There is no such thing as a “national real estate market”.

Real estate is local.

We know this is true because even cities don’t have their own real estate market.

This chart shows how home prices have diverged across adjacent zip codes over the last 12 months.

Some influencing factors:

School systems Infrastructure [...]

When mortgages began to sour last Fall, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instituted “loan-level pricing adjustments”.

The concept is basic: For mortgage applicants with less-than-ideal credit profiles, mortgage pricing is adjusted to compensate for the added risks.

It’s still a conforming loan, but with adjustments.

Effective March 6, though, Fannie and Freddie’s definition of [...]

The Unemployment Rate fell to 4.8 percent in February.

This is 0.1% lower than from January and that’s confusing to a lot of people; it’s been highly publicized that U.S. companies shed 63,000 jobs last month.

Americans are losing jobs at the same time that the Unemployment Rate is falling. Seem strange?

Well, [...]

HGTV catalogs the Top 15 Home Improvements For Sellers, complete with narrarated, 90-second videos and the expected return-on-investment per project.

Best Return: Minor Bathroom Remodeling Worst Return: Living Room Updates

Each locale in the country will get a slightly larger (or lesser) return on the HGTV-suggested projects. It’s not just a home improvement that [...]

“Foreclosure” is the legal process by which a bank repossesses a home from a borrower and, according to RealtyTrac, 1 out of every 100 homes were in some stage of the foreclosure process in 2007.

This figure is astounding because foreclosure is expensive to both homeowners and banks. Both parties have an interest [...]

One of the most popular questions that home buyers ask real estate and mortgage professionals is “How much home can I afford?”

It’s a normal question to ask, but it’s not the most effective way to plan your finances.

Banks will almost always approve you for a home loan in excess of your household [...]

With Friday’s jobs report looming, mortgage markets are especially skittish about whether the economy is in a recession, or facing inflation.

Four Fed speakers Tuesday did little to quell the debate:

9:00 A.M.: Fed Chairman Bernanke stayed on message that foreclosures and falling home values are dragging down the economy. 10:00 A.M.: Fed Vice [...]

After briefly exceeding its all-time high, oil closed Monday at $102.45.

Rising energy costs can lead to inflation because American Business eventually passes on its higher costs to American Consumers.

When consumers have to spend more money for the same amount of product, it’s called “inflation”.

Another way to look at inflation [...]

Each year, HGTV network travels to the International Home and Housewares Show and highlights some of the more interesting products on air.

The network recently featured the AeroGarden, a product billed as the “World’s First Kitchen-Garden Appliance”. After a basic setup process, the machine practically runs itself.

A sampling of fruits [...]