Highlights
Buying a house, condo or other real estate the largest and most complex purchase most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to locate properties that fit their needs and budget. As a result, while about 90 percent of tr...
Buying a house, condo or other real estate the largest and most complex purchase most Americans will ever make -- remains a huge part of the economy. In 2007, a dismal time for the business, about 6.3 million housing transactions occurred in the United States, according to the Realtor's trade group. But the market has taken a serious body blow in recent years. The National Association of Realtors predicted the sales of existing homes in 2007 would be 10.8 percent below 2006. Sales of new homes were expected to be at the lowest level in a decade. The Internet has made it much easier for a layperson to locate properties that fit their needs and budget. As a result, while about 90 percent of transactions involve a real estate agent, the rest were simply buyers and sellers hooking up independently. By-owner sales are popular among many people, in part because it saves on commissions. But even more buyers favor using a real estate agent who has the expertise and time to negotiate the complex processes. It may be obvious that no purchase in your life will ever be as crucial, but the good news is that it does not have to be as intimidating as you think. The single best piece of advice is not to let the big numbers and the jargon unnerve you. Simple, easy-to-understand step-by-step advice and instructions are available in literally hundreds of books in the library, on-line articles and websites (enter the words "real estate tips" and "selling" or "buying" in any search engine). Most give the exact same information although each may have a bit of a bias such as favoring by-owner or using a Realtor. Other significant advice: have patience; this can often be a long process and time usually is on your side. Trust your instincts; if a deal seems too good to be true, there's often a reason. Believe in options; just like buying a used car, there is always another house out there. Buying a home is essentially a lengthy parade of complex decisions, starting with whether this is the right time to be making a transaction. But the websites and books lay out the specific criteria you can use to make an informed judgment call rather than just making a blind guess. For buyers, the process includes finding out precisely how much you can spend on a house without destroying your standard of living; locating financing; identifying a large array of potential homes so you are not focused on one choice; visiting, inspecting and evaluating properties; negotiating a deal, and closing the deal.
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Six charged in real estate fraud scheme
Six people, including a Laguna Beach woman and men from Huntington Beach and Irvine, have been charged by federal prosecutors with participating in a fraudulent real estate scheme. The defendants are accused of selling bank-owned properties for as much...Tags: Defendants, Justice System, Court Preliminary, Crime, Law and Justice, Trials
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Community Commentary: Bank bailouts needs to stop
As thousands of homes are forfeited to banks each year, I continue to receive calls from constituents who cannot understand why financial institutions seem to prefer foreclosures and short sales on homes rather than to work with homeowners on loan...Tags: Financial and Business Services, Career and Workplace, Unemployment, Economy, Business and Finance, Business Institutions
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Senat, 81, founded nonprofit society
Martin Senat, the president of the Preservation Society of Huntington Dog Beach, has died. He was 81.
Senat, who had been in declining health, died Sunday of unspecified causes, according to Amy Tucker, the chief financial officer for the preservation...Tags: Dog (animal), Huntington Beach, Real Estate Sellers
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Home tweet home
Your real estate agent wants to be your friend. Not your bowling or bridge partner, or a confidante to phone after a particularly tough day, but your social media buddy, a person who will keep you up-to-speed with newsy updates and insider information...Tags: Jefferson Park, LinkedIn Corp., Real Estate Agents, Media Industry, Twitter, Inc.
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Florida Crystals advances plan for cargo hub in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County's Florida Crystals, the big sugar producer and landholder, has taken another step toward starting an inland warehouse and distribution center by partnering with a leading logistics firm. Florida Crystals said Thursday that it has teamed...Tags: Miramar, The Home Depot, Palm Beach County, Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale
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Neighborhood objections delay new 'workforce housing' near Boynton Beach
Growing opposition to an influx of price-controlled homes on Thursday helped temporarily delay plans for a 400-home development proposed west of Boynton Beach. Neighboring residents this month flooded county commissioners with emails objecting to the...Tags: Personal Income, Religion and Belief, Condos and Houses, Boynton Beach, Values
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FDLE: Man posed as real estate agent, took down-payments on homes not for sale
Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents say a Central Florida man posed as a real estate agent and collected down payments on homes that were not for sale. Paul Vencatasawmy was arrested by FDLE agents last week on a charge of scheme to defraud, and...
Tags: Homes, Real Estate, Services and Shopping, Law Enforcement
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Thursday letters to the editor
Politicians held to higher standard My Mother's Day breakfast was interrupted with the article on Commissioner Dale Holness and the claim that he was just another victim of the real estate situation here in Broward County. The fact that he claims he was...Tags: Israel, Social Security, Boynton Beach, Turkey, Turkey (animal)
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Eurozone's turmoil threatens global economy
When economic and financial conditions have grown particularly dicey in the eurozone during the last couple of years, European leaders have made a habit of throwing pacifiers at the markets. So as European leaders meet in Brussels on Wednesday, the...Tags: Citigroup Incorporated, Economy, Business and Finance, Economic Indicator, Brazil, Heart Attack
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Oprah puts one of her Chicago condos on market for $2.8M
Special to the TribuneMedia giant and former talk-show host Oprah Winfrey placed her eight-room, 4,607-square-foot Streeterville co-op unit on the market on Tuesday for $2.8 million, half of what she paid for the unit in 2006. The three-bedroom unit never was Winfrey's...Tags: Talk Shows (genre), Chicago, Streeterville, Oprah Winfrey, Condos
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Eurozone's turmoil threatens global economy
When economic and financial conditions have grown particularly dicey in the eurozone during the last couple of years, European leaders have made a habit of throwing pacifiers at the markets. So as European leaders meet in Brussels on Wednesday, the...Tags: Economy, Business and Finance, Economic Indicator, Heart Attack, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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Burbank home sales still falling
The number of single-family houses on the market in Burbank remained sparse last month, but the number of condominiums for sale held steady, according to the latest real estate figures. There were 128 single family homes on the market last month, down...Tags: Homes, Condos, Auto Trends, Real Estate, Realty
Apr 25, 2012
|Story| HB Independent
Sep 1, 2010
|Story| HB Independent
Jul 28, 2010
|Story| HB Independent
May 25, 2012
|Story| Chicago Tribune
May 24, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 24, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 24, 2012
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
May 24, 2012
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 24, 2012
|Column| Chicago Tribune
May 23, 2012
|Story| Chicago Tribune
May 23, 2012
|Column| Chicago Tribune
May 22, 2012
|Story| Burbank Leader
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