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Labor of Love for Real Estate and Mortgage Professionals

For those real estate and mortgage professionals who have endured through the housing collapse and mortgage implosion, our sanity is constantly being questioned. Ex-Realtors, former mortgage brokers and homeowners alike scratch their heads and collectively ask “are you crazy?” It’s more than being crazy about real estate. To be crazy would imply that there is some cure [...]

6 Things You Need to Know About New FHA Home Loans

With the passing of H.R. 5981 and the resulting Public Law 111-229, FHA was given authority to change the amount charged to borrowers for both the Up Front and the Annual insurance premiums it requires to insure home loans. These FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium changes are outlined in Mortgagee Letter 2010-28 and become effective for all FHA case [...]

Top Real Estate and Mortgage Headlines for September 1st

It’s Wednesday and it’s the start of a new month. Here is today’s top real estate headlines according to the National Association of Realtors. Commercial Real Estate Yields Spur Investors Capitalization rates averaged 7.22 percent in the second quarter, or 4.29 percentage points higher than the yield on 10-year government bonds. Housing Less Likely to [...]

Porter County Indiana – Home to 54 Nature Trails And More

Get ready to trek the wilds of Porter County Indiana. Finally in one location, there is a booklet of all the best nature trails and points of interest for the amateur nature lover in your family. And with 54 nature trails to choose from, you can visit one a week for an entire year before [...]

Top Real Estate Headlines for Week Ending: August 27th

As we all look forward to the weekend, let’s pause for a moment to review what the top real estate and mortgage headlines were this week according to the National Association of Realtors. July Existing-Home Sales Fall, But Prices Rise Home prices rose in July, though existing-home sales continued their slide following the expiration of [...]

Have We Hit The Bottom Yet in Portage Indiana Real Estate

People across Portage Indiana have been asking me lately about real estate prices. “Do we see light in the tunnel?” they ask. Since real estate markets move in up and down cycles, economists and homeowners alike all want to know when market trends are entering a new phase. Can they time their move to be positioned [...]

Home Sellers – Feeling Lucky With Your Real Estate Sale?

In case you missed this morning’s headline, Existing Home Sales Swan Dive. That’s right. Sales of existing home sales plummeted 27.2 percent in July. Furthermore, the National Association of Realtors stated that July’s existing home sales is the lowest reading since NAR has been keeping track. It should also be noted that total housing inventory [...]

What’s News for Mortgage Rates This Week: August 23rd

If you’re a fan of cliff diving, last week was your week. It was full of economic reports that took a nose dive for the real estate industry, mortgage markets and the overall economy. Mortgage bonds and mortgage rates took a beating while all ears were listening to hear the outcome and recommendations of the “Future [...]

This Weekend–Fun Events Around Portage Indiana

Portage Indiana is the hub for a wide range of family friendly activities. If you are looking for something to do this weekend consider starting your search with these. In addition to a long list of year-round leisure activities, here are a few special events to consider for this weekend only. Farmers Markets Portage Farmer’s [...]

Summer’s End in Crown Point Indiana

August 19th.. The big day for all school age children in Crown Point, Indiana. It is like the night before Christmas as all the children in Crown Point, Indiana are going to bed all eager, excited, and ready to see what the next day will bring. The first day of school in Crown Point, Indiana. Preparing for the [...]

Understand Property Values Foot-By-Foot

To understand real estate property values one measurement that’s mentioned frequently is Price-Per-Square-Foot. Simply put it is the PRICE of your home divided by its AREA. In other words, how much you are paying for each 12 inch by 12 inch square. Easy right? If you have ever hired a contractor or bought carpet, they [...]

New Rules for Mortgage Transfers – Are You Confused Yet

With all the media buzz about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform on Capitol Hill today, you may have missed an important press release from the Federal Reserve that will affect all homeowners with a mortgage. The press release was the issuance of a final rule amending Regulation Z about the notification of mortgage loan sales or transfers. What [...]

What’s News for Mortgage Rates This Week: August 16th

In case you missed it. The Federal Open Market Committee met last week to discuss the overall state of the economy and reassess their monetary policy. At the end of the day, the Federal Reserve voted to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 – 0.250%. This news was a temporary boost [...]

How Far Has Google Come to Help Sell Your Home

Ever heard of Google? In case you’ve been living in a cave since 1997, here’s The Google Story in 2 minutes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjN5avRvApk Did you recognize any features and/or applications that Google has released over the past 10 years? Better yet, do you use any of them? I know I certainly do. So, how can Google help [...]

What’s Happening in Crown Point Indiana: August 12th

The buzz around the McColly office and with my clients in Crown Point Indiana has been how hot the weather has been this past week. I’m a fan of hot summer days and consequently I’ve been loving the weather as of recent. If you’re like me, we all hate to see summer end and you know it [...]

Can The US Economy Be Kept Afloat by Today’s Fed Actions

In case you missed it, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met today to discuss monetary policy. Today’s meeting was the 5th of eight scheduled meetings and sixth overall for 2010. Financial analysts and economic forecastors worldwide have attempted to estimate what the Federal Reserve will or will not change in their policy statement prior to the [...]

What’s News for Mortgage Rates This Week: August 9th

Last week it was all about jobs and it wasn’t Steve Jobs. In case you missed it, last Friday’s Jobs Report showed that 131,000 jobs were lost in the month of July. Even worse was the fact that June’s employment report was revised showing nearly 100,000 more jobs were lost than originally reported. Where does this leave the economy [...]

Could You See Yourself In A Home Under 600 Square Feet

The rise in popularity of green building standards and smaller footprint homes in real estate has finally made it’s way to the heartland of America. In case you missed it there has been lots of real estate media buzz over the Small Homes movement. The best known advocate is Resources For Life. They are a green/sustainable advocacy group who is at [...]

What’s the Buzz in Crown Point Real Estate: August 6th

The media is having a field day highlighting the poor economic news and the slumping real estate market. When I look around Crown Point Indiana, I see something to the contrary. Take a look at the graph below and tell me what you see. By the way, it’s not a disgruntled smile. Can you see [...]

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Miracle Treat Day

Guess what today has in store for you and other ice cream loving locals throughout Northwest Indiana? It’s the annual Dairy Queen Miracle Treat Day! Since 1984, Dairy Queen has been a proud sponsor of the Children’s Miracle Network and has raised over $81 million through their fund raising effort known as Miracle Treat Day. One dollar [...]