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10 TERMS FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS SHOULD KNOW- Applying for a mortgage is easier when you learn how to talk to lenders. In about a month or so, it won't just be spring. It'll be home selling and buying season, and you'll start seeing the For Sale signs posted in yards as well as online advertisements beckoning prospective homebuyers.... But before you allow yourself to be beckoned, it would behoove you to familiarize yourself with the following 10 terms especially if this is your first time making one of the biggest purchases of your life. 1. Fixed-rate mortgage. This means the interest rate you pay on your home loan won't change. Over the years, your mortgage payment will likely change some property taxes will likely rise, your homeowners insurance might climb or fall, or you might shed your PMI (a term we’ll come back to). But generally, if you have a fixed-rate mortgage, your monthly mortgage payment won't change much over the years. 2. Adjustable-rate mortgage. Also known as an ARM, this is essentially the opposite of a fixed-rate mortgage. You'll have a fixed rate for several years, maybe five or 10, and then the interest rate adjusts according to the fully indexed interest rate, often the prime rate, which is what banks charge their most creditworthy customers. So while your interest rate and payments will likely be lower in the beginning than those of the homeowner with the fixed-rate mortgage, hope that interest rates remain low throughout the life of your loan. As interest rates climb, so too will your own interest rate and monthly payments. Read the Full List Here! - http://money.usnews.com//10-terms-first-time-homebuyers-sh

FALLING MORTGAGE RATES FUEL BUYING ACTIVITY- The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.59% this week, down from 3.66% last week. A year ago this time, it was as high as 4.32%, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Pending home sales fell 3.7% in December, according to the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Homes Sales Index tallies contract signings. It’s a strong indicator of where the market is headed, since a home is listed as pending on...ly after all contingencies have been met and the deal is simply waiting to close. Demand is improving Mortgage applications for Federal Housing Administration loans spiked last week in the midst of lower FHA mortgage insurance premiums, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Both purchase and refinance activity are up, signaling higher demand for housing. Buyers are refinancing, and they’re choosing FHA loans to do so. Refinance applications using FHA loans increased 76.5% after the drop in mortgage insurance premiums. FHA purchase applications increased 12.4%, according to the MBA. Read the Full Story Here! - http://www.realtor.com//falling-mortgage-rates-fuel-buyin/

MAINTAIN YOUR ROOF THIS WINTER- Winter is tough on roofs. Often, it’s when the cold, windy, and wet weather hits that you first become aware of any roofing problems that have developed within the last few months. Ideally, the fall is the best time to catch and resolve these roofing problems but that doesn’t mean it’s too late. While you might be tempted to wait until warmer weather, keep in mind that every day your roofing problem goes unfixed, it’s getting worse. So if you’v...e spotted roofing troubles, move that to the top of your home improvement list. Though it may not be as much fun to spend money on the outside of your home as it is the inside, it’s crucial that your home is protected from the elements. So here are some tips for taking care of any roofing problems this winter. Read the Full Story Here! - http://jackwilliams.realtytimes.com//32753-maintain-your-r

14 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOME - AND YOUR LIFE- EASIER- Life is busy. Everyday, so many things to do. Finding a few shortcuts is key to keeping on trackand keeping your sanity. Employ a few of these tricks to make your life easier (and better!) 1. Put it on the list... It stinks to be driving home from Lowe's only to remember the one thing you didn't pick up. Or be reminded of four other things you wanted your handyman to fixafter he's already left. Keep two running lists on your phone: one for the home improvement store and one for your fix-it person. That way you'll always have the lists accessible and can add to them as necessary. 2. Stock up on vinegar It can be used to unclog a drain, take ink off a wall, freshen up your washing machine, clean your coffeemaker, get rid of bugs, and about 90 other things. 3. Throw that newspaper in the trash the right way. Wadding it up at the bottom of your trash gives you a place to soak up food juices and keep your trash can fresher. 4. Personalize your luggage. Run a line of colorfully patterned tape across the top of your suitcase. When everyone else is trying to figure out which black bag is theirs, you can easily swoop in, gather your stuff, and be on your way. Read the Full Story Here! - http://realtytimes.com//32714-20150206-14-ways-to-make-you

14 SNEAKY WAYS TO GET YOUR HOME SOLD- Let's face it: Selling a home is stressful. The longer it's on the market, the more stress it brings and the more it typically costs sellers. Having to lower the sales price, sometimes multiple times, carry two mortgages, or delay the purchase of a new home if an existing home won't sell - stinks. You need every advantage you can find to get your home sold. Try a few of these and you'll be packing in no time. 1. Get your neighbors involve...d. Neighbors who like you will be happy to help you get your home sold. Same for those who don't like you. Everyone else might need convincing to lift a finger. Offer a $200 prize to anyone who brings you a buyer who closes. 2. Crowdsource it. Accessing the power of social media will naturally increase the number of people who see your home for sale. Up the ante by offering the same incentive to the person responsible for bringing in the buyer. Read the Full Story Here! - http://realtytimes.com//32640-20150130-14-sneaky-ways-to-g

WHAT BUYERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HOME INSPECTIONS- For many first-time buyers, buying a home can be a scary experience. They know they'll be maintaining or improving a home with little to no maintenance experience, so the solution is to buy a home in perfect condition. So they hire a home inspector to point out all the flaws. The problem is -- no perfect home exists. Air conditioners break, plumbing pipes leak, and roof tiles blow off in the wind.... If you're buying a home, start with a reasonable expectation of what home inspectors can do. Their job is to inform you about the integrity and condition of what you're buying, good and bad. A home inspection should take several hours, long enough to cover all built-in appliances, all mechanical, electrical, gas and plumbing systems, the roof, foundation, gutters, exterior skins, windows and doors. An inspector doesn't test for pests or sample the septic tank. For those, you need industry-specific inspectors. Here's what else you need to do. 1. Make sure the inspector you hire is licensed. The responsibilities of home inspectors vary according to state law and their areas of expertise. 2. Ask what the inspection covers. Some inspection companies have extensive divisions that can provide environmental for radon and lead paint. Be prepared to hire and schedule several inspectors according to your lender's requirements and to pay several hundred dollars for each type of inspection. Read the Full Story Here! - http://realtytimes.com//32628-20150129-what-buyers-should-

HOME RENOVATIONS TO INVEST IN AND AVOID IN 2015- Conventional wisdom tells us that any home renovation is a positive thing: money in is money out. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Some remodeling projects are a better investment than others, and the projects that yield the best return on investment can change from year to year. According to Remodeling Magazine's 2015 Cost vs. Value Report, these five replacement projects will make the greatest percentage impact on t...he value of your home this year -- accounting for cost-to-value ratio, the key to making smart home improvements with resale in mind: 1. Roofing Replacement Roof replacement gives you the biggest bang for your buck in 2015, rising 5.9% over 2014 values at an average cost of $7,740. Roof replacement includes removing the existing roof and installing new shingles with underlayment, flashing, galvanized drip edges and trim. 2. Garage Door Replacement A well-chosen garage door can make a powerful statement and add a beautiful accent to your home. Garage doors come in four basic types: swing-up, roll-up, swing-out or side-sliding. The cost to install a new garage door will vary depending on style and material, but average around $1,150. This cost generally includes the new door, galvanized steel tracks, rollers or hinges, and removal and disposal of the existing door and tracks. Read the Full List Here! - http://realtytimes.com//32688-20150204-home-renovations-to

U.S.NEW HOME SALES JUMP 11.6 PERCENT- Sales of new U.S. homes accelerated strongly in December, a sign that home-buying may improve this year after a lackluster 2014. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that new home sales climbed 11.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000. The gains were not enough to offset essentially flat home-buying over the course of 2014. Just 435,000 new homes were bought last year, a modest 1.2 percent improvement from 2...013. The growth in December pointed to rising sales in 2015, buoyed by the combination of strong hiring in recent months and drastically lower mortgage rates. Home values are also rising at a slower pace, improving affordability for would-be buyers. Last year disappointed in part because builders largely focused on higher-end houses, which limited the number of would-be buyers and kept the pace of construction below historic levels. Roughly 700,000 new homes were sold in the 1990s, nearly a third more than in 2014. Over the past 12 months, median prices for new homes rose 8.2 percent to $298,100 The improved health of the U.S. economy should help boost sales in the coming months. Read the Full Story Here! -http://www.usnews.com//us-new-home-sales-jump-116-percent-

HUD BOSS 'NOT CHANGING WHO QUALIFIES' ON FHA LOANS- The nation's housing czar says new lower annual premiums on Federal Housing Administration loans will not cause another taxpayer bailout. The government insurer of home loans came back into the black last year, after requiring a $1.7 billion taxpayer infusion in 2013. "We're not changing who qualifies for an FHA loan. What we're talking about here is affordability," said Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Cast...ro in an interview Monday on CNBC's "Squawk Box." The FHA is part of HUD. The FHA, which does not originate but insures home loans with down payments as low as 3.5 percent, raised its annual premiums 140 percent during the housing crash. That priced thousands of borrowers out of the market. As of Monday, the premium falls by half a percentage point, from 1.35 percent of the loan balance to 0.85 percent of the loan. "This is a very prudent step in the direction of providing middle-class families with opportunities for buying a home," said Castro. Read the Full Story Here! - http://www.cnbc.com/id/102368008

BOOMERANG HOME BUYERS ARE COMING BACK- Millions of Americans who lost their homes during the foreclosure crisis are now poised to become homeowners again. That's according to a new report from RealtyTrac, which estimates that 7.3 million so-called "boomerang buyers" will return to the U.S. housing market over the next eight years. Foreclosures and short sales skyrocketed after 2007 during the darkest years of the financial crisis and Great Recession. But with the economy gain...ing momentum and hiring picking up, many foreclosed on homeowners are in a position to buy again. Half a million home buyers: Homeowners can recover from foreclosure in as little as three years, but seven years is the "conservative" amount of time it takes to rebuild a credit score, according to RealtyTrac. That means many homeowners who lost their homes in 2007 should be able qualify for a new home loan this year. Read the Full Story Here! - http://money.cnn.com//boomerang-homebuyers-fore/index.html

INVESTORS SEE BENEFIT IN USING IRAS FOR REAL ESTATE- After the nation’s financial crisis, Leslye Schiff decided she had had enough of the highs and lows of the stock market and pulled her money out. Instead, she rolled the money she had in her traditional individual retirement account into a Roth IRA and changed her investment strategy. When her husband Rob left his job a couple of years ago, he rolled over his 401(k) funds into a Roth IRA as well. Now both of them are active...ly making their retirement dollars work for them through various types of real estate-related investments. Through meeting people and networking, we found could do other things with our IRA, says the Mission Viejo, California-based real estate investor. We have made a nice amount of money with our IRAs instead of being in the market and worrying if it was going to tank. We’re more in control of what we’re investing in instead of the unknown. Separate from her IRA, Schiff is a buy-and-hold investor with a portfolio of rental properties in Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. Now, with her IRA, she has expanded into tax liens in Illinois, a couple of real estate syndications, and is invested in gas and oil. She is also starting to invest in real estate notes. Read the Full Story Here! - http://money.usnews.com//investors-see-benefit-in-using-ir

REMODELING HELPS LIFT HOUSING INDUSTRY- While the U.S. housing market continues to recover in fits and starts, the home improvement industry is on a roll, according to a new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The researchers found that strong demand for remodeling could push spending on home improvement to record levels this year, even as the pace of new residential construction remains well below prebust levels.... The improvement boom comes as many would-be trade-up buyers have decided to stay put and fix up or expand their existing homes, the researchers said. Federal and state subsidies for energy-efficient upgrades have also helped. And landlords looking to find new tenants or raise rents have spruced up rental properties. A stronger job market and increased consumer confidence may also be spurring homeowners to get started on a project they deferred when the job market was weaker. That may help explain why spending on discretionary home improvements rose by almost $6 billion between 2011 and 2013, the first increase since 2007. Read the Full Story Here! - http://www.cnbc.com/id/102377015

GAS PRICES AT LOWEST SINCE 2009, BUT BOTTOM IN SIGHT- The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States fell 13.3 cents in the past two weeks, dropping to its lowest level since late April 2009, but the end of a months-long slide may be near. Prices for regular grade gasoline fell to $2.07 a gallon in the survey dated Jan. 23 from the previous survey on Jan. 9, according to the Lundberg survey released Sunday. The recent drop has taken prices down more than $1.24... a gallon from the same period a year ago, a decline driven by losses in the crude oil market from its June peak. However, survey publisher Trilby Lundberg noted that the drop in pump prices was less steep than it had been in previous periods and that the price many wholesale customers paid for gasoline rose in the past 10 days, suggesting a bottoming-out or increase in retail gasoline prices could be looming. Read the Full Story Here! - http://www.nbcnews.com//gas-prices-lowest-2009-bottom-sigh