IRS Sets New Rules for $8,000 Tax Credit for Un-Married Home Buyers and Parent Co-signing a Mortgage

The IRS has spelled out additional guidelines for eligibility for the home buyer $8,000 tax credit when co-borrowers purchase a property.
When a home-owning parent of an adult child co-signs for a mortgage and both names appear on the note, the IRS says that under some circumstances, the first-time home buyer can qualify for the whole [...]

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New FHA Guidelines for Condo Buyers – Effective December 8, 2009

The Federal Housing Administration issued new condo-loan guidelines which took effect December 8, 2009.
The new guidelines will make it easier for condo buyers to qualify for FHA loan.
Under previous guidelines, half of the units in a new condo development had to be sold before the FHA would underwrite a mortgage in the complex. New guidelines [...]

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Arlington County, VA, Virginia, Residential Real Estate and Homes For Sale, MLS Real Estate Listings and Open Houses Search – October 2009 Real Estate Statistics

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics, MLS real estate listings and Homes for Sale for ARLINGTON COUNTY, Virginia, for the month of OCTOBER 2009 in the $1,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other privately sold properties.
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To [...]

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October 2009 Real Estate Statistics, Residential Real Estate and Homes for Sale, MLS Real Estate Listings in Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William County, VA, Virginia

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics, MLS real estate listings and Homes for Sale for the Northern Virginia area for the month of OCTOBER 2009 in the $100,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other [...]

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The $8,000 and $6,500 Tax Credit for Home Buyers Expires April 30, 2010 – $8,000 Tax Credit Extended and Expanded

On November 7, 2009 the $8,000 tax credit was extended and expanded. The new tax credit is good through April 30, 2010.
The new tax credit:
1) 10% of purchase price with maximum $8,000 – in other words, homes below $80,000 get 10% tax credit, and all homes above $80,000 and below $800,000 get $8,000 tax credit [...]

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The Pride of Homeownership – From Renter to Homeowner

A recent study by Bankrate.com showed that despite the economic downturn, 92% of Americans believe that owning a home is a good investment and a hedge against a potential inflation, because even if prices do go up, the monthly mortgage payments on 15 year or 30 year mortgage loan stay the same.
Indeed, the benefits of [...]

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Renters Can Stay in Fannie Mae Foreclosed Homes – Foreclosures Hard on Renting Families with School Age Children

The Urban Institute published its seventh annual report titled “Housing in the Nation’s Capital.”
According to the report, more than 100,000 mortgages – almost 8% of all loans in the Washington, D.C. region – were delinquent in June, 2009.  And additional 51,500 were more than 90 days past due – with probability quite high that they [...]

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Arlington County, VA, Virginia, September 2009 Real Estate Statistics, Residential Real Estate and Homes For Sale, MLS Real Estate Listings and Open Houses

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics, MLS real estate listings and Homes for Sale for ARLINGTON COUNTY, Virginia, for the month of SEPTEMBER 2009 in the $1,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other privately sold properties.
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To [...]

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September 2009 Real Estate Statistics, Residential Real Estate and Homes for Sale, MLS Real Estate Listings in Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William County, VA, Virginia

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics, MLS real estate listings and Homes for Sale for the Northern Virginia area for the month of SEPTEMBER 2009 in the $100,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other [...]

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Interest Rates on Long-Term Mortgages Near Record Low during 2009

Thirty-year, fixed-rate mortgages moved closer to the all-time low of 4.82 percent reached in May 2009, falling to 4.87 percent the last week of September 2009, according to Freddie Mac.
Home owners who refinance have an opportunity to reduce their payment on a 30-year, fixed-rate loan for $200,000 by nearly $134 a month from a year ago, [...]

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Mortgage Defaulters De-Mystified – 50% of Defaulters have High Credit Scores. CDPE pre-qualification for a Short Sale.

It is assumed by many that borrowers who default on their mortgages are low-income and purchased their home without being able to afford it by taking advantage of low interest rates and lax lending practices. Or that those borrowers signed mortgages without fully understanding the fine print. Or that they qualified for a loan based on [...]

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Washington, D.C. among Top Cities Destined for Fastest Recovery

Which cities are likely to be the hottest post-economic downturn destinations for young, brilliant, and highly mobile workers?
The Wall Street Journal surveyed six trend-spotting experts and they chose cities based on economic diversity, lifestyle and their own personal preferences.  Similar study was done by Forbes Magazine.
Here’s the top-10 list:

Washington, D.C. (tie) with Seattle
New York
Portland, OR
Austin, [...]

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August 2009 Real Estate Statistics, MLS Residential Real Estate and Homes For Sale in Arlington County, Virginia

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics, MLS real estate listings and Homes for Sale for ARLINGTON COUNTY, Virginia, for the month of AUGUST 2009 in the $1,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other privately sold properties.
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To [...]

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August 2009 Statistics, Real Estate and Homes for Sale in Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William County

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics for the Northern Virginia area for the month of AUGUST 2009 in the $100,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other privately sold properties.
 
ARLINGTON COUNTY

 ARLINGTON

AUGUST, 2009

PREVIOUS MONTH

 AUGUST, [...]

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Luxury Homes Share the Housing Market Pain – Jumbo Mortgages in Shortage

  
Luxury homes used to be immune to market downturns, but this recession is different. The housing market is volatile at all price levels.
 
While low and moderately-priced housing markets have taken off in many parts of the country, the higher-end market is still struggling. Sales are slow and more price declines are imminent.
The problem in the [...]

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Americans Believe in Home Ownership Despite the Housing Bust – Real Estate as Inflation Hedge

The last few years were not kind to homeownership.
However, despite all of the bad news in the media and websites like Zillow.com about homeownership and mortgages, most Americans still believe buying a home is a great investment, according to a new study by Bankrate.com.
Among the findings from the study:

92 percent say that a home [...]

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Renters Want Air Conditioning, In-Unit Laundry – 2009 Survey by Apartments.com

Apartments.com conducted a survey to determine what renters want most and concluded that the five most-desired amenities by renters in 2009 were:

Air conditioning
 Balcony, deck, patio, porch or yard
 On-site swimming Pool
 In-unit washer and dryer
 Internet access

 
More than 45 percent said they have decided against renting an apartment because it lacked an in-unit laundry and/or air conditioning.
More than [...]

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July 2009 Statistics, Real Estate and Homes For Sale in Arlington County, Virginia

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics for Arlington County, Virginia, for the month of JULY 2009 in the $1,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other privately sold properties.
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The Table below shows the most relevant real estate [...]

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July 2009 Statistics, Real Estate and Homes for Sale in Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William County

A Summary of the Residential Real Estate Statistics for the Northern Virginia area for the month of JULY 2009 in the $100,000 to $5 Million price range. The data applies only to properties that were Listed and Sold through MLS-MRIS and does not take into account For Sale By Owner, FSBO, and other privately sold properties.
 
ARLINGTON COUNTY

 ARLINGTON

 . JULY,2009.

PREVIOUS MONTH

 JULY, [...]

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Keller Williams Realty Ranked First in Home Buyer Satisfaction and Second in Home Seller Satisfaction for 2009

Keller Williams Realty ranked first on the customer-service rankings among home buyers and Coldwell Banker scored highest among home sellers in the annual J.D Power and Associates 2009 Home Buyer/Seller study.
The study measures customer satisfaction with the largest national real estate companies. The most significant factor is the buyer/seller experience with the practitioner. Other factors [...]

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