Video: Bernanke speaks on housing market

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged improvement in the housing market in a speech Thursday, but pointed to continued obstacles to its recovery

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Obama Wins… Now what?

Now that the election is behind us, and if you lived in a “swing” state I’m sure you are thrilled, we must then turn our attention to the effects of the nations decision. How will the second-term Obama administration handle the housing market?

The most glaring absence during the hard-fought campaign between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was any offer of substance regarding the housing market. It was, after all, a housing bubble-driven financial crisis that helped propel Obama to victory in 2008 and recent improvements in the housing…

Rebuilding American Homeownership

So FHFA director DeMarco put the kabosh on the mortgage principal reduction proposal. NEXT. Enter Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., OR.) with the RAH (Rebuilding American Homeownership) proposal.

Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, has proposed a remedy. Under his plan, called Rebuilding American Homeownership, underwater homeowners (more…)

Geithner vs DeMarco

A very heated topic continues to burn. Two stark differences between these men and their parties means an unlikely middle ground agreement on how to help the housing market. Geithner wants principal reduction and DeMarco wants principal forbearance. The difference is simple:

1.  Principal reduction takes a $400,000 mortgage on a home that’s only worth $300,000 and writes it down to be a $300,000 mortgage. The $100,000 difference becomes a loss to the taxpayer, but it enables the homeowner to avoid default and provides him with an incentive to stay in…

Don’t mix politics and religion with business

Many people have this rule: no politics or religion at the dinner table, parties or when drinking. I only wish I followed this rule more often and most of us can relate to this one way or another.

With elections coming up soon, political ads are unavoidable on television and on the radio. There are even ads on Facebook, and some of my friends post political party propaganda on their walls and in comments on mine. I cannot wait until it is all over. I have some strong political opinions, but I don’t have…

House passes RESPA clarification

Brokers and Home Warranty vendors might end up getting what they want… kickbacks.

Follow the bill here

On Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives passed “The RESPA Home Warranty Clarification Act of 2011″ (H.R. 2446) by voice vote. The bipartisan legislation sponsored by Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL) and William “Lacy” Clay (D-MO) is designed to counter an erroneous Department of Housing and Urban Development interpretive rule that reversed decades of common understanding of RESPA.

Read full article here

NAR

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Ghost writers: Do they work?

Marc Davison from 1000WATT debates the pros and cons of using ghost writers to fill your blog content. He talks about the intimacy of the blog, the ethics of a blog and the “suckiness” that can come from using a blog with ghost writers.

You kiss your kids. You hug your spouse. There are no stand-ins for these acts of personal connection. Boo. Michael McClure posed this question on his very popular Raise The Bar Facebook forum: (more…)

Fannie Mae repaying our dime

That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind  ~ Neil Armstrong

So are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of the woods? Not quite, but a step in the right direction.

Published by Reuters.

Fannie Mae, the largest source of U.S. housing funds, on Wednesday said it would not need to request more taxpayer aid this quarter after posting a $2.7 billion profit in the first three months of the year. For the first time since the third quarter of 2008, the government-run company did not require taxpayer aid…

The secret of writing killer headlines

Posted on copyblogger – By: Brian Clark

If you like to play the numbers then these should be in held in high regard: 8 of 10 people will read a headline and 2 of 10 will read the rest. See the importance. Here is a great How To series on writing killer headlines.

 Your headline is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader. Without a compelling promise that turns a browser into a reader, the rest of your words may as well not even exist. So, from…