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Archive for March 30, 2012

The Bay Area Rental Bubble – And Why Buying Might be Better

lisasheppard | March 30, 2012
If you think buying a home can be tough, try renting in the Bay Area. Double-digit cost increases, not enough inventory, bidding wars, and sky-high rents have contributed to make us the least affordable rental market in the country. And just wa...

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More Affordable To Buy in 98% of Major Metros

lisasheppard | March 27, 2012
Last week, Trulia released their Winter 2012 Rent vs. Buy Index. In the index, they report that: “After years of home price declines and tightening rental markets, home ownership is now more affordable than renting in all but two of the 100 ...

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Lessons From the Goldman Sachs Letter

lisasheppard | March 22, 2012
Last week, the news world and social media were buzzing about a very public resignation in the form of a New York Times opinion piece written by Greg Smith, formerly of Goldman Sachs. This week, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, addressed his ...

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Spring Has Sprung

lisasheppard | March 22, 2012
Here comes Spring, historically the time of year when buyers awake from the winter slumber of the holidays and snowfall, and go on their pilgrimage to look for new housing. Houses look better in Spring with green grass, blooming trees, and flow...

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Rents Rising as Rental Availability Shrinks

lisasheppard | March 21, 2012
Because of the challenges in the current economy, many families have either decided to rent or been forced to rent. How has this impacted rental options and the cost of the available options? HousingWire recently quoted Paul Dales, senior econ...

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Even a 14-Year-Old Knows It’s Time to Buy

lisasheppard | March 20, 2012
  Willow Tufano is a 14 year old who lives in Florida. One thing that differentiates her from her friends is that she just bought her first house, a rental property. She bought it with her mother, but anted up her fair share with money she sa...

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March Madness for Real Estate and Mortgages

lisasheppard | March 15, 2012
It’s the time of year when the so-called experts tell you how to fill out your brackets for college basketball. The frenzy has been coined March Madness. Well, in the mortgage industry, we are seeing a frenzy of headlines, offers of so-called...

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Federal plan to make short sales shorter

lisasheppard | March 14, 2012
For home sellers, buyers and real estate brokers hoping for breakthroughs on simplifying short-sale transaction and timelines, this may not be the proverbial silver bullet, but it's definitely positive news: The agency that controls Fannie Mae ...

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