Real Estate Blog LA

First up:The loss of tax deductions. In most cases, people who lack a mortgage pay more federal and state income taxes than those who qualify for a mortgage deduction.  A Mortgage Calculator illustrates this point: Assume that a buyer is currently paying $1,500 per month on a rental. If the buyer purchases a $300,000 property with $30,000 ...

In April of 1973, mortgage rates were about the same as they are today. Since that time, we have only had mortgage rates this low during 2001 and 2002, the height of the seller's markets where there was little inventory. In the last two major buyer's markets, one in the early 1980s and the other in the early 1990s, the rates were much ...

Sales of existing homes increased in February and remain within a fairly stable range, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Existing-home sales - including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops - rose 2.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (1) of 5.03 million units in February from a pace of 4.89 million in ...

The National Multi Housing Council projects the number of "households that rent" will increase by  four million over the next 10 years, with half of them renting apartments in properties with five or more units. Looking back at  2007, the group said the number of renters in professionally managed  apartments ...

Due to my efforts in optimizing my website www.LAexclusiveProperty.com I am speaking with more and more International Buyers that are beginning to consider real estate investments in California. The reasons for this traction are the weakened dollar and market dynamics in this state. Home prices have peaked, Supply is the best in more than 10 ...

One of the main reasons for the housing market downturn is the unprecedented run up in home prices (since 2003) which proved to be out of line with inflation and other "fundamentals". When will we see the BOTTOM?When Builders cease with their concessions on new home sales.When we see a surge in foreclosures (we are ...

Question:Which U.S. city has been the worst affected by this year's housing slump???? Answer:Paramount, CA In Paramount, home sales dropped 78% in the third quarter from the third quarter in 2006, from 134 home sales to only 30 last quarter. Home prices in the city, located south of Los Angeles, rose last year to $500,000 for a "typical ...

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said that compelling lenders to alter mortgage contracts would be a damaging tax on the economy and it would be less harmful to simply give the homeowners money. Greenspan's concern is if lenders are compelled, either by law or by government arm-twisting, to change the terms of their mortgage ...

President Bush signed into law Thursday a bill creating a temporary tax break for homeowners who are able to persuade lenders to forgive part of their debt, and extends a tax deduction for some families with private mortgage insurance. For the next three years, the IRS won't count as income debt forgiven by lenders when troubled borrowers ...

My clients that are putting in offers now (April 2008), are starting at 5% to 8% UNDER the list price on homes that have been on the market for at least 45 days with no price reductions. This seems to be working and Sellers have been responsive. For homes with a 60+ DOM and price reductions, I am finding each case is unique, though ...