Foreclosures Update
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Archived Under: Directory Updates , Real Estate
Tags: Directory Updates, Foreclosures, Real Estate
The recently created Moneysmartz Foreclosures page offers tips, advice, and solutions to consumers facing the nightmare of foreclosure. For links to agencies and organizations offering consumer assistance, visit the Federal Reserve Education foreclosure page, a Moneysmartz Editor Best Bet. When using Google to find foreclosure information, beware of the numerous foreclosure listing sites targeting real estate investors, as many offer little useful information for consumers facing foreclosure. If you are a real estate investor looking for local foreclosures, then try RealtyTrac, the self-proclaimed "#1 source of foreclosure listings." For ways to avoid foreclosures, look to About Home Buying, with links to how foreclosures work and ways to stop foreclosures.
Money Real Estate Survival Guide 08
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Archived Under: Real Estate , The Moneysherpa Pages
Tags: Money Magazine, Real Estate, The Moneysherpa Pages
Money Magazine's 2008 Real Estate Survival Guide offers a tale of a world turned upside down with growth predicted for Syracuse, Buffalo, and Scranton, and dire times for the darlings of real estate, including Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. With projected eye-popping real estate price declines, what can we do to survive and for the select few, even prosper?The Money Magazine Real Estate Survival Guide offers facts, tips, and insight. Here's how to make the most of the guide:
- Get the facts about your market including home price data for 381 markets.
- Learn the new rules of real estate including how homes will be financed in the future, what to ask your next mortgage broker, and a video on real estate trends.
- Try to stay positive, but if you must wallow in a little misery, take consolation in tales from the California bust.
DotHomes.com
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Archived Under: New and Notable , Real Estate
Tags: DotHomes, New and Notable, Real Estate
Dubbed the "Google of property" by Esquire, UK, DotHomes recently launched in the United States after success in the UK and South Africa.According to the DotHome's website, "Consumers use DotHomes to quickly search over thousands of estate agent Websites across multiple countries, with relevant search results taking consumers to property listings on these Websites. Underlying DotHomes' search mechanism is a proprietary data-mining technology which allows for scalable and accurate indexing (aggregation) of property listings directly from estate agency Websites--with zero cost or effort for estate agents."
The benefit to you is blazing fast search results with links to the original listing, Google maps, aerials views, and video tours. The search interface is user friendly and includes tools to refine your search parameters.
If you are looking to buy or rent, a visit to DotHomes should yield fast results.
FrontDoor
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Archived Under: New and Notable , Real Estate
Tags: FrontDoor, New and Notable, Real Estate
Is there a refreshing spring breeze in the real estate market? While it is too early for talk of a full-blown real estate recovery, HGTV's FrontDoor offers hope for a fresh start and better future.Launched in December last year by Scripps Networks and powered by HGTV, FrontDoor enters the crowded space of online real estate listings.
"FrontDoor closes the loop for the millions of home enthusiasts who know and trust HGTV as a valued resource, while also supporting the business strategy of strengthening our footprint in the home space online as well as on-air," says John Lansing, president of Scripps Networks. "With our family of brands, we are able to provide entertaining and easy to understand information to consumers covering the entire home-ownership lifecycle -- from search and decision-making with FrontDoor, to decoration and personalization with HGTV, maintenance and remodeling with DIY Network and HGTV Pro, then preparation to sell and start the cycle again with FrontDoor."
FrontDoor is in beta, but already has an impressive list of partners including Century 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA and Sotheby's International Realty.
FrontDoor hopes to stand out from the crowd through the experience of HGTV, a television and online leader in home and garden content.
If you are looking to buy, sell, move, or finance a home, FrontDoor provides tools, information, and more than 300 videos to enrich and improve your real estate decisions.
An inviting portal to the inevitable real estate recovery, hope springs eternal at FrontDoor.
HotPads.com
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Archived Under: Life Events , Local Financial Services , New and Notable , Real Estate
Tags: HotPads.com, Life Events, Local Financial Services, New and Notable, Real Estate, Rent vs. Buy
Searching for rent vs. buy information about a local real estate market? HotPads.com combines maps, visual images, and information to give you a birds eye view of rental and buying opportunities in local markets. If you want to compare available sales and rentals by price range, then HotPads.com is worth a visit.
Housing Values in 152 Markets
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Archived Under: Moneysmartz Editor , Real Estate , The Moneysherpa Pages
Tags: Moneysmartz Editor, Real Estate, The Moneysherpa Pages
With so much of our net worth tied up in real estate, it's not surprising that we are obsessed with home prices. Is your home overvalued? Fairly valued? Undervalued?
To answer these questions and learn more about the state of the housing market, the December issue of SmartMoney includes a spreadsheet of housing values in 152 markets and a review of what's happening in real estate now that the bloom is off the housing boom.
Real Estate Rules for a Down Market
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Archived Under: Baby Boomers , Moneysmartz Editor , Real Estate , The Moneysherpa Pages
Tags: Baby Boomers, Moneysmartz Editor, Real Estate, The Moneysherpa Pages
Because home equity represents a significant percentage of total household net worth for most Americans, particularly the baby boomer generation that is now approaching retirement, real estate market downturns wreak havoc on our collective state of well-being.
Our current market downturn has captured the attention of a host of real estate bubble blogs and more recently cover stories from financial and general news magazines.
One of these cover stories worth a read comes from the November issue of Business 2.0, featuring real estate guidance, including where to buy, where not to buy, bubble proof markets, and new rules of real estate.
For the Rich Dad, Poor Dad crowd, the feature provides advice on buying low and renting high including a tidy formula for how to make the rent pay.
With the raft of real estate guidance, you have a fighting chance to protect your home equity or even increase your net worth with a few well-informed moves.
Baby Boomers and Real Estate
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Archived Under: Baby Boomers , Life Events , Moneysmartz Editor , Real Estate , Retirement Planning , The Moneysherpa Pages
Tags: Baby Boomers, Life Events, Moneysmartz Editor, Real Estate, Retirement Planning, The Moneysherpa Pages
As the first of the baby boomers turn 60 and begin to seriously contemplate retirement, get ready for even more coverage about this cohort of 78 million Americans. The good news for everyone is that the information and advice should be helpful for all generations, particularly since so many pundits regularly voice concern about the sad state of retirement planning and savings in the United States.
An example of this media barrage, Newsweek's The Boomer Files, is a noteworthy boomer resource. The most recent installment focuses on real estate, with advice about where to retire, second homes, and real estate strategies such as reverse mortgages and mortgage payoffs.
This is serious stuff for boomers turning 60 and for the rest of us a glimpse into our future and opportunity to get ahead of the game.
Real Estate Bubble Blogs Revisited
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Archived Under: Directory Updates , Financial Blogs , Real Estate
Tags: Financial Blogs, Real Estate, Real Estate Bubble Blogs
Today, Bloomberg.com reported that weakness in the housing market may result in the first median price home price decline since the Great Depression. Scary stuff. However, for many real estate bubble bloggers, the Bloomberg report is old news. If you are worried about the housing market, particularly in your neighborhood, then the recently updated Moneysmartz Housing Bubble Blog category may provide the information you need. The category contains regional blogs, including Pigginton's Econo-Almanac, focusing on the Southern California real estate market and Seattle Bubble, chronicling where else, the Seattle market. Patrick.net, a Moneysmartz Pick, offers both national and regional coverage.
Real Estate Websites
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Archived Under: Best of the Personal Finance Web , Real Estate
Tags: Best of the Personal Finance Web, Real Estate
If you have ever left a buffet unsatisfied, then you know the downside of quantity over quality. Sometimes more is less. In the case of Move.com, the Moneysmartz selection for Best of the Web real estate website, more is more. Move.com offers a full buffet of online real estate services, including real estate and rental listings, neighborhood and school resources, and moving tools. Move.com will officially launch later this year, combining the resources of several prominent real estate websites, including Realtor.com, Moving.com, and Homestore.com.
Real Estate Investing Blogs
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Archived Under: Best of the Personal Finance Web , Financial Blogs , Investing , Real Estate
Tags: Best of the Personal Finance Web, Financial Blogs, Investing, ProHabber, Real Estate, Real Estate Investing
Nothing can take the place of experience. In real estate investing, perhaps the best experience comes from walking away from the security of a 9 to 5 paycheck and giving it all to real estate investing. If you are looking to begin real estate investing, then you should consider spending some time with ProHabber.com, the Moneysmartz choice for Best of the Web real estate investing blog. Started by a full-time real estate investor, ProHabber.com offers guidance on every aspect of real estate investing. If you are new to the game, then be sure to read ProHabber's Investing Rules. For inspiration on getting started as a full-time real estate investor, read more about ProHabber's author, Bryan Casteel.
BuySide Realty
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Archived Under: Life Events , New and Notable , Real Estate
Tags: Buying a Home, BuySide Realty, Life Events, New and Notable, Real Estate
Internet savvy homebuyers know the pain of finding a home without the assistance of an agent, and then forking over a hefty commission. The Walk-Through reported the launch of BuySide Realty, a service designed to put a large chunk of the buy side agent commission in your pocket. BuySide recently launched with licensed agents in 27 states. Is this the beginning of the end for brick and mortar agents? Probably not says Joe Fox, a BuySide co-chief executive, but expect more competitors to enter the market and more opportunities for saving money when purchasing your next home.
Google Real Estate
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Archived Under: Life Events , New and Notable , Real Estate
Tags: Buying a Home, Google Real Estate, Life Events, New and Notable, Real Estate
Shimon Sandler recently reported the launch of a beta real estate product by Google. Like most Google products, the interface is intuitive. To test, go to Google; enter "real estate" (and presumably other related key words) in the search box. You should then see a "refine your search" box like the one below. Choose location and listing type, then click search housing. The result should be a map with listings.
Google Real Estate Search Results for Los Angeles
Real Estate Blogs
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Archived Under: Best of the Personal Finance Web , Financial Blogs , Real Estate
Tags: Best of the Personal Finance Web, Calculated Risk, Financial Blogs, Matrix, Real Estate, The Real Estate Blog, The Walk Through
Moneysmartz recently completed a survey of real estate blogs, finding a variety of useful general-interest real estate blogs. The Moneysmartz real estate blog category includes blogs about real estate trends, economics, news, opinion, and urban living. This category is also a catchall for blogs not fitting into categories such as real estate investing, real estate bubble, and regional real estate. From this list, Moneysmartz identified a select few must adds to your feed readers and bookmarks.
The Walk-Through - The New York Times real estate blog.
Calculated Risk - By a senior executive, retired from a public company, with a background in investing, finance and economics.
Matrix - Items of interest or relevance in the real estate economy.
The Real Estate Blog - Real estate happenings, prices, trends, and notes of interest.
Real Estate Blogs
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Archived Under: Directory Updates , Financial Blogs , Real Estate
Tags: Financial Blogs, Real Estate
The Moneysmartz real estate blog category includes blogs about real estate trends, economics, news, opinion, and urban living. This category is also a catchall for blogs not fitting into categories such as real estate investing, real estate bubble, and regional real estate. The Moneysmartz real estate blog category is most helpful if you are looking for real estate news and trends or a diverse perspective on the real estate industry. Because blogs in this category are generally more eclectic, be prepared to dig deeper to find posts of relevance to your concerns.
- Calculated Risk - By a senior executive, retired from a public company, with a background in investing, finance and economics.
- grow-a-brain - The original real estate blog.
- Hot Property - The real story on real estate from Business Week Online.
- Housing.com - Housing news, analysis, and opinion.
- housingfinance - Deals, subsidies, gossip, taxes, and sneaky fine print in the world of rental real estate, from the editors and writers of Apartment Finance Today and Affordable Housing Finance magazines.
- Inman News - Real estate news and advice for buyers, sellers and investors.
- Matrix - Items of interest or relevance in the real estate economy.
- Counter Intelligence: The Real Estate Cafe Weblog - The Real Estate Cafe weblog is a consumer advocate's guide to saving money and recreating the residential estate industry online.
- Real Estate Directory - Real Estate Directory of Realtor websites and blogs.
- The Foreclosure Report - Real Estate foreclosure news and information.
- The Real Estate Blog - Real estate happenings, prices, trends, and notes of interest.
- The Real Estate Bloggers - Real estate news and information.
- The Walk-Through - New York Times Real Estate Blog - New York Times real estate blog.
- Triple Mint - Online review dedicated to new urban residential development, design, and living.
- Urban Trekker Blog - Tracking urban living and real estate trends in the nation and Washington, DC.
- Vacation Home Insider - Savvy news about second homes, vacation homes, fractionals and resorts from a professional reporter.
- Zillow Blog - Blog of online real estate service Zillow.com.
Regional Real Estate Blogs
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Archived Under: Directory Updates , Financial Blogs , Real Estate
Tags: Financial Blogs, Moneysmartz Updates, Real Estate, Regional Real Estate Blogs
Blogging is an easy way for real estate agents, mortgage bankers, and other real estate professionals to promote their services. Regional real estate blogs offer property listings, mortgage information, economic data, news, and even local activities and events. Regional real estate blogs are most helpful if you are relocating, looking for a new home, or want to take the pulse of your region. Here's the current Moneysmartz list of regional real estate blogs:
- Behind The Mortgage - Twin cities real estate.
- Brownstoner - An unhealthy obsession with historic Brooklyn brownstones and the neighborhoods and lifestyles they define.
- Curbed - In New York City, it comes back to real estate, rent and the neighborhoods we inhabit.
- Curbed LA - LA real estate news and information.
- Curbed SF - LA real estate news and information.
- Northern Virginia Real Estate Guide - A real estate blog providing information about the DC Metro, Northern Virginia (NOVA) real estate scene.
- SocketSite - A San Francisco real estate blog covering trends, insight, and breaking news.
- The New York Observer Real Estate - Real estate news, information, and commentary.
- The Real Deal - New York real estate news.
- 360Digest - Seattle real estate, popular culture, news and opinion.
- Atlanta Intown Lofts - Atlanta In town loft and condo buyers guide.
- Austin Real Estate News - Covers market conditions, statistics and developments in and around the Austin, Texas area including Austin, Lakeway, Lake Travis, Dripping Springs, Cedar Park and Round Rock.
- Bruce at The Buschs - New Jersey real estate blog.
- Buy a Home in Ohio - Educational tool for home-buyers in Ohio, covering all aspects of home-buying and home financing.
- Central Florida Real Estate - Central Florida real estate information.
- Central Virginia Real Estate News - Tracking the Charlottesville and Central Virginia real estate market and more.
- Luxury Sarasota Living - In Sarasota, it all comes back to real estate, high-rise condos, waterfront living and the luxury Florida lifestyle.
- LA real estate - A Los Angeles real estate weblog. Prices, trends, musings and market commentary.
- Move UP to Naperville - Information, comments, thoughts, opinions, discussion and questions mostly about real estate in and around the Naperville, Illinois area.
- Northern Michigan Real Estate Blog - Northern Michigan Real Estate news, commentary and market information.
- Property Grunt - a blog by a soldier in the trenches of the Manhattan real estate war presenting information and commentary on the market.
- Real Estate in Las Vegas - Real Estate in Las Vegas
- Sacramento Land(ing) - Is the Sacramento housing market headed for a soft or hard landing?
- Seattle’s Rain City Real Estate Guide - Seattle real estate guide.
- Sonoma Housing Bubble - Real estate bubble discussion of the unreality of Sonoma Valley real estate.
- The life and times of an Arizona Real Estate Investor - Documenting the failures and successes of an Arizona real estate investor.
- The Massachusetts Housing Market - One citizen's perspective on housing in the Bay State.
- Wilmington NC Real Estate - Blogging the latest on the Wilmington North Carolina real estate market and happenings around town.
Real Estate Investing Blogs
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Archived Under: Directory Updates , Financial Blogs , Investing , Real Estate
Tags: Financial Blogs, Investing, Real Estate, Real Estate Investing, Real Estate Investing Blogs
"Well, real estate is always good, as far as I'm concerned." Donald Trump
Woven into the American dream is the idea, opportunity, and reality of making money through real estate. Most recently, real estate investing has been a boon for many.
With gurus like Guy Kiyosaki espousing the virtues of real estate investing, low interest rates, and a stable economy, real estate investing appears to be at near-term apex (see Real Estate Bubble Blogs to see what the future may hold for real estate).
Moneysmartz identified a small but growing cohort of real estate bloggers, bravely chronicling the risks and opportunities of real estate investing. Given the inherently local nature of real estate, most real estate investment blogs focus on narrow, regional slices of the real estate market.
If you are a real estate investor or interested in getting started investing, then the list should provide ideas, encouragement, and helpful insights.
With storm clouds brewing, we'll be watching to see if this list grows.
- ProHabber - Real estate investing resources.
- Arizona Real Estate Blog - Anything and everything to do with real estate–Buying it, selling it, investing in it, making a living at it.
- Changing Directions - Real estate investing following the principles taught in "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".
- Shaun's Real Estate Adventures - Offering encouragement for new real estate investors.
- Adventures in Money Making - Follow a 31 yr old Real Estate Investor seeking freedom from the shackles of the 9-5 job and meanders through real estate investing, stock and commodity trading and looking for businesses.
- After reading Rich Dad Poor Dad: Real Estate Investing Blog - Real estate investing inspired by "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".
- Experiences of a REI (NY style) - Real estate investing New York style.
- Atlanta REI - Atlanta real estate investing.
- Building An Empire - Insights from a full-time real estate investor.
- Creative Real Estate - Creative real estate investments.
- My Real Estate Investing Venture - A daily diary of real estate investing insights.
- Real Estate Investing For Real Blog - Real estate investing.
- Tales of a Seattle Real Estate Investor - The game of monopoly set in the Puget Sound real estate market.
Real Estate Bubble Blogs
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Archived Under: Directory Updates , Financial Blogs , Real Estate
Tags: Financial Blogs, Real Estate, Real Estate Bubble Blogs
Be worried, be very worried.
In addition to global warming, the dollar, and Iraq, add the housing bubble to your list of worries.
This is old news for many, but the chorus of concern seems to be reaching a climax.
Get ready for another decline say a growing list of real estate bubble bloggers.
In surveying real estate bubble bloggers, Moneysmartz found some very, very depressing news and more than a few blogs worth a moment of your time, particularly if you live in a bubble market.
- patrick.net - All about the housing bubble.
- Housing Crash page from Patrick.net - News from crashing real estate markets.
- Housing Panic - There Goes the Neighborhood (Housing Bubble RIP 2001 - 2006) - Documenting in real time the rise and fall of the worldwide housing bubble.
- Piggington's Econo-Almanac - Southern California housing bubble news and analysis.
- America's overvalued real estate - Following the US real estate crash of 2006.
- Another F@cked Borrower - Mortgage insiders view on the lending industry, the housing bubble, and the loose credit standards that drove it all.
- Bubble Markets Inventory Tracking - Tracking real estate inventory in bubble markets.
- Bubble Meter - Dedicated to uncovering the who, what, where, when, and how of the housing bubble.
- BubbleTrack - Analyzing the housing market in the northeastern region of the United States. In addition to general market commentary, BubbleTrack provides market and news analysis based on a complex trending tool called BATT.
- Flip This - A blog dedicated to really stupid (or grossly optimistic) real estate flips in Orange County.
- Hawaii Housing Bubble - Discussing the impending home price crash and its effect on Hawaii.
- HOUSING BUBBLE? Much bigger than just a housing bubble! - Discussion of the economic issues including the housing bubble.
- Latest Real Estate News from America's Bubbletowns - Latest real estate news from America's bubbletowns.
- Northern New Jersey Real Estate Bubble - Keeping an eye on the Northern New Jersey housing bubble.
- Northern Virginia Bubble - Dedicated to tracking the real estate bubble in the Northern Virginia counties of the DC Metro region, including Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Fauquier, and Loudoun counties.
- Out at the peak - What to do with your money after getting out of the housing market.
- Seattle Bubble - News and discussion about the real estate / housing bubble, specifically as it pertains to the Seattle area.
- SF Bay Area Home Price and Mortgage Insanity Blog - Burbed.com - Forget stock options, just give me a house.
- South Bay Beaches Housing Bubble - South Bay area of Los Angeles real estate bubble watching.
- South Florida Real Estate Bubble - Dedicated to the real estate bubble In South Florida.
- Southern California Real Estate Bubble Crash - News and information about the Southern California real estate bubble.
- The Boy in the Big Housing Bubble - Los Angeles bubble news and information.
- The Housing Bubble Blog - Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.
- The Housing Bubble in Washington DC - Tracking the great real estate crash of 2006 in real time.
- The Jersey Shore Real Estate Bubble - A chronicle of the collapse of the Jersey Shore real estate market, and elsewhere.
- Watching America's real estate markets crash in 2006 - Foreclosures are the future.