Redding Real Estate

GMAC No More-Rebranded ‘Real Living’

November 11th, 2009

By Brad Garbutt

The GMAC brand is no more as Brookfield, the parent company of GMAC Real Estate, re-branded the entire franchise to Real Living. Real Living, according to a corporate profile summary, “emerged in 2002 as the largest, independently- owned company in the Midwest and the seventh largest real estate brokerage”. The Ohio-based brokerage established themselves as [...]

Leave a Comment »

Seller Tips for Maximizing Profits in a Down Market

November 10th, 2009

By Lauri Gibson

Top 12 improvements to do before you sell your home.
If you are getting ready to sell your house in the current downward housing market there are some inexpensive ways to maximize your profits. Staging and de-cluttering top the list according to HomeGain.com. Here’s the list according to a survey of  Realtors nation wide by Home Sale [...]

Leave a Comment »

Shasta County Real Estate Update

November 9th, 2009

By Debbie Morton-Harding

SHASTA MLS REAL ESTATE UPDATE
Available residential listings: 1,422 (from 1,426 last week and 1,427 two weeks ago)
Homes in escrow: 467 (down from 491 last week and from 515 two weeks ago)
Homes closed escrow so far in November: 26
Homes closed escrow  in October: 188
Homes closed escrow in September: 213
Homes closed escrow in August: 174
Homes closed escrow in July: [...]

Leave a Comment »

Racial Discrimination Is Alive and Well

November 6th, 2009

By Brad Garbutt

Beverly Hills Properties was just hit with a $2.725 million dollar fine from the U.S. Department of Justice for housing discrimination. According to an article from the California Association of Realtors, a lawsuit brought in August of 2006 claimed Donald T. Sterling and others engaged in discrimantory practices including refusing to rent to African-Americans, Hispanics, [...]

Leave a Comment »

President to Sign Today

November 6th, 2009

By Bob Sparks

President Obama is scheduled to sign homebuyer tax credit bill at a White House signing ceremony later today. The bill received overwhelming bipartisan endorsement in Congress and expands tax credit to include move-up homebuyers. If you want to take advantage of this tax credit on the purchase of your next home you will need to have your own [...]

Leave a Comment »

No Time to Lose

November 5th, 2009

By Bob Sparks

The House voted 403-12 today to extend and expand the tax credit to include many buyers who already own homes. The Senate passed this by a 98-0 vote yesterday and President Obama is expected to sign asap.

$8,000 for first-time homebuyers
$6,500 for move-up homebuyers
Must be in contract by April 30, 2010 and close escrow by June, [...]

Leave a Comment »

Tax Credits: Not just for the freshmen anymore!

November 5th, 2009

By

An amendment to the bill extending the FTHB credit would expand it to allow longtime residents of the same principal residence to claim a tax credit of up to $6,500. Homebuyers must have owned and used their residence for any five-consecutive-year period during the past eight years to claim the exception.

Leave a Comment »

Buy A Home With Nearly Nothing Down, Again!

November 5th, 2009

By Brad Garbutt

Lenders are always searching for ways to help buyers leverage their good credit to buy homes. Wayne Barni, local loan broker with ChoiceOne, reviewed a loan program dubbed CHF Access. This program uses an FHA first mortgage which requires a 3.5% downpayment and a 3% second mortgage that can be used toward the downpayment or closing [...]

Leave a Comment »