Real Estate Blog LA

Prices have risen for four straight months. The median home price has fallen from a high of $230,200 in July 2006 to a low in February 2008 at $195,600, a drop of 15%. Since February, however, it has risen steadily every month. By May the index (which will be revised on July 24) had risen to $208,600, up $13,000 and a full 6.6%. Another ...

Heating and air conditioning usually represent the biggest portion of home energy bills. As we head into the hottest part of the year, here are some ideas from author and home improvement expert Don Vandervort that will help you stay cool...and save money in the long run: Get 'In the Zone': Creating heating and cooling zones that let ...

DON'T OVERPAY... FILE A PROPERTY TAX APPEAL:Property taxes seem to jump up year after year. Unfortunately, we've become so accustomed to rising taxes that it's no longer a surprise. But here's something that may surprise you. Did you know that over the last eight years, property taxes have actually outpaced even inflation? Those ...

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 ...

An escrow is an arrangement in which a disinterested third party, called an escrow holder, holds legal documents and funds on behalf of a buyer and seller, and distributes them according to the buyer's and seller's instructions. People buying and selling real estate often open an escrow for their protection and convenience. The buyer can ...

If you are currently renting, the following might be helpful. Just for comparison: if you are currently Renting and paying $2k per month and could have bought a $400K home a year ago at last years interest rates with a mortgage of around $1800, that same home today (which might be $380K-due to the softened market) at current interest rates (which ...

*Updated March 11, 2008 Investors (Foreign and Domestic): There are some very real investment opportunities in the Los Angeles CA area involving Multi-Unit Residential properties. As a Buyer, if you are not ready to make a home purchase, you can still own a piece of the dream in Los Angeles through an investment strategy. Los Angeles ...