All posts by Special Report
Smooth moves prevent identity theft
Moving can be an overwhelming and distracting experience that creates opportunities for enterprising criminals to steal your identity.
VA home loan appraisal standards strict, but not insurmountable
Q: Veterans Affairs loans? Aren't those impossible to get through escrow? A: Not according to the 540,000 people who obtained VA loans in 2012. Q: Doesn't a home have
CFPB amends CARD Act, giving stay-at-home spouses, partners greater access to credit cards
“Stay-at-home spouses or partners who have access to resources that allow them to make payments on a credit card can now get their own cards.” CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU
Cluttering up the American Dream
MEG SULLIVAN | UCLA (Originally published June 12, 2012) - It's the place to look for the plumber's phone number, the date of the next doctor's appointment,
Rental property investments require cash, but much more valuable landlording skills
ADA VASSILOVSKI - In 2012, investment buyers, cashing in on affordable home prices, purchased the second highest share of all new and existing homes sold in a given
How long will the Fed buy mortgage-backed securities?
VANGUARD - Amid reports of reduced consumer prices and a spotty job market, the Federal Reserve's upcoming policy meeting likely will grapple with the question: How long should
$70.1 million in counseling funds to help 193,000 families
NEIGHBORWORKS AMERICA - NeighborWorks America (NWA) today announced that $70.1 million has been awarded to 30 state housing finance agencies (HFAs), 17 HUD-approved housing counseling intermediaries, and 72
Is your real estate agent really working for you?
"You need to use a little truth serum to get prospective real estate agents to come clean." BECKI SALTZMAN - Before you sell your home, agree to a listing
California’s home prices at highest level in 5 years; competition intensifies
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS - Strong sales in higher-cost coastal regions and heated market conditions drove California's median home price to its highest level in March since May
Housing discrimination against gays, transgenders, families, marital status alive, too well, legal in most states
“It’s high time to amend the Fair Housing Act to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity as well as source of income.” NATIONAL FAIR HOUSING ALLIANCE -
Your home isn’t selling because…
LAURA N. OATLEY - Your home has languished unsold on the market for months, but you can't fathom why. Chances are, you've overlooked what buyers really want. Let's take
4.2 million Independent Foreclosure Review-related payments up to $125,000 begin today
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD - Payments to 4.2 million borrowers are scheduled to begin today April 12 following an agreement reached by the Office of the Comptroller of the
CFPB: Mortgage insurers to pay $15.4 million to end kickbacks
CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced four enforcement actions to end what the Bureau believes to be improper kickbacks paid by
Silicon Valley nonprofit buys, rehabs homes for first-time, moderate-income home buyers
NHSSV - Allen and Erin Johnson were more than a little discouraged in their attempts to buy a home. Time after time, they would make an offer on
$1 million grant to put more teeth into enforcing California’s ‘Homeowner Bill of Rights’
CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris recently announced a $1 million California Homeowner Bill of Rights (HBOR) implementation grant to The National Housing Law Project. This
Housing recovery off the hook; existing home inventory up for first time in two years; sales highest since 2009
CAPITAL ECONOMICS - The increase in the number of existing home sales in February is more evidence that the housing recovery is continuing unabated. But the real news in
California home sales slump with short supply; demand boosts median price 21%
DATAQUICK - An estimated 28,719 new and resale houses and condos sold statewide last month. That was down 0.5 percent from 28,871 in January, and down 3.1 percent
SF Bay Area home sales droop with tight supply; median price off the hook, up 24.6%
"The last time the number of homes sold exceeded the historical average for a given month was back in 2006." DATAQUICK - San Francisco Bay Area home sales eased
HUD rolls out fair housing app
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today unveiled the first housing discrimination mobile application (app) for iPhone
Cosmetic blunders that burn buyers
JESSI HALL - Prepping a home to sell? There's some serious work cut out for you because your property will elicit an immediate emotional response from buyers. To make
