Jane Nicoletti's (smartmoves) Blog

RISMEDIA, April 11, 2009-Thanks to record low mortgage rates and declining home prices, 55 million families - or half of all U.S. households - can afford today’s $200,000 median-priced new home, according to figures released by the National Association of Home Buil...

I just finished listening to Dave Ramsey, as did one million other listeners to a message that he entitled " A Message of Hope". It was wonderful to hear a voice of reason in the these days of media hysteria that do little more that create FEAR in most Americans. Ramsey reminded listeners that FE...

In today's market, sellers have to work harder to persuade buyers that their property is worth the bite.Landscape designer Michael Glassman has cooked up a recipe for guaranteed curb appeal.1. Add splashes of color. With every changing season, a landscape should provide a new display of colors, t...

More than three-quarters (78 percent) of potential first-time home buyers say that now is a good time to buy a home, despite widespread concern about the economy. Out of the 1,000 prospective U.S. first-time home buyers surveyed in early March for the CENTURY 21 First-Time Home Buyer Survey, 68 p...

Elizabeth Kayser, Esq.Kayser & Associates, LLCShort Sale NegotiatorsSt. Louis, Missouri(314) 402-1788 attykayser@sbcglobal.netAttorney at LawOVER HALF OF FORECLOSURES SHOULD BE SHORT SALES USING REALTORS, NOT FORECLOSURESShort sales produce financial and nonfinancial rewards for all key players i...

Environmental psychologist Toby Israel, author of a new book, Some Place Like Home: Using Design Psychology to Create Ideal Place, says people’s childhood homes have a profound effect on what kinds of homes they like best.Before anyone buys, builds, rents or remodels, Israel believes they should ...

Existing-home sales increased in February, reversing losses in January, according to the latest report by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. However, sales activity remains relatively soft, reflecting additional layoffs and buyers waiting for housing provisions in the economic stimulus packag...

Don't be surprised if your friendly lender, the one who invites you to sit down and apply for a mortgage, ushers you politely out the door empty-handed after you've chatted a bit. The sudden chill isn't personal. The Mortgage Bankers Association, or MBA, in Washington, D.C., estimates that about ...

How Big is Your… …following? Is it more important to have a lot of people following you on Facebook or Twitter, or a smaller group with whom you interact more frequently? This seems to be the new debate of the social media world. With a lot of interest in Social Media as a potential source of bu...

1.  Why are the prices of homes dropping substantially in today's market?  Prices are dropping because of the anomaly that occurred during the market boom. Professor Karl Case of Wellesley College and contributing author of the Case-Schiller Home Prices Indices, a quarterly nominal housing price ...