The Dodd-Frank Act: New Changes, Tighter Standards

The recent re-election of President Barack Obama means not just the continuation, but also the expansion of key pieces of legislation passed in the President’s first term. One such piece is the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The...

HARP Supports Mortgage Holders

Although the housing industry maintains a shaky recovery after the 2008-2011 crash, many property owners are still struggling. Housing industry experts expect that a number of the assistance programs begun in President Barack Obama’s first term will either be...

After the Election: Changing Trends in Housing?

The recent Presidential election may have changed the political landscape in major ways, even though housing wasn’t a particularly hot topic during the campaign. Still, real estate industry-watchers see some factors emerging in Barack Obama’s second term that may have...

What’s Next for Housing: A New Foreclosure Crisis?

The headline news in the recent housing crisis was foreclosures, as record numbers of homeowners lost their homes due to difficulties with paying mortgages. In the years since, one barometer of the health of the recovering housing market has been the relative number...

The Art of the Income Property Deal

With most tasks we’re confronted with in life, there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way; or at least a better, smarter, more profitable way. Real estate investing is no different. While it’s certainly no crime to buy a piece of property with all cash and wait for...

Drill Down to Uncover the True Housing Market

The real US housing market lies is often obscured by financial chatter about the big picture. In this instance, the big picture lies. Former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, political adversary to President Reagan in the 1980s, is often credited with the uttering...

Inflation: The Best Trend to Invest In

Think inflation might be with us awhile? There have been a grand total of two years out of the last fifty-seven that haven’t seen at least some level of inflation in the United States. To us, that seems like a pretty strong trend that has only intensified since...

Tax Liens: Old Practice, New Foreclosures

Alongside the much-publicized foreclosure meltdown of a few years ago, another kind of foreclosure market lurks in the shadows, a product of archaic property laws in some municipalities around the country. And while all foreclosure proceedings end with a homeowner...

Foreign Investment – Threat or Economic Boost?

The notion of foreign investment in American businesses and properties raises strong feelings on both sides of the issue. One flashpoint is the fact that in recent years, foreign investment in US real estate is surging thanks to a weaker dollar and the increased...

Mortgage Forgiveness: The End of Tax Breaks?

Among the various options offered to help distressed homeowners deal with collapsing mortgages and the resulting loss of houses and credit, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act is a little known break, freeing homeowners from a tax liability on mortgage debt...