According to The Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), Rhode Island ranked No. 1 in the nation for mortgage fraud last year. This came as quite a shock because Rhode Island has never even ranked in the top 10, although their revised figures now place us at No. 5 in the nation for 2007. MARI is a service of the information firm [...]

At one of my office sales meetings, our corporate IT Director, Tom Flanagan introduced us to Twitter. It was the first time I had heard about this amazing social networking phenomenon. After the meeting, many of us decided to register on Twitter. It was so easy and free!! For those that are unaware of Twitter, it is a site where you can post [...]

Last night, Residential Properties celebrated the 2008 sales achievements of 36 of its agents from the Barrington and Providence Offices at the Greater Providence Board of Realtors awards celebration. Held at the Marriott Hotel in Providence, it was a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception. Fitting with the times, this year's reception was [...]

Nearly 700 Barrington residents turned out Thursday night to protest their recent property assessments and more than 900 residents have signed a petition that asks the Town Council to delay its revaluation for one year so that a new revaluation can be done. The Town Council did not take any action Thursday night. Rhode Island law mandates [...]

Nearly 700 Barrington residents turned out Thursday night to protest their recent property assessments, and more than 900 residents have signed a petition that asks the Town Council to delay its revaluation for one year so that a new revaluation can be done. The Town Council did not take any action Thursday night. Rhode Island law mandates [...]

With the first signs of blooming forsythia, crocuses and daffodils, we will celebrate the end of a very long winter. Homeowners and brokers will be relieved that driveways and walkways will not need to be shoveled and plowed for showings and open houses. We will all be celebrating the spring season in hopes that buyers will embrace the [...]

The January Pending Home Sales Index fell 7.7 % from December, 6.4% below January '08, the lowest level since 2001. In the Northeast the index dropped 12.7 % in January, 19.7 percent below a year ago. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said "We expect soft home sales in the near term, but buyers are expected to respond to improved [...]

We are excited to announce in our Client Services department that we have been chosen as Rhode Island's only MD Preferred real estate provider. Through our MD Preferred program, we are able to offer many benefits to the doctors and graduating physicians throughout Rhode Island. Our department, which already serves the professionals of Rhode [...]

Deep within the massive new stimulus plan are a few lines of text that could save American home buyers a pile of cash. According to the new plan, first-time home buyers who buy a home this year will be eligible to receive an $8,000 tax credit. This important change gives qualifying home buyers cash they do not have to pay back unlike the [...]

The Rhode Island Association of Realtors reported 164 Multiunit houses sold in January, two and a half times the number sold last January. Distressed properties accounted for 82% of the sales and drove prices down drastically. Distressed sales include foreclosures and "short sales," where a lender accepts less than what is due on a mortgage [...]