Unmarried women continue to make up a growing segment of home buyers and are buying homes in record numbers: Last year, they composed 20 percent of all buyers last year, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Single men accounted for 12 percent. The Joint Center for Housing Studies says the three main reasons single [...]

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Orange County Housing Report: The OC Housing Market is Healing

July 11, 2011
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Year over year demand is stronger for the first time since May of last year. Investors are a force to reckon with. The listing inventory is not increasing out of control. The distressed inventory is slowly dropping. Overall, the Orange County housing market is starting to heal. Demand: Demand dropped by 6%, a cyclical phenomena [...]

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Cooling Your Home Naturally

July 8, 2011
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Keeping cool indoors when it is hot outdoors is a problem. The sun beating down on our homes causes indoor temperatures to rise to uncomfortable levels. Air conditioning provides some relief. But the initial costs of installing an air conditioner and the electricity costs to run it can be high. In addition, conventional air conditioners [...]

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Freddie Mac: Better Days Ahead in Housing

July 5, 2011
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Freddie Mac’s chief economist is optimistic that the housing market and economy will improve in the second half of 2011. Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft said mortgage rates will likely remain historical lows of between 4.5 percent and 5 percent for the remainder of the year. Also, he expects more buyers to stop waiting [...]

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The Better Bargain: Foreclosure or Short Sale?

June 30, 2011
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Short sales and foreclosures have flooded the housing market in recent years, and buyers are often drawn to the bargain prices but may be hesitant to jump into what usually is a difficult transaction and a long process. Bankrate.com recently tackled the question of “Which to Buy: Short Sale or Foreclosure?” in an article that [...]

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Borrowers Lack Mortgage Knowledge

June 29, 2011
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A recent survey by Zillow Mortgage Marketplace found that borrowers who received a home loan in the past five years spent, on average, five hours researching their options. That’s about half the amount of time borrowers spent researching a car purchase (10 hours). What’s more, nearly one-third spent two hours or less, according to Zillow. [...]

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Celebrity Homes

June 27, 2011
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Celebrities often have slightly different priorities when shopping for a home than the average home buyer. Here are a few top items often found on their priority list when home-shopping, according to the Zillow Blog. 1. Privacy. Most often a top priority, celebrities usually want a gated, secured home. “It’s a huge issue,” says Jade [...]

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Home Owners See Big Value in Remodeling

June 25, 2011
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Nearly 40 percent of DIYers say that making a major home improvement is the best long-term investment they can make.

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Don’t Just Walk Away From Mortgage

June 22, 2011
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Any major change to a mortgage situation could lead to serious and unanticipated consequences involving taxes, contract law, credit scores, ability to borrow in the future, potential for lawsuits, and much more.

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Home Clearance Sale Coming This Summer

June 20, 2011
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Home prices are already a third off their highs, but this summer could bring the real discounts. That could result in a “summer clearance sale,” predicts Pete Flint, CEO of Trulia, the real estate web site.

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