Effective June 1, 2010 Fannie Mae is mandating a number of additional qualifications for each mortgage application. These additional mandates are intended to ensure that the information collected from buyers when they apply for a mortgage are the same as when they go to close. Fannie Mae is … [Read more...]
A Medicare Tax on Your Home Sale?
Recently there has been speculation that there is now a Medicare tax on home sales as part of the new federal health care bill. That is not true! According to the language in the law, as explained in this FactCheck.org article, the Medicare tax would be assessed only on proceeds from the sale of … [Read more...]
Tips for buying a Condo in Cincinnati
If you are in the market for a condo, there are some critical pieces of information you should research with your real estate agent before making an offer. 1. Read Between the Lines Take a look at the minutes of the condo association board meetings to see what the building-wide challenges are. … [Read more...]
Zillow Zestimates Overvalues Homes – study finds.
A recent article in the Appraisal Journal Winter 2010 issue features a study that shows that Zillow Zestimate values are no more accurate than the homeowners' estimates. The Appraisal Journal is the quarterly technical and academic publication of the Appraisal Institute, the nation's largest … [Read more...]
Cincinnati Real Estate: Schools, Rules, and Taxes
Every home buyer I work with has different criteria that defines what is ideal for them. I often hear phrases like 'good school district', 'low taxes', and 'nice neighbors'.As a Cincinnati real estate agent licensed in Ohio, there are certain rules that govern how we present information to … [Read more...]
Twitter and Real Estate Marketing
Twitter has been getting a lot of media attention recently, but the reality is that Twitter can be a useful tool in real estate marketing. Most often I use Twitter to send out shot notes about property activity, primarily price changes and open houses. It is a great way for me to draw some attention … [Read more...]
