Late in the closing session of the 109th Congress, The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 was passed by both the House and the Senate though it has not yet been signed by President Bush. Deep within the Act at Section 419 was a one page attachment entitled [...]

Anyone with a little vision driving through Providence these days knows that these are exciting times indeed! This week on Real Estate Insight, my guest was Lambri Zerva, principal engineer for Rhode Island Department of Transportation to discus the new 195-95 Relocation project.   From a planning and economic development perspective, the [...]

Federal bank regulators sent out a letter this week describing lending practices they consider to be predatory, warning that they expect lenders to "treat consumers fairly, adhere to all applicable legal requirements, and underwrite loan products appropriately." The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s Jan. 22 [...]

Towards a solid recovery towards the end of 2007. One sign is the demand for home loans swelled 16.6 percent during the week ended Jan. 5th according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Requests for purchase loans were up 16.2 percent and refinancing applications rose 17.3 percent. The strong recovery compares with a 14 percent slide in [...]

The Biggest Real Estate Story of 2006 was the story that wasn't, I am happy to report, the bubble never burst. Lots of people are blaming the media for creating these concerns, but in the end, fundamentals won out. Consumer confidence is starting to rebuild, and bigger market forces than the media are driving the market, Homeownership is a [...]

With more than 8.5 million existing and new homes sold, and mortgage rates still at 6.5 percent, 2006 was a pretty good year for residential real estate, after the massive appreciation of the past few years, home prices began to moderate and we are seeing a much more balanced market. So what's coming up for 2007? Interest rates should [...]

I've been getting emails from sellers anxious to sell their properties.  It usually comes down to price in situations like this, but what about the people who don't want to lower their price any further, and in some cases have already made lots of improvements to their property. What's left? You can give a cash bonus to the buyer or the [...]

Anywhere I see people, at parties, shopping or out to lunch with friends, I’m constantly barraged with questions about the real estate market. Everybody wants to know where the market is heading, whether it is a good market or a bad market. I know a lot of buyers who think this is the best market ever. And they're right. Prices are coming [...]

The Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that Americans will spend nearly $160 billion for home remodeling projects over the next 12 months; will they be spending that money wisely? REMODELING magazine’s 19th annual Cost vs. Value Report—the eighth prepared in cooperation with REALTOR MAGAZINE—shows that prices [...]

Housing bubble stories began cropping up as early as 2002. By 2006, housing was in a "bust," despite only losing 1.7 percent in median values nationally. The National Association of Home Builders commissioned a study to find out if bad press is fueling buyers' reluctance to buy new homes.  19 percent said that they allowed the news media to [...]