Not all U.S. housing markets went south last year. First American CoreLogic Inc., in its latest study, identified the best-performing markets in the U.S. for 2008. In many cases, the markets that made the list are areas that never enjoyed significant increases in value over the last decade -- but … [Read more...]

Credit Scoring How to increase a personal credit score Increasing one's personal credit score is a long-term process. Following are some of the most important steps to a better credit score: Pay bills on time. Late payments and collections can have a serious impact on the FICO score. Do … [Read more...]

A sustained lack of credit and the economic slump will depress the commercial real estate market this year, according to a forward-looking index and forecast for the commercial real estate sectors published by the National Association of Realtors®. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said all … [Read more...]

Preventing foreclosures is critical for the nation's economic recovery, and the National Association of Realtors® commends the Obama administration's plan to help millions of homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes. "When people lose homes to foreclosure, our communities, the housing … [Read more...]

Home Buyer Tax Credit - The bill provides for an $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.  This credit does not require repayment. Most of the mechanics of the credit will … [Read more...]

Many blog readers have asked for details about the home buyers tax credit amendment that was recently added to the Senate version of the economic stimulus package. The provision would provide a tax credit of as much as $15,000, or 10 percent of the home's price tag, whichever is less, to anyone … [Read more...]

Fix Credit Report Errors for Better Scores and Interest Rates The first step is identifying erroneous items, or correcting bad items on your report. Get a FREE credit report from the 3 major credit report agencies (i.e., Transunion, Equifax and Experian). Then... 1. Late Payments: There … [Read more...]

The National Association of Realtors® hailed the Senate for passing its stimulus bill that expands the homebuyer tax credit, an important housing component that will help shrink housing inventory, bring stability to home values and move the country closer to an economic recovery. The bill now … [Read more...]

A severe lack of credit threatens commercial real estate and poses significant risks for the whole economy, according to a National Association of Realtors® work group. Organized by NAR's Realtors® Commercial Alliance, the Commercial Economic Stimulus Work Group has developed a plan to address … [Read more...]

Pending home sales increased as more buyers took advantage of improved affordability conditions, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Big gains in the South and Midwest offset modest declines in other regions. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on … [Read more...]