All entries by this author

Where do most people want to live?

Oct 21st, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Housing News

NEW YORK Oct. 21, 2010 If you could live in any state, except the one you live in now, what state would you choose to live in?
The Harris Poll has asked this question every year since 1997. While California tops the list of most popular states to live in among Echo [...]



Foreclosure wheels begin to turn again for Bank of America, GMAC

Oct 21st, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Financial News

NEW YORK Oct. 21, 2010 Bank of America and Ally Financials GMAC Mortgage have begun to lift their freezes on more than 100,000 foreclosure cases in Florida and other states, saying theyre not finding flaws in their paperwork.
Late Monday, Bank of America issued a statement saying that it expects [...]



Wells Fargo pays $24M to end mortgage probe

Oct 8th, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Housing News

WASHINGTON (AP) Oct. 8, 2010 Wells Fargo is paying $24 million to end an investigation by eight states probing whether lenders acquired by the company made risky mortgages to consumers without disclosing their perils.
The states said loans known as option adjustable rate loans, or pick-a-payment mortgages, were deceptive to [...]



Mortgage rates fall to decades-low of 4.27%

Oct 8th, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Financial News

NEW YORK Oct. 8, 2010 Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to the lowest level in decades for the ninth time in 12 weeks, pushed down by traders anticipating a move by the Federal Reserve to pump more money into the economy.
The average rate for 30-year fixed loans dropped to 4.27 [...]



Mortgage rates hit decades low of 4.32%

Sep 5th, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Financial News

Sept. 3, 2010 Mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in decades for the tenth time in 11 weeks, as investors worried about the economy.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed loan was 4.32 percent this week, down from 4.36 percent last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Thats the [...]



Higher closing costs may not be

Sep 2nd, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Financial News

WASHINGTON Aug. 31, 2010 A new federal rule this year requiring mortgage lenders to give borrowers reliable estimates of closing costs appears to be working whether its also costing borrowers more money is uncertain.
A recent survey by Bankrate.com found that, on average, origination and third-party fees on a [...]



Home prices up 1% in June

Sep 2nd, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Housing News

U.S. home prices rose in June for the third straight month amid a burst of homebuying due to tax incentives that have since expired.
The Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index posted a 1 percent increase in June from May and was up 4.2 percent from a year ago. Home prices [...]



Five reasons to buy a home now

Aug 4th, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Housing News

ORLANDO, Fla. Aug. 4, 2010 The tax credit expired, but its still a great time to buy a home thanks to low mortgage rates and motivated sellers. Here are five reasons why now is a great time to buy:
1. Low mortgage rates serve as an equity shock absorber. When buyers [...]



New law shifts association fees from homeowner to renter

Jul 19th, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Housing News

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. July 19, 2010 Under a new Florida law, homeowner association boards can go after renters for association fees when the homeowners fail to pay up.
The law has been attracting attention in Ponte Vedra Beach and elsewhere in the Beaches area because so many housing developments have [...]



Thousands of home sales depend on extension

Jun 17th, 2010 | By Gregory Arzumanov | Category: Housing News

McLEAN, Va. June 17, 2010 Thousands of pending home sales may be in jeopardy unless Congress extends the June 30 deadline for buyers to close on their deals and claim a tax credit.
The Senate on Wednesday approved a three-month extension, giving buyers until Sept. 30 to close, but it’s attached [...]