Mortgage Rates Decline

By NATHAN BECKER APRIL 28, 2011 Wall Street Journal Mortgage rates declined in the latest week, with the average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages edging lower, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly survey of mortgage rates. “Mortgage rates followed...

Real Estate Syndicates

California Department of Real Estate REAL ESTATE SYNDICATION Real estate syndication offers the opportunity to channel private savings into real estate investments for which other financing is not available. It has been a popular method of financing the purchase and...

Progress being made on PHX Sky Train station

First phase of airport’s train to begin operations in early 2013 by Emily Gersema – Apr. 29, 2011 The Arizona Republic Dozens of workers have erected 10,000 tons of steel and 11,000 yards of concrete over recent months to make the pedestrian walkway that...

Sign of the times: Strips malls up for auction

by Colin Smith/KTAR April 25th, 2011 In the south Valley, four foreclosed strip malls are being auctioned off online — a symbol of the struggling commercial real estate market. At the Queen Creek Village, only five of the original 29 stores are still open for...

Realty Executives Phoenix likely to file Chapter 11

Phoenix Business Journal – by Jan Buchholz Date: Friday, April 29, 2011 The flagship franchise of Phoenix-based Realty Executives International likely will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization within the next few days. The franchisor, Realty Executives...

Investors find housing niche

by Peter Corbett – Apr. 22, 2011 The Arizona Republic A Scottsdale real-estate investment company has carved out a small niche in the troubled housing market by putting investors together with homebuyers who cannot get traditional financing. For the past 18...

It Pays to Own a Multi-Family Home

Charles Passy Published April 7, 2011 SMARTMONEY MAGAZINE House prices are still tanking in many parts of the country, mortgage rates are inching up, and job growth is subpar. So what are some homebuyers doing? They’re buying even more home—as in two-, three-...

Credit Score Confusion Leads to Controversy

AnnaMaria Andriotis Published April 8, 2011 Wall Street Journal Smart Money For a key to your financial future, $7 to $20 doesn’t seem like much to pay – which is why consumers regularly pony up for a peek at their credit scores. Now a new lawsuit suggests that...

Why New Homes Don't Sell

A shift in consumer psychology has also hurt new home sales. Pre-recession, buyers expected high-end appliances and fancy countertops, and builders delivered. Now consumers are more enthusiastic about a home that’s easier and cheaper to maintain, says Vogel. For many buyers, that even includes smaller rooms – a rarity in homes built during the real estate boom – that are more affordable to heat or cool. More buyers are also looking to live in or near a city – where relatively fewer new homes exist – to be closer to their job and to spend less on gasoline costs.

Read more: Buyers Shun New Homes – SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/buyers-shun-new-homes-1301521568482/#ixzz1JmlBjc31