A quick flip through any glossy magazine will reaffirm the reliance that selling has on good pictures. Selling houses is no different than selling products. In fact, homeowners and Realtors are perhaps even more dependent on high-quality images to not only sell their homes, but to sell them at the best price. This is ... Continue Reading »

By Stephen Fishman There are several tax credits and deductions set to expire at the end of the year, and given the federal deficit problem, there's a good chance they won't be extended. If you want to take advantage of them, you need to act before Jan. 1, 2012. Mortgage Insurance Premium Deduction If you itemize ... Continue Reading »

What if you could buy a house for $25,000 in a neighborhood that wasn't a battle-scarred slum and rent it out for $750 a month as soon as the ink was dry on the deal? Where are these deals that let you recapture your investment in just three years and from then on enjoy a steady monthly income from the property? If ... Continue Reading »

With home prices and mortgage rates surfing the bottom of the real estate trough, it's no surprise that folks with money to spend are jumping into the investment market. According to a recent study by Move.com, real estate investors are buying three houses for every one house bought by someone for their personal use. And ... Continue Reading »

Earlier this summer, we asked whether America was becoming a nation of renters. Statistics would seem to bear that out: Construction of single-family homes grew by 9.4 percent in June, the Wall Street Journal reported, but construction of multi-family homes with at least two units increased at triple that rate. ... Continue Reading »

The Academy Awards may have to add a category: Best Short Film Starring a Real Estate Listing. Listing videos--which for years have been little more than visual tours of homes set to annoying music--have entered a new realm. They've gone Hollywood, right down to having a story line. Eric Lavey, an agent with Keller ... Continue Reading »

Whether you're a first-time home buyer or shopping around for your retirement home, the latest real estate apps for mobile devices put the marketplace at your fingertips -- literally. Here's a set of basic apps that are great downloads for active house hunters. While many big-name real estate companies have useful, ... Continue Reading »

It's been hard enough just to find a buyer for your house. Now the challenge is to drag them across the finish line. Only two-thirds of opened escrows close on time and 16 percent of the deals fall apart without closing. Of agents polled in June by the National Association of Realtors, one in six reported having a deal ... Continue Reading »

If you're trying to sell your house, the first thing a Realtor will tell you is to break out the paint roller. A fresh coat of paint is the quickest and least expensive way to lighten, brighten and perk up a home's interior. It's also a job you can tackle yourself--if you do it right. In today's "DIY Diagnosis," our friend ... Continue Reading »

With home values depressed and interest rates low, a lot of folks are beating the drum for real estate investment. "Record affordability provides rare window of opportunity," announces a recent Inman News report on the hottest investment markets. "Housing is back -- beat the crowd!" urges Fortune magazine. Don't get left ... Continue Reading »

When homeowners list their house for sale, they frequently consider trying to sell it furnished. After all, those Shaker chairs that worked perfectly in the old New England farmhouse are going to look downright wrong in the sleek new Florida contemporary. Worse yet, who wants the added hassle and expense of moving things ... Continue Reading »

Short sales, the hot potatoes of the real-estate market, are becoming easier to handle. Over the next three years, look for the number of short sales and mediations to grow, as the last reset of those toxic adjustable-rate mortgages comes due and major banks and their servicing divisions get more cooperative. But ... Continue Reading »

It's a Catch-22 if ever there was one. The very process of shopping around for a low interest rate on a mortgage can adversely impact your credit score and cost you your eligibility for the cheaper loan you're seeking. Each time a lender does what is known as a "hard pull" on your credit report, their action actually ... Continue Reading »

Home security is a primary concern for many homeowners, particularly those who are away at work during the day or who take frequent vacations. Knowing your home and knowing your neighborhood are key, especially for new homeowners. Nikki Pepper at our sister site, ShelterPop, provides some helpful tips. Whether you're ... Continue Reading »

One day, Tanya Alison got an urgent phone call from a friend in need of an apartment rental. "She was moving here with a husband, a dog and two cats in less than two weeks," Alison explains from her Brooklyn apartment. "She was flying in for twenty-four hours and intended to use the ones in which she wasn't asleep apartment ... Continue Reading »