May
15
YES! YOU CAN USE YOUR RETIREMENT FUNDS TO BUY REAL ESTATE
Yes! You Can Use Your Retirement Funds to Buy Real Estate by J. J. Childers Many people are surprised to learn that a retirement plan such as an IRA or 401(k) has the flexibility to own real estate. If you’re one of those people, don’t feel bad. You’re certainly not alone! Currently, more than 90 percent of all retirement plans hold nothing but “traditionalâ€? assets such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds. That makes sense when you consider that the people who set up retirement plans are usually the same […]
May
15
10 Best and 10 Worst
Below are the ten best perfoming markets with the percent increase and the ten worst performing markets with the percent decrease from the 1st quarter of 2007 to the 1st quarter of 2008. Best performing markets Binghamton, NY — 11.8% Peoria, IL — 10.4% Spartanburg, SC — 10.1% Elmira, NY — 9.6% Yakima, WA — 9.0% El Paso, TX — 8.5% Amarillo, TX — 8.2% Glens Falls, NY — 7.7% Farmington, NM — 6.3% Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — 6.1% Worst performing markets Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL — -17.2% Memphis, TN-MS-AR […]
May
15
1st Qtr Numbers Are Out
First quarter numbers are out, and I think it is important for investors to educated and knowledgeable as to what is going on in the real estate market. Of course we want to be detailed and specific in our knowledge of our local market, but it is important to be aware of general trends and news in the overall market as well. I have included an article posted on CNN’s Money website (www.cnn.money.com) that details the specifics of the numbers. The way I interpret this article is more homes on […]
May
13
U.S. Housing Aid Plan
I am not a politician, and I usually get a headache when I read articles about what congress is doing or the law-making process in general. Having said that, we are hearing so much in the media about the Government’s plans to assist in the housing crisis, I thought I should at least post something about what is happening. The main focus at this point has been for the Government to provide funding allowing for homeowners to refinance out of variable rate mortgages that have already or that are set […]