RISMEDIA, September 7, 2010—Bolstered by favorable interest rates and low house prices, housing affordability remained near its highest level nationwide for the sixth consecutive month since the series was first compiled nearly two decades ago, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). The HOI indicated that 72.3% of all [...] Story

By David S. Jones  RISMEDIA, September 7, 2010—(Real Estate Center)—Some parents are warning their kids not to bank on inheriting the homestead. Why? Because some parents are considering a reverse mortgage. Such mortgages may not be beneficial for everyone, but their popularity is definitely on the rise. “Reverse mortgages are based on the home’s current [...] Story

RISMEDIA, September 7, 2010—While millions of Americans throughout the nation prepare for traditional back to school activities, some families are searching for affordable housing based on local schools or desirable school districts. In some cases, proximity to quality schools is so important buyers may choose to rent close to a preferred school until the right [...] Story

RISMEDIA, September 7, 2010—What does breakfast look like at your house? A quick toaster pastry or fast food sandwich? Or, perhaps there’s no breakfast at all. If so, your family is part of a growing trend that could have negative consequences. A new study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that [...] Story

A: It depends on the complexity of the project and your ability to do the job well yourself. Really consider whether you have the time, skills, tools, help, and legal knowledge of local regulations to get the job done. While you could save up to an estimated 20% of the project cost doing the work [...] Story

Townhouse. Usually a two- or three-story dwelling with shared walls, or a living unit operating under the condominium or townhouse form of ownership. Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia. Story

RISMEDIA, September 4, 2010—BBVA Compass recently released a new survey on first-time home buyers indicating that, prior to purchase, a vast majority of first-time home buyers (88%) believe they have accounted for all expenses related to owning a home. Seemingly contradicting that notion, amongst those who had purchased a home in the past 12 months, [...] Story

RISMEDIA, September 4, 2010—Selling your home doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. The following tips, provided by the American Homeowners Foundation and the American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance will help you prepare your home to be put on the market and end in a successful sale. Tip 1: In strong markets, where demand outstrips supply, [...] Story

By Barbara Pronin, RISMedia Columnist RISMEDIA, September 4, 2010—If it seems your paycheck always runs out before the month is over, you need to either earn more money or find ways to stretch the dollars. If earning more is not an option, the answer is to spend less. One problem for many wage earners, according [...] Story

RISMEDIA, September 4, 2010—Simmons Bedding Company and environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo have joined forces to help the millions of Americans who suffer from sleep disturbances as a result of allergies. Although most people equate allergies with hay fever and outdoor triggers such as pollen, indoor allergens are also a major problem. Indoor allergens’ effect [...] Story