Category Archives: Real Estate Resources

2006 3rd Highest Sales Year!

WASHINGTON, January 25, 2007 -  Report from NAR Existing-home sales eased but prices stabilized as inventories tightened in December, while 2006 was the third-highest sales year on record, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Total existing-home sales – including …

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What is Inclusionary Zoning?

Inclusionary zoning is a land-use concept in which local ordinances require builders to include a certain amount of housing for low- and moderate-income households. In contrast, exclusionary zoning is a technique that effectively drives up the cost of housing, excluding …

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Home Improvement Spending

According to the Joint Centerfor Housing Studies at Harvard, Americans spent $168.7 billion on home improvements and repairs in 2006, 1.5 percent more than in 2005. At the same time the Joint Center came out with its data, the National …

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50-Year Mortgages?

First there were five-year loans. Next, the Federal Housing Administration was created in 1934 to pioneer the 30-year mortgage. Then last year, several lenders reprised the concept of a mortgage with a 40-year term, and old idea whose time might …

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Housing Affordability Index Hits Lowest Point in 15 Years

The National Association of Realtors reported that the Housing Affordability index has fallen to its lowest level since 1991.   What this means for the average consumer (household) is that the combination of interest rate hikes, real estate appreciation, and other …

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New York Market, St. Joseph to the Rescue

New York Brokers are beginning to see longer market times.  They are even using St. Joseph’s statue, long a staple of challenging Vermont markets and often ordered by the dozens.If you are desparate to sell your home, even St. Joseph …

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