The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009's tax related provisions are well documented successes. By some estimates, one-third of recent home sales can be attributed to the $8000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, and the cash for clunkers was also very popular. If you plan on taking advantage of the credit, you should have an [...]

The Maker Faire RI is ongoing this weekend and into next. It all starts at the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Slater Mill in Pawtucket RI. There are hands-on workshops, building & hacking competitions, culinary crafting, garage technology, arts and creativity for sale, and robot gymnastic demonstrations, culminating with a [...]

Some people believe they can sell their own home, keep more of the profit, and have the best salesperson possible. However, selling a home is really a full time job. Market conditions change and a good Realtor will see that before the average seller. Buyers also look for convenient times to see the property. Realtors get physically and [...]

According to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies "The State of the Nation's Housing 2009," minorities have been affected by the Real Estate downturn disproportionally to the general population. According to the study, the incidence of high-cost loans and foreclosures is much higher in minority neighborhoods than in white [...]

The Providence Ghost Tour goes into their fall season in September. They have tours through the streets of Providence on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in September; every day in October; and the first two weekends in November. [...]

Of course, you are probably saying, "What summer?" It has been an on and off season this year, soaked with rain in June and July, and hurricane scares for the last two weekends. Well, [...]

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) continues a lobbying push for an 18-month moratorium on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, arguing that they produce deal-killing appraisals and encourage the use of appraisers unfamiliar with local conditions. Adopted to curtail corrupt appraisal practices, it has caused quite a bit of problems as [...]

The National Association of Realtors continues a lobbying push for the an 18 month moratorium on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct , arguing that they produce deal-killing appraisals and encourge the use of appraisers unfamiliar with local conditions. Adopted to curtail corrupt appraisal practices, it has caused quite a bit of problems as [...]

I was forwarded an article from SmartMoney.com on the trends in the Real Estate market. As I was reading through it I gleaned some interesting points. The market is not all that bad. Though it starts out talking about foreclosures, short sales and the deals that are being made in the Florida market, the writer quickly got to some more [...]

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released the data for Pending Home Sales for the month of July 2009. This forward looking indicator is analyzed by Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the NAR, in the following video post.