Equity in home doesn't guarantee positive net worth

I have my own spin to put on the news that sales of existing homes plunged 27 percent in July: Stop thinking of your home as your cash cow.

Loan modification program in Phoenix helps fewer than expected

More than half of Phoenix-area participants left the program without having their payments lowered.

Property tax rise expected

State-funded homestead credits will go away next year, and several tax experts predict that property tax bills will rise, especially for rural homeowners who are unlikely to benefit from recently enacted tax caps.

Real estate transactions ANG papers

Real estate: listings of homes sold in Alameda, San Joaquin, San Mateo circulation area

Real estate transactions CCT

Real estate: listings of homes sold in East Bay circulation area: Contra Costa County, some Alameda, Solano

Business Briefs

Realtor named outstanding agent Andover Gus Gewecke has been selected as the outstanding agent for the month of July by Century 21 Gross and Jansen Realtors in Andover.

YOUR PLACE TO CALL HOME: It matters who your Realtor represents

If you are looking to buy or sell a home, you probably haven't given much thought to who the Realtor you are working with is actually representing.

YOUR PLACE TO CALL HOME: Who does your Realtor work for?

You walk into an open house on Sunday afternoon and talk to the Realtor there about the home you are viewing. When you start to share information about your housing needs, the Realtor stops you and says, "We need to talk about agency."

Property owner claims county wrongly voided land deal

The owner of land that officials in Barren County considered purchasing to build a new jail is claiming the county wrongfully backed out of a contract to buy the property.

Property values decline statewide second statewide decline in Californias history

SACRAMENTO – The total value of state-assessed and county-assessed property declined to $4.371 trillion for 2010-11, a drop of $78.2 billion (1.8 percent) from the previous year, Board of Equalization Chairwoman Betty T. Yee announced Thursday.

Sarasota property transfers

Source: Sarasota County Property Appraiser. Listed alphabetically by subdivision or condominium

Real-estate agent saw light: Lamp sales

Mel Rycus, 80, worked in real estate for the past 20 years, before switching gears. He now specializes in lamp repair, rewiring, and lighting-fixture and lamp sales at a Sedona business he co-owns with his wife, Barb, called Rycus Corners and Galleria. The store also sells stationery, antiques and gifts.

Real estate agent catches alleged thief

A Sibcy Cline real estate agent says he caught a man stealing prescription pills during an open house.

Homes inundated in Victoria floods

Hundreds of homes have been inundated with water as Victoria faces its worst floods in more than a decade.

Homes inundated in Vic floods

Hundreds of homes have been inundated as Victoria faces its worst floods in more than a decade.

Homes without power as rain persists

THOUSANDS of South Australian homes are still without power and some may remain so for days as wild weather continues to lash the state.

Property taxes to increase if voters pass $6 million bond

The figures are in – roughly. If Boone County voters approve the $6 million Wagon Wheel Bridge bond issue in the Nov. 2 general election, property owners may see an estimated increase of an additional 35 cents per $1,000 of taxable value of their property taxes.

Homes in firing line of growth

TENS of thousands of homes have been earmarked for "investigation" for big transport projects but shocked owners are only finding out when they try to sell.

Nursing Homes Broaden Offerings To Turn A Profit

Nursing homes around the country are remaking themselves because of consumer demands and the economic realities of selling a service nearly no one wants.

Real estate briefs

Collier Real Estate Transactions from July 12-25, 2010

FloorPlanOnline Launches YouTube & Realtor.com Video service for its Real Estate Virtual Tours

FloorPlanOnline launches video creation and posting service for YouTube, Realtor.com and any other site that accepts video uploads. The new feature is included at no additional cost for any active FloorPlanOnline Real Estate Virtual Tour.

Scotts Bluff County is not immune to foreclosures

Request a three-month list of home loan defaults from the Scotts Bluff County Register of Deeds and you’ll get a list of more than 75 homes. Foreclosures aren’t just hitting Phoenix, Detroit and Los Angeles, but are here at home as well.

Former realtor and Coca Cola executive Clarence Achterhoff has died at age 92

He used to own and operate C.L. Achterhoff Realty and Quality Beverage

Mortgage rates drop to another new record

Mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in decades for the 10th time in 11 weeks, as investors worried about the economy. Business - United States - Mortgage - Financial Services - Mortgage loan

Homes Evacuated On Nantucket As Earl Approaches

Homes in the Madaket area of Nantucket are being evacuated.

Mortgage rates hit decades-low of 4.32 percent

Washington -- Mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in decades for the tenth time in 11 weeks, as investors worried about the economy.

Mortgage Lender Accused Of Housing Discrimination

A Hamilton County mortgage company is accused of housing discrimination.

Homes flooded near Ballarat

Emergency crews are evacuating homes in and around Ballarat, as heavy rain falls across Victoria.

Mortgage rates set new record lows, might hold steady next week

Treasury bond yields, which influence the home-loan rates, have surged since Tuesday. Mortgage rates fell for the 10th time in 11 weeks, setting fresh record lows, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. But a rebound in Treasury yields in the last two days raises the possibility that home-loan interest costs won't fall again next week.

Homes evacuated in gas mains fire

Several homes are evacuated and roads closed after a gas mains erupts in flames in a Leeds suburb.

Real Estate Weekly: Home-buyer tax credit not likely to make an encore

The real-estate industry was abuzz with chatter earlier this week about the government offering another home-buyer tax credit, after Shaun Donovan, HUD secretary, said on CNN that it was too early to tell if the credit would make a return.

Realtor says Savoy halted

The Savoy Condominium project proposed for downtown Duncan is on the rocks, the News Leader Pictorial has learned. “The rumours are true,” realtor Alex Robertson of Royal LePage Duncan Realty said of reports the four-story, Mediterranean-style project was on the rocks.

Shift in home loan availability

The cost of mortgages is continuing to fall and they are becoming more accessible to some borrowers, figures show.

Property-tax bills reflect lower values

Property-tax bills are in the mail, and many Phoenix-area homeowners will be happy to see they owe less this year. The 2010 assessments will finally begin to reflect the region's plummet in home values, although tax bills are not declining nearly as far as the recent plunge in home prices.

Mariner Real Estate acquires loan portfolio

Mariner Real Estate Management LLC said Friday that it worked with bank regulators to buy a portfolio of real estate loans worth about $760 million.

Florida Realtors® Honors Award Winners at Convention: Cynthia Shelton Named 2010 Realtor of the Year

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Florida Realtors® recognized Cynthia Shelton, CCIM, CRE and CIPS, and the 2009 president of Florida Realtors, as 2010 Realtor of the Year. CCIM, CRE and CIPS are special designations awarded upon completion of required courses that provide additional training and expertise; they stand for Certified Commercial Investment Member, Counselor of Real ...

Property cooling measures timely, but will not affect sales: Wing Tai

SINGAPORE : Recent measures to cool the property market are timely, said Edmund Cheng, deputy chairman of property developer Wing Tai Holdings.

Property tax hikes in New Jersey will hit 23.5 percent factoring in loss of rebate

The average property tax hike in New Jersey will be 3.3 percent this year — and will hit 23.5 percent after the loss of the homestead rebate is factored in, a statewide review of new tax rates show.

Property gets spring in its step

Despite property price growth softening during winter, new listings and sales still resilient across Sydney.