http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com Lake Mary Real Estate and Longwood Real Estate - Mortgage Chili Blog Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:46:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings topped 300,000 for the 12th straight month last month as 1 in every 418 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing. It's a small improvement from January and a just 6 percent increase over February 2009. On a per-capita basis, foreclosure density varied ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/foreclosures-february-2010/ If your mortgage is set to adjust this year, the smart move may be to let it. Today's conforming mortgages are adjusting lower than ever before -- as low as 3 percent.  It may not be what you expected when you signed for your ARM several years ago. The ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/arms-adjust-lower-mortgage-rate/ In November, Congress extended and expanded the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit program to include a subset of "move-up" buyers -- homeowners that have owned and lived in their home for 5 of the last 8 years. The credit ranges up to $8,000 per buyer. There's now just 7 weeks left ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/tax-credit-2010/ You could call it the Ultimate Geek Gift for an iPhone-toting friend -- or even for yourself. It's a set of 16 coasters made to look like iPhone application icons. Made by Brazilian firm Meninos, the coasters are constructed from sturdy, medium-density fiber plywood and are coated in vinyl.  They're ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/iphone-coaster/ Fewer homes went under contract in January as the housing market continues to limp through the winter months. According to the National Association of Realtors®, the Pending Home Sales Index fell to its lowest level in 3 quarters this January. By contrast, in October 2009, the index had touched ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/pending-home-sales-january-2010/ Conforming and FHA mortgage rates in Florida have improved over the last 10 days, but that could all change this Friday with the release of February's Non-Farm Payrolls report. Non-Farm Payrolls is the official name of the government's monthly jobs report and, given the fragile state of the U.S. economy, ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/jobs-report-february-2010/ According to the the National Association of Realtors®, "distressed homes" represented nearly 2 of every fifth home sold in January 2010.  Clearly, real estate investors in Orlando and around the country are taking advantage of good deals ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/real-estate-investors/ The winter months have not been kind to home sales. After plunging 17 percent in December, Existing Home Sales fell by an additional 7 percent in January, according to the National Association of Realtors®. An "existing home" is a home resold by a previous owner (i.e. not new construction). In ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/existing-home-sales-january-2010/ Visualizing a home in different colors can take a good eye and strong imagination -- especially when you're house-hunting and the home's effects are of someone else. Yet, we wonder: What would the bedroom look like in blue? How would the kitchen look in yellow? What if the ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/color-this-pick-paints/ Earlier this week, the private-sector Case-Shiller Index showed home prices slightly lower between November and December.  Thursday, the public-sector Home Price Index showed the same. Publishing on a 2-month lag, the Federal Home Finance Agency said home prices fell by 1.6 percent nationally in December.  And that's an average, ... http://www.mortgagechiliblog.com/fhfa-home-price-index-december-2009/