The National Association of Home Builders report released yesterday shows that the Housing Market Index has come in at 60 for July. That’s tied with the highest it’s been since it hit 61 in November, 2005, and ahead of projection of 59 from economists. That, combined with a decrease in claims for State unemployment benefits…

I bet you didn’t know there was one, did you? Sure, we all know about agricultural colleges, but who really thinks scientifically about their lawn? Thankfully, the University of Illinois has done that thinking for you. These three simple tips will help get you through the summer heat, including details on proper lawn-mower height (be…

Sure. You’re an adult. You’re busy. OK. Fine. But believe it or not, we’re already almost a month into summer. If you haven’t started having fun yet, it’s time to get on the ball. To help you along, here’s something a little different for today: 33 DIY Ways To Have The Best Summer Ever. These…

Speculation is a fool’s game — and so let’s turn to the Motley Fool for some exciting debate! Housing prices have been in recovery for a while, and as this blog pointed out recently, are now officially higher than the previous high of 8 years ago. But just because we’ve reached a new high, doesn’t…

Speculation is a fool’s game — and so let’s turn to the Motley Fool for some exciting debate! Housing prices have been in recovery for a while, and as this blog pointed out recently, are now officially higher than the previous high of 8 years ago. But just because we’ve reached a new high, doesn’t…

It seems like a no-brainer. “Why pay $20,000 in interest to get $6,600 back from the IRS?” Paying off your mortgage early, either in a lump sum, or through regular, extra payments can be a smart choice for many people. However, it’s not always the case. You need to consider how long you’ll be in…

This blog has covered the status of home-buying by the Millennial generation several times now; but, all those times have been based on articles written in financial publications, and have largely been positive. If the title doesn’t give it away (Millennials can’t afford to buy houses, even though the U.S. really needs them to), this…

Just last week mortgage rates were at a high for the year, but there’s been lots of news this week out of China, Greece, and even the halting of trading on the NYSE, which have caused rates to drop. What most of the articles fail to cover is the actual reason that those things have…

Lest you thought last week’s blog about the futility of timing markets in the face of continued globalization was a one-off, rest assured, it wasn’t. With the Greek “no” vote last week, and on-going efforts to maintain Greece as part of the Euro Zone being announced every day, there’s every reason to believe that news…

Did you get a raise this year? If so, was it to $4 million? OK, perhaps that’s not really a reasonable question, as perhaps you’re not the CEO of a major corporation. Still, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac CEOs just got raises to approximately $4 million per year each. Previously (since 2012), their pay had…