Marsha Held - Blog - Marsha Held

Recent Blog Posts by Marsha Held
Weird stuff that hurts home values All sorts of factors can diminish what your home is worth, such as the way your house compares with others in the area, your neighbors or a faulty appraisal. If you know anything about real estate, you know that location matters most. A house in a nice neighborhood is worth more than the exact same house in a sketchy area. A good school district adds value, while struggling districts detract. A house ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 01/24/2012		More
Home Prices Fall To 8-Year Lows NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Home prices continued to sink in the third quarter, falling to levels not seen since early 2003. Home prices dropped 3.9% year-over-year during the three months ended Sept. 30, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller national home price index. On a quarterly basis, prices were slightly higher, squeezing out a 0.1% gain. One bright spot was that the declines have started ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 11/29/2011		More
How to rescue the housing market: Foreclosures! If the Obama administration really wants to save the housing market, it should speed up the foreclosure process -- not prolong the inevitable, experts say. Four years into the housing crisis, the real estate market is still teetering on the edge. The Obama administration has tried one program after anotherto stem the tide of foreclosures with limited success. And it is continuing to look for ways ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 08/31/2011		More
2011 Housing Opportunity Pulse Survey Survey Shows Opposition to Down Payment Requirements and Elimination of Mortgage Interest Deduction NAR’s ninth housing pulse survey reflects that, as the housing market continues to struggle, Americans worry that policy proposals coming out of Washington could drag the market down further or deter potential new homeowners. There is particular concern surrounding calls for a required down payment ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 07/09/2011		More
Housing crisis: A sign that the worst is over The mortgage delinquency picture is getting brighter, according to an industry report released Thursday, with falling delinquency rates indicating the housing crisis may be at the beginning of its end. A quarterly release from the Mortgage Bankers Association revealed that mortgage payment problems eased during the first three months of 2011 for every category of default. Foreclosure ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 05/19/2011		More
Filing for bankruptcy could save your home By the time the foreclosure notice arrives, most struggling homeowners figure they are out of options. But there is one more step, often overlooked but sometimes effective: bankruptcy. It's not a move to be taken lightly. But the impact — especially on your chances of getting a loan — may not be as dire as many consumers assume. In fact, homeowners facing foreclosure may be able to improve ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 03/09/2011		More
Top 10 tips for buying your first home - Planning and staying within budget are keys for having a good first-time experience If one of your goals this year is to make the shift from renter to homeowner, you should begin preparations now for an exciting emotional and financial adventure. Before you start the home-buying process, make sure you are ready to buy a home where you will live for three to five years or longer, since it can take that long to build equity in a home and recoup your investment costs. Think about your ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 02/09/2011		More
SEC sends more subpoenas in mortgage probe — sources U.S. regulators have opened a new line of inquiry in their mortgage foreclosure probe and are asking big Wall Street banks about the beginning stages of mortgage securitization, two sources familiar with the probe told Reuters. The Securities and Exchange Commission launched the new phase of its investigation by sending out a fresh round of subpoenas last week, the sources said. The recipients included ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:00 AM on 12/18/2010		More
Make Small Spaces Bigger: 5 Ways to Show Off Space Buyers want spacious homes. Here's how you can show off every square inch. Size does matter when it comes to the perception of space in a home. That’s why it’s important to make sure you show off every square foot of your listing so that buyers can visualize enough room for all of their belongings. However, home owners often crowd spaces with oversized furniture, bulky accessories, and ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 3:32 PM on 10/19/2010		More
Mortgage shopping is getting safer CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- In some parts of the country, it doesn't take much to become a mortgage-loan officer. Not a license, not much training. That's changing. The Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008, or Safe Act, is aimed at increasing consumer protection and reducing fraud. It sets minimum standards for state licensing and registration of mortgage-loan originators, ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:04 PM on 09/07/2010		More
New home sales rebound 24% NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- New home sales rebounded in June from the record low hit the previous month but remained sluggish. New home sales increased 23.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 330,000 last month, up from an downwardly revised 267,000 in May, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Sales year-over-year fell 16.7%. 182 0diggsdigg Email Print Comment The ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 1:59 PM on 07/30/2010		More
CONTINUED STRONG PACE FOR EXISTING-HOME SALES Existing-home sales remained at elevated levels in May on buyer response to the tax credit, characterized by stabilizing home prices and historically low mortgage interest rates, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Gains in the West and South were offset by a decline in the Northeast; the Midwest was steady.Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 9:40 AM on 06/23/2010		More
8 Easy Ways to Seal Air Leaks Around the House For what the typical family wastes every year on air leaks—about $350—you can plug energy-robbing gaps, start saving money, and enjoy a more comfortable home. A typical family spends about a third of its annual heating and cooling budget—roughly $350—on air that leaks into or out of the house through unintended gaps and cracks. With the money you waste in just one year, you ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:32 PM on 05/26/2010		More
Remodeling a Home Built Before 1978 Requires a Certified Lead Contractor Getting the lead out of your home may be tough to do, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). We've known for a long while now that lead paint is hazardous to our health. Lead paint can be very dangerous to children if they inhale or ingest it. It can cause damage to their brains and nervous systems. However, removing it may be difficult. The NAHB says that a shortage of Environmental ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 9:56 AM on 04/26/2010		More
Last-minute homebuyer tax credit tips Homebuyers still have time to buy a home and meet the deadlines, but they will need to act soon and be proactive throughout the transaction. The homebuyer tax credit is worth 10 percent of the home's sale price, up to $8,000 for buyers who haven't owned a home in the previous three years and up to $6,500 for buyers who have owned and occupied a principal residence for at least five consecutive years ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 2:32 PM on 03/23/2010		More
Administration Hopes to Make Mortgage Modification Program More Effective RISMEDIA, February 18, 2010—(MCT)—Experts fear a new wave of foreclosures will hit this year as prolonged unemployment makes it difficult for millions of homeowners to pay their mortgages—and many of them aren’t likely to get much help from a federal program aimed at keeping them in their houses. Banks participating in the Home Affordable Mortgage Program, announced a year ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 1:02 PM on 02/18/2010		More
Builders Moving Toward Better Times Lots of signs point to a recovery in the construction industry. With help from a federal tax break, both Lennar Corp. and KB Home posted fourth-quarter profits – the first time since 2007 that either has been in the black.KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger said in a statement: "There are indications that housing market conditions may be stabilizing in some regions, reflecting, among other things, relatively ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 2:33 PM on 01/14/2010		More
Want to Feel Younger Next Year? Consider moving out West. A recent report from the Pew Research Center found that older adults feel younger out west. Fully 78% of adults ages 65 and older who live in the West say they don’t feel old, compared with 67% of older adults who live in the rest of the country. Not that we’re tooting our own horn out here, but we're not surprised by the numbers.If you are debating where your next move will be, take ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 11:31 AM on 12/09/2009		More
State of Housing: Tax Credit Must Be Extended to Sustain Stability With the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit due to expire in little more than a month, the Congress is looking into the possibility of extending it for another six months and perhaps even expanding the program's reach. On Tuesday the Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on the State of the Nation's Housing Market. Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) called for an extension of the homebuyer tax ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 2:23 PM on 10/23/2009		More
HOME PRICES ON THE UPSWING NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- National home prices may be on the road to recovery. After three years of declines, home prices increased 2.9% in the three months ended June 30, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller report. That is the first quarter-over-quarter improvement in three years. Prices in the national index are down 14.9% compared with the second quarter of 2008, the report said. ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 4:40 PM on 08/30/2009		More
HOME PRICES UP FOR 1ST TIME IN 3 YEARS Index of 20 major cities rises on a monthly basis for the first time since July 2006, hinting that the worst of the declines may be over. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The value of U.S. homes grew on a monthly basis in May for the first time in nearly three years, according to 20-city index released Tuesday. The month-over-month increase was 0.5%, according to the report from financial data company ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 12:19 PM on 07/30/2009		More
Investor Report: ENERGY EFFICIENCY Investor Report: Energy Efficiency by Kenneth R. Harney For real estate investors buying houses at discount prices, it could be a hot new trend. Instead of simply doing the usual renovations, paint jobs and landscaping to turn around properties for resale or rental, growing numbers of investors are emphasizing energy efficiency improvements to increase market values and cut marketing times. In ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 10:27 AM on 07/15/2009		More
Albuquerque's Fantastic Climate On a more personal note... I just finished another invigorating jog out on the trails and felt compelled to write a few words about the wonderful climate we enjoy here in Albuquerque. How many places are there to live where you rarely experience weather extremes? I have lived all over the country and can attest to having experienced some pretty wild and/or uncomfortable weather; i.e. hurricanes, ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 9:10 AM on 06/18/2009		More
A VITAL MORTGAGE MARKET NEEDS FANNIE MAE, FREDDIE MAC WASHINGTON, June 03, 2009 A secondary mortgage market model that includes some level of government participation is necessary to ensure affordable and available home mortgages. That is the message the National Association of Realtors® delivered during a House Financial Services Subcommittee hearing today. "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac serve an important role in expanding homeownership and providing ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 8:40 AM on 06/18/2009		More
Real Estate Outlook: Indicators of Recovery by Kenneth R. Harney You may not be quite ready to accept the idea that housing on a national basis has moved beyond bottoming out and is now in slow recovery mode. But think about this: Even if you're bearish on the market, you've got to notice that some extraordinarily positive signs are popping up that point to recovery. New mortgage applications last week for home purchases and refinancings were up 77 percent ... Posted by Marsha Held @ 11:48 AM on 04/30/2009		More

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