Cash Sales Continues Decline

Cash Sales Continues Year-Over-Year Decline
The share of all-cash home sales continued its streak of annual declines in October but remained elevated compared to pre-crisis levels, according to data released Wednesday. In estimated that cash transactions accounted for 35.5 percent of total home sales in October 2014, down from 38.7 percent the year prior. The decline continued a downward trend started in January 2013, making October the 22nd straight month to see cash sales decline on an annual basis. Cash sales peaked in January 2011,  "At the current rate of year-over-year decrease, the cash sales share should be back to pre-crisis levels in 2017," read more.

Liens Give First Rights To HOAs

Super Liens Give First Rights To HOAs
Condo-fee foreclosures become headache for homeowners: Condo homeowner associations are increasingly going after owners who have fallen behind on paying their HOA fees by triggering foreclosures against late owners. But some mortgage experts worry the move could have a ripple effect on other owners too in the form of higher interest rates and fees on their mortgage. A legal process gaining traction among states called “super lien” gives HOAs the right to begin a foreclosure proceeding against property owners when the owners are seriously delinquent on their HOA fees. The process is allowed in more than two dozen states  read more.

VA First Time Homebuyers

VA Loan First Time Homebuyers
Purchasing a first home is an exciting milestone in any person's life. For some, the process may also seem very intimidating. How Much Home Can I Afford? Typically, the first question would-be homebuyers ask themselves is, "What can I afford?" There are many factors that determine what a reasonable mortgage payment should be for an individual, including annual income, existing debt payments, down payment (if any), as well as additional costs like homeowners insurance and housing association fees. What do you need to know in order to get the most from your hard-earned VA Loan benefit? Get your questions answered in this video

Looking for Ways to Get Top Dollar

Sellers Looking for Ways to Get Top Dollar
With home-price gains slowing in most parts of the country, sellers will be looking for ways to get top dollar for their listing. Cleaning and staging make a big difference. But for some sellers -- such as investors seeking to bring a property up to neighborhood standards before the sale -- remodeling work may be the ticket. As the 2015 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report makes clear, large-scale jobs aren't likely to return sellers their full cost. But there are improvements worth doing in anticipation of an upcoming sale. Some will return almost 100 percent of their cost. Others may not have as great a payback, but they can improve the market position of the property in relation to the competition.

Best Buy Cities

Provo, Utah Best Buy Cities
Forbes recently spotlighted the top places to invest in the new year, whether for investors looking for rental properties or young professionals looking to make their first home purchase. “The key is to buy in cities with strong job growth that people are moving to, so that the stock of potential tenants for would-be landlords is abundant,” the Forbes.com article notes. The cities in its top 20 list all have strong job markets and population growth, relatively low home prices, and many are still considered undervalued. (View the full list of Forbes top 20 best cities to invest in 2015 at Forbes.com.)

Existing-Home Sales

Home Sales Only Going Up 
Existing-home sales will likely rise about 7 percent this year, as a strengthening economy and job growth leads to a healthier market, according to the National Association of REALTORS®' 2015 housing forecast. "Home prices have risen for the past three years cumulatively about 25 percent, which boosts confidence in the market and traditionally gives current home owners the ability to use their equity buildup as a down payment towards their next home purchase," says Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. Watch a video from NAR to learn more about Yun's expectations on the economy and housing market in 2015:

Interest-Only Loans Return

Good or Bad? Interest-Only Loans Return

As Mortgage Rates Kick Off 2015 at 20-Month Low: Borrowing costs moved even lower this week, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaging 3.73 percent, its lowest average since May 2013. “Meanwhile, the Fed minutes indicated ongoing discussion regarding the timing of the first rate hike.” Many housing economists have predicted that mortgage rates will rise sometime this year, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage likely reaching the upper 4 percent or 5 percent range by the end of the year. Mean while the Interest-only loans, once blamed for the subprime mortgage crisis, are gradually re-emerging. But the product has changed somewhat, which may ease some of the industry's fears about their comeback, read more.