Real Estate News by the Numbers: Week of November 26 – December 2

Posted by Clifford Mato in Best Financial Tips | No Comments

A quick rundown of the important real estate news from the week of November 26 – December 2, by the numbers:

8.6% U.S. unemployment rate for November 2011. The rate is the lowest since March 2009 and a significant drop off from last months 9.0% rate. The U.S. economy also added 120,000 jobs, more than the 110,000 jobs economists had predicted.

3.9% Decline in the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index in the third quarter of 2011 from the previous year. That is up from the second quarter, when the index was down 5.8% from the previous year.

December 19 January 2 Dates which Fannie and Freddie will have a moratorium on foreclosures in respect for the holiday season. During this time, legal and administrative proceedings for evictions may continue, but families will be allowed to stay in their homes, Fannie said in a statement.

$2.5 Million Price cut on comedian Dennis Millers Montecito, CA home. Th

(…)

Study: Foreclosure and Housing Crisis May Have Health Repercussions

Posted by Genry Read in Financial Reviews | No Comments

Mortgage foreclosures and the housing crisis are not only affecting Americans finances, but also their health, according to a recent study by the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).

If you think about it, anytime you have problems with money, you probably have trouble sleeping, concentrating and maybe even eating. Stress can make you short-tempered, depressed and lead to a myriad of other problems that can wreak havoc on your body.

The focus of the study released last month was American homeowners ages 50 years and older. It is the first long-term study correlating the housing and economic crisis with health. The study findings may not be surprising, but the results are alarming. The age group of those 50 years or older were the most likely to suffer from depression when they fell behind on their mortgage payments.

Even worse, when these homeowners start having trouble making mortgage payments, they cut back spending in other necessary areas. T

(…)

Politicians Appear Set to Put Politics Ahead of the Country’s Long-Term Economic Health

Posted by Ginger Makales in Financial News | No Comments

The headline above likely comes as little surprise to anyone, but considering the magnitude of the problem and its potential consequences, it is truly shameful.

The apparent failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (i.e. the “Super Committee”) is clearly disappointing. Both political parties are pointing fingers at the other for the failure; but in the end, it is the American economy that will suffer most significantly as politics are placed ahead of doing what is right for long-term economic health.
Outside of the extremely low probability of a surprise development before the Wednesday deadline, the failure will result in automatic cuts to future government spending to kick in starting in 2013, as agreed to under the August debt ceiling agreement. These automatic (or “sequestered cuts” in governmental parlance) amount to about $1.2 trillion over a 10-year period. About half of the cuts will come from Defense spending, and half from Medicare and other programs. (…)

8 Easy Tips To Reduce Your Electricity Bill This Winter

Posted by Genry Read in Financial Reviews | No Comments

Winter is just around the bend, and in some places you might have already seen snow. With colder temperatures come increased heating and electricity bills. While your winter electric bills might not be as high as your summer ones (especially in the south), it can still cost a great deal in the wintertime.

Luckily, there are some things that you can do during the winter, and other times, to help reduce your electricity bill while still living comfortably.

In General You Should:

1. Turn it Off: Everyone knows this, but sometimes there is a difference between knowing and doing. Turn off your lights when you leave a room and turn off the television. If you have a DVD player, a game system, or a sound system that run independently of the TV turn those off too. You can even buy a power strip that hooks all of these electronics up to one on/off switch.

(…)

Purchase Credit Report Online

Posted by Admin in Financial News | No Comments

Various types of ways are there to obtain one’s free credit report. Nowadays, with the facility of internet, one can get free credit reports instantly and easily with the online access. One will get choices to purchase credit report online from a merged three in one credit bureau report or the major credit reporting agencies. This is a big opportunity, as they do not have the system of exchanging information with one another and one will have the scope to ensure that these institutions are reporting correct status of one’s credit history.
creditscores

Instead of opting for to purchase credit report online, one may also qualify for a free credit report while one has been denied employment or credit. The

(…)

Independent Trustees & Lay Trustees: How to Avoid Conflict

Posted by Admin in Financial News | No Comments

June Mulroy, executive director for DC at the TPR, governance and administration, highlights the importance of the role of the trustee when she says, “To inspire confidence in saving, we expect trustees and their administrators to place an unwavering focus on standards, and understand their respective responsibilities. In order to attain that “unwavering focus”, a consultation document was released in 2008 outlining the responsibilities of trustees with regard to “Knowledge and Understanding”, under official Codes of Practice. However, the differences in responsibility between lay and independent trustees has still not been made clear. Neither has a standardised method of payment appeared, which means that some lay trustees with similar responsibilities to independent trustees are being paid significantly less, or not at all.

(…)