Memories can be short lived. Sure, we all remember the mortgage meltdown of 2008. But do we really remember it? Would it surprise you to learn (or remember, or fail to remember), that one — and only one — executive from a major mortgage lender was found liable in a court of law? Rebecca Mairone,…

U.S.A. Today posted a great article on Saturday, that they borrowed from the Motley Fool. The upshot of it is, as a home buyer, you need to keep in mind that the people across the table from you are trying to sell you something. And while clearly, with interest rates at their current levels, it’s…

Well, we’ve been blogging about the tightening in mortgage lending regulations for what seems like forever now, but it finally went live this weekend. The “know before you owe” rules are officially in effect. Of course, in the age of very long internet contracts that no one ever reads, it may be optimistic to hope…

Well, we’ve been blogging about the tightening in mortgage lending regulations for what seems like forever now, but it finally went live this weekend. The “know before you owe” rules are officially in effect. Of course, in the age of very long internet contracts that no one ever reads, it may be optimistic to hope…

Last week’s Harvard Kennedy School PolicyCast seems to conflict with everything else we’re hearing on the street — including the news from top economists, as we recently reported, quoting Zillow’s chief economist. Christopher Herbert, managing director of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, says, “It’s more than a blip on the radar. This is…

We found this little piece in The New Yorker, and couldn’t resist sharing. It’s a pleasant little satire on the trials and tribulations of home ownership and home buying in the New York area. To be sure, we find it doubtful that you consider your home the house of your nightmares  but there’s enough in…

Well, we promised it, and we like to keep to our word, so — now that it’s Autumn, here’s your first Autumnal post. Today we’re focused on taking care of those chores that need to be done before winter sets in. We found this great checklist at demesne.info, that not only covers “in and around…

A while back, this blog covered the rapid increase in foreign investments in the U.S. housing market. With all of the recent news regarding (and never mind the news, the actual ups-and-down in) the Chinese stock market, it’s worth revisiting this state of affairs. RIS Media seems to be of the opinion that said volatility…

Bloomberg Markets interviews Svenja Gudell, Chief Economist for Zillow, and she makes some interesting points, particularly in light of Yellen’s speech today outlining a case for interest rate hikes this year. One of the key points is understanding the importance of regionality. We get national numbers, but, say, a 0.25 point increase would have a…

In the wake of the recent sub-prime mortgage scandal, everyone is understandably nervous about repeating the past. Recent data indicates that, in fact, sub-prime lending is up significantly (20.4% for HELOCs, 29.5% for home-equity loans, and 30.5% for first mortgages). However, it seems unlikely that there’s cause for concern. Although those percentage increases are large,…