Archive for May, 2006

Is the Midwest The Next Place For Home Appreciation?

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!We have all seen the property value on the coasts run up drastically over the past 5 years. During this same period, the Midwest has shown anemic property value increases. Kenneth Harney writing for the Columbus Dispatch is thinking […]

28May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Orlando Realtor Head Warns of a Soft Market.

Belton Jennings, chief executive officer of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, is a smart guy. He is recognizing the softening of the Orlando Real Estate market, and as opposed to starting a panic or screaming about a crash, he is trying to educate the newer real estate agents on how to cope with it.
The […]

28May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

The Amazing Rotating Home

Al and Janet Johnstone have solved the problem people run into when they have a great view. Most have to decide which rooms get a view and which rooms do not. These non engineers have designed a home that every room has a view, as it can rotate as fast as every 30 minutes or as […]

27May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Time For Fannie Mae To Settle Up

Fannie Mae came under fire for “accounting irregularities” as it put up false earning statements to enrich its executives by millions of dollars. Fannie Mae is a quasi governmentally run company, privately run but with a great deal of governmental support in the marketplace.
The company has agreed to pay 400 million dollars in fines to […]

27May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

30 Year Mortgage Hit 6.62 Percent

The interest rate for a 30 year fixed mortgage hit 6.62 percent nearing its 4 year high. The interest rates for a 15 year fixed rate home loan came in at 6.20 percent and a One Year Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) is at 5.2 percent. The rising rates are pressuring builders and home sellers as the cost of home […]

26May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Real Estate Porn or How You Can Obsess on Real Estate Data

Real Estate Porn is a term popping up more and more. The obsession people have on voyeuring homes, digging into all of the online data sources, and finding out all the details on your neighbors (or celebrity’s) homes. It is easier to do with tools such as Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and many others.
Heck, this […]

25May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Top 10 Small Cities For Business

Forbes has compiled a list of the best small cities for owning a business. Lets face it, owning a business is hard work and when you are in the right place it can be much easier and enjoyable. In this age of the internet it is possible to open a business almost anywhere, and if […]

25May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Tennessee Eminent Domain Bill on Way To Governor

While not the complete victory eminent domain activists wanted, it was still a strong bill that has made its way through the Legislature to the Governors desk that will limit the ability for cities and counties to use eminent domain for anything but public works projects.
This is a great sign and should be commended. It […]

24May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

NY Attorney General Settles With 2 Title Insurance Companies Over Kickbacks

Two title insurance companies in New York have settled with the Attorney General over how they sold their title insurance to consumers. The companies, Fidelity National Title Group Inc. and First American Corp, were accused of paying rebates to developers and national chain stores.
What is ironic is that the title insurance rates are fixed in New […]

24May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Quicken Loans Forced to Repay Mortgage Interest in California

The 9th Circuit Court has ruled that Quicken Loans violated state law in California by improperly overcharging on mortgage interest. The company according to the ruling may be required to repay millions of dollars to customers for mortgage interest that it charged illegally.
Quicken executives say they will look to appeal the case to the […]

24May2006 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued