Spring Market Conditions Bode Well For Buyers

Optimism about the housing market isn't quite sweeping the nation, but Americans remain sold on the value of home ownership at a good time to be bullish about buying a home.

With home sales and prices still falling, the spring could shape up as an opportune time to make a deal.

The housing downturn hasn't shaken consumers' resolve to consider home ownership an integral part of an American Dream, even among home owners with homes that have lost value [read more...]

Signs of Change: Existing Home Sales Rise 3.6% in June

RISMEDIA, July 24, 2009-Existing-home sales rose for the third consecutive month with inventory easing and home prices declining less sharply in June, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Existing-home sales-including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops-increased 3.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million units in June from a downwardly revised pace of 4.72 million in May, but are 0.2% lower than the 4.90 million-unit level in June 2008.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, is hopeful about the gain. “The increase in existing-home sales occurred in all major regions of the country,” he said. “We expect a gradual uptrend in sales to continue due to tax credit incentives and historically high affordability conditions. Despite the rise in closed transactions, many Realtors® are reporting lost sales as a result of new appraisal standards that went into effect May 1 of this year.”

Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-07-23/signs-of-change-existing-home-sales-rise-36-in-june/#ixzz0MD5pTTMN

Donald Trump says "Now is the greatest time ever to buy a house"

You probably either love him or hate him but you must admit Donald Trump knows real estate. In an interview last night on Larry King Live, Donald Trump said "this is now the greatest time maybe ever, maybe in history, to buy a house." Please see the transcript below:

KING: Latest report, housing up in the last month, in February. And it was up in units that were apartment buildings. What do you make of that?

TRUMP: I think it is the beginning of a positive trend. Real estate has been absolutely beaten down. And this is a great -- as I told you before, I am buying a lot of real estate now. This is a great opportunity to buy real estate. It is a great opportunity for somebody, even with not a lot of money, to go to a bank and buy a beautiful house, better than they ever thought they would buy. The bank will take back financing. They won't give you financing. But if they have a house, they will take back financing. You understand the difference. If you go to the bank and say I want financing, I have the greatest credit rating, they won't give you 10 cents. But they will take back a lot of paper. And that is -- this is now the greatest time maybe ever, maybe in history, to buy a house.

KING: Really? The greatest time ever to buy a house?

TRUMP: I think so.

KING: Will the bank help you buy the house?

TRUMP: You must buy the house from a bank, and they must take back virtually 90 to 100 percent paper. If they've don't, you have no interest in buying a house. You go to the bank; you look at one of their thousands and thousands of houses. You buy that house, but they have to take back financing.

Mr. Trump is on to something. In our market I have found that the banks are more willing to accept offers on houses they own when they will also be providing the financing. There are many great options out there right now for the first-time home buyer to the investor. Contact me to find out how you too can take advantage of this exceptional buyer's market. Let me put my expertise to work for you!