historically good housing affordability conditions, according to the latest report by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ®. (more…)

Tags: Real Estate News

From our friends at Realtor.com
The housing market is looking healthier, but U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said Wednesday that it is too early to tell if the recovery has taken hold.

“We do have some early signs, I think, that the market is stabilizing. Since January, what we’ve seen is both prices and sales volumes moving up and down around a relatively stable number,” Donovan said (more…)

Tags: Real Estate News