Klor Strong Team Blog

The video on this site points out some important questions to ask when buying a home – some of which may reduce your costs!  Don’t forget to calculate insurance into your housing budget.

http://www2.iii.org/video/buying-a-home.html#.TueZn15GYsw.gmail

With 1/3 of builders saying they have “lost an in escrow sale” due to appraisal issues, both buyers and sellers need to be aware of what they may be facing after agreeing on a contract.

http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/flawed-appraisals-preventing-home-sales/

I am consistently asked my opinion on how accurate the websites are that create home-value estimates. Read this rundown and let me know your thoughts or questions.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204224604577028161126902988.html?

This analysis is helpful in explaining the strong correlation between home equity loans and remodeling over time. Take a look at the graphs and charts to get the full picture.

http://eyeonhousing.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/the-importance-of-home-equity-loans-for-remodeling/

“Zillow says my house is worth….” is one of the most frequent comments I hear when it comes to real estate. This Wall Street Journal article gives a solid analysis of where Zillow and similar sites are both strong and weak.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204554204577026131448329006.html?

Ever wonder about the different reasons for buying or building a “New” home versus an buying an older home?  Check out this article for some of the benefits to buying or building NEW.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-would-you-buy-a-new-home-2011-09-26

Some mortgage basics can be located here.  For more specifics, let me know how I can help you with your home purchase.

http://www.homeloanlearningcenter.com/MortgageBasics/WhatsinaMortgagePayment.htm

Read this article first if you are considering challenging your property taxes.  As stated in this MarketWatch article, “The fact that the market is down doesn’t mean that every property is over-assessed and entitled to relief.”

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-tips-to-turn-lower-home-values-into-tax-relief-2011-10-25

Some home projects are just not worth doing on your own: Whether for time, cost or safety reasons.  So take a look at the projects listed in this post and leave them to the professionals who do this ‘everyday’.

http://www.diylife.com/2011/07/29/10-home-projects-you-should-never-diy

In some good news for the housing market, a decline in mortgage payment delinquencies reflects the fact that the U.S. is continuing to get positive job growth.

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2011/11/17/mortgage-delinquencies-decline-in-the-third-quarter