Ira Freireich's (bestbroker) Blog

Low mortgage rates and home prices helped fuel a sharp increase in home sales during the month of December, according to the National Association of Realtors. The group says existing-home sales during the month took place at an annual rate of 5.28 million, which was up more than 12 percent from ...

During the winter, most Americans experience low temperatures and an increase in utility bills, especially for the cost of heating their homes. Each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, approximately 43 percent of utility costs go toward heating and cooling. With even warm states ex...

  Pending home sales rose 2% in December from the prior month for the fifth gain in six months but remain below the year-ago period, according to the National Association of Realtors. NAR said its pending home sales index, which is based on contracts signed, increased to 93.7 last month up from a...

  The top mortgage lender, in the country has called for borrowers to come up with 30% down if they want to avoid higher mortgage rates and more restrictive lending tied to the “risk retention” requirements related to the Dodd‐Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Essentia...

The nation’s love affair with Mansions continues to wane: The average size of new single-family homes completed last year fell again, a trend expected to continue for several years, the National Association of Home Builders said at its annual conference recently. In 2010, completed homes measured...

Are you gearing up to buy your first place? Shopping for a home is exciting, exhausting and a little scary. In the end, your aim is to end up with a home you love at a price you can afford. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes that prevent them from achieving that simple dream. Arm yourself w...

If you’re a homeowner, chances are your house is worth less than it was five years ago. But you could still be paying more to insure it. Despite the deep housing bust of the last few years, the cost of rebuilding a damaged home — in other words, what you pay insurance for — has not changed much,...

1. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau - The structure to promote what may be sweeping overhaul of mortgage products, processes and disclosures should be put in place by July 21, 2011. Elizabeth Warren, charged with creating the structure of the new Bureau, is expected to have much of the framewo...

For 2011, forecasted growth was upgraded from 2.9 percent to 3.4 percent based on the positives in the recent reports. The forecast anticipates improving labor market conditions, despite the huge disappointment from the November employment report. The housing recovery should gain momentum going i...

The housing market will remain in hibernation this winter and, without the benefit of a federal home buying tax credit, keep snoring right on through the spring, according to two recent studies. However, by the third quarter of 2011, pent up demand could stir the market from its slumber and gener...