Congress passes flood insurance. This is great news!
Begin forwarded message:
From: "C.A.R. Newsline" <newsletters@mail2.carwebs.org>
Date: July 4, 2012 9:00:56 PM EDT
To: <bevs@apr.com>
Subject: C.A.R. Newsline
Reply-To: "C.A.R. Newsline" <newsletters@mail2.carwebs.org>
Facebook Email Switcheroo Draws User Ire
MENLO PARK, Calif. — Facebook has changed your email address. At least that's how many felt after a quiet but vast change in the way the company displays users' contact information.
In yet another change to its website that irked users, Facebook replaced the email address you picked to display on your profile page when you signed up for the online social network and changed it to an (at)facebook.com address.
Previously, users may have had a yahoo.com or gmail.com address displayed, so that if other users wanted to contact them outside of Facebook, they could. Sending an email to a Facebook.com address will land the email in the messages section of your Facebook profile. It means keeping Facebook's already-captive audience even more captive.
The email change was first pointed out by bloggers over the weekend and publicized by media outlets Monday, leading to gripes from users, usually on their Facebook pages.
But you can reset your profile if you're bothered by the change. Facebook didn't delete the previously displayed email addresses. To revert back to your original address, click on the "about" section of your profile. Once there, look for "Contact Info" and click on the edit icon on its right hand corner. There, you can change who can see your email address and which email addresses they can see.
Sending an email to a Facebook.com email address allows users to communicate with outside email addresses via Facebook, but it's unclear how popular they have been. Popular as it has been with more than 900 million monthly users, Facebook messages and posts have not replaced email, texting and other forms of communication.
Facebook didn't say why it made the email switch, though it said in April it was "updating addresses on Facebook to make them more consistent across our site."
"Ever since the launch of Timeline, people have had the ability to control what posts they want to show or hide on their own timelines, and today we're extending that to other information they post, starting with the Facebook address," Facebook spokeswoman Jillian Stefanki said in an email late Monday.
Facebook is well known for making changes to its website that have irritated users, sometimes temporarily. Some users are still holding out switching their old profile pages to the Timeline, which lists users' life events, updates and photos in chronological order, dating back to their birth if they shared that information on Facebook. In 2006, there was a big uproar over a now-central feature of Facebook, the news feed that tells people what their friends are doing.
Also on HuffPost:
Browse our gallery for tips on what not to post on Facebook.Loading Slideshow![]()
Your Birth Date And Place
While it might be nice to hear from Facebook well-wishers on your birthday, you should think twice before posting your full birthday. Beth Givens, executive director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse advises that revealing your exact birthday and your place of birth is like handing over your financial security to thieves. Furthermore, Carnegie Mellon researchers recently discovered that they could reconstruct social security numbers using an individual's birthday and place of birth. Rather than remove your birthday entirely, you could enter a date that's just a few days off from your real birthday.
Your Mother's Maiden Name
"Your mother’s maiden name is an especially valuable bit of information, not least since it’s often the answer to security questions on many sites," writes the <em>New York Times</em>. Credit card companies, your wireless service provider, and numerous other firms frequently rely on this tidbit to protect your personal information.
Your Home Address
Publicizing your home address enables everyone and anyone with whom you've shared that information to see where you live, from exes to employers. Opening up in this way could have negative repercussions: for example, there have been instances in which burglars have used Facebook to target users who said they were not at home.
Your Long Trips Away From Home
Don't post status updates that mention when you will be away from home, advises <em>New York Times</em> columnist Ron Lieber. When you broadcast your vacation dates, you might be telling untrustworthy Facebook "friends" that your house is empty and unwatched. "[R]emind 'friends' that you have an alarm or a guard dog," Lieber writes.
Your Short Trips Away From Home
Although new features like Facebook Places encourage you to check in during outings and broadcast your location (be it at a restaurant, park, or store), you might think twice even before sharing information about shorter departures from your home. "Don’t post messages such as 'out for a run' or 'at the mall shopping for my sweetie,'" Identity Theft 911 cautions. "Thieves could use that information to physically break in your house."
Your Inappropriate Photos
By now, nearly everyone knows that racy, illicit, or otherwise incriminating photos posted on Facebook can cost you a job (or worse). But even deleted photos could come back to haunt you. Ars Technica recently discovered that Facebook's servers can store deleted photos for an unspecified amount of time. "It's possible," a Facebook spokesperson told Ars Technica, "that someone who previously had access to a photo and saved the direct URL from our content delivery network partner could still access the photo."
Confessionals
Flubbing on your tax returns? Can't stand your boss? Pulled a 'dine and dash?' Don't tell Facebook. The site's privacy settings allow you to control with whom you share certain information--for example, you can create a Group that consists only of your closest friends--but, once posted, it can be hard to erase proof of your illicit or illegal activities, and difficult to keep it from spreading. There are countless examples of workers getting the axe for oversharing on Facebook, as well as many instances in which people have been arrested for information they shared on the social networking site. (Click here to see a few examples of Facebook posts that got people canned.)
Your Phone Number
Watch where you post your phone number. Include it in your profile and, depending on your privacy settings, even your most distant Facebook "friends" (think exes, elementary school contacts, friends-of-friends) might be able to access it and give you a ring. Sharing it with Facebook Pages can also get you in trouble. Developer Tom Scott created an app called Evil that displays phone numbers published anywhere on Facebook. According to Scott, "There are uncountable numbers of groups on Facebook called 'lost my phone!!!!! need ur numbers!!!!!' [...] Most of them are marked as 'public', and a lot of folks don't understand what that means in Facebook's context -- to Facebook, 'public' means everyone in the world, whether they're a Facebook member or not."
Your Vacation Countdown
CBSMoneyWatch.com warns social network users that counting down the days to a vacation can be as negligent as stating how many days the vacation will last. "There may be a better way to say 'Rob me, please' than posting something along the lines of: 'Count-down to Maui! Two days and Ritz Carlton, here we come!' on [a social networking site]. But it's hard to think of one. Post the photos on Facebook when you return, if you like. But don't invite criminals in by telling them specifically when you'll be gone," MoneyWatch writes.
Your Child's Name
Identity thieves also target children. "Don't use a child's name in photo tags or captions," writes Consumer Reports. "If someone else does, delete it by clicking on Remove Tag. If your child isn't on Facebook and someone includes his or her name in a caption, ask that person to remove the name."
Your 'Risky' Behavior
CBSMoneyWatch.com writes: <blockquote>You take your classic Camaro out for street racing, soar above the hills in a hang glider, or smoke like a chimney? Insurers are increasingly turning to the web to figure out whether their applicants and customers are putting their lives or property at risk, according to Insure.com.</blockquote> There have been additional reports that insurance companies may adjust users' premiums based what they post to Facebook. Given that criminals are turning to high-tech tools like Google Street View and Facebook to target victims, "I wouldn't be surprised if, as social media grow in popularity and more location-based applications come to fore, insurance providers consider these in their pricing of an individual's risk," says Darren Black, head of home insurance for Confused.com.
The Layout Of Your Home
Identity Theft 911 reminds Facebook users never to post photos that reveal the layout of an apartment or home and the valuables therein.
Your Profile On Public Search
Do you want your Facebook profile--even bare-bones information like your gender, name, and profile picture--appearing in a Google search? If not, you should should block your profile from appearing in search engine results. Consumer Reports advises that doing so will "help prevent strangers from accessing your page." To change this privacy setting, go to Privacy Settings under Account, then Sharing on Facebook.
ALSO ON THE HUFFINGTON POST
What will Facebook do next? I'm not sure I like this!
Twin Cities Home Sales On The Rise - Larkspur-Corte Madera, CA Patch
The median sale price for Bay Area homes rose for the second consecutive month in May, driven by a high number of sales and increased activity at the higher ends of the market, according to figures released recently.
Total home sales in the nine-county Bay Area were up 14.8 percent in May to 8,810 from the previous month and up 26.1 percent from the same month last year, according to real estate information service DataQuick.
Corte Madera and Larkspur showed a relatively dramatic increase in sales in May 2012. There were 16 home sales in Corte Madera, a 166.7 percent increase from May 2011, while the median price dropped by 1.6 percent to $848,500. Larkspur showed a 100 percent increase with 14 sales at a median price of $1 million, up 73.9 percent from last year.
Activity slowed in Greenbrae, where there 15 sales, a drop of 16.7 percent. The median home price was $1.7 million, a boost of 69.9 percent over the same time last year.
Marin County Zip Sales % Chg Median Price % Chg High Price $/SqFt % Chg Belvedere/ Tiburon 94920 18 28.6% $1,625,000 7.8% $3,120,000 $631 -3.5% Corte Madera 94925 16 166.7% $848,500 -1.6% $1,275,000 $558 5.6% Fairfax 94930 6 -33.3% $577,000 9.8% $1,640,000 $399 18.6% Greenbrae 94904 15 -16.7% $1,700,000 69.9% $4,720,000 $601 26.9% Inverness 94937 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Larkspur 94939 14 100% $1,000,000 73.9% $2,600,000 $618 23.8% Mill Valley 94941 36 28.6% $1,100,000 21.8% $2,295,000 $624 11.4% Novato 94945 32 68.4% $425,000 -18.3% $889,000 $244 -9.4% Novato 94947 28 75.0% $365,000 -18.2% $788,000 $279 -8.7% Novato 94949 15 -16.7% $594,500 5% $1,308,000 $281 2.5% Ross 94957 3 -40% $3,612,500 22.5% $5,000,000 $948 14.6% San Anselmo 94960 21 90.9% $829,000 14.8% $2,975,000 $452 5.0% San Rafael 94901 28 0.0% $490,500 -2.3% $1,570,000 $356 2.3% San Rafael 94903 43 26.5% $512,000 -12.5% $966,000 $352 -3.5% Sausalito 94965 8 -50% $349,500 -46.6% $1,295,000 $447 -24.4% Stinson Beach 94970 4 100% $3,100,000 46.2% $6,200,000 $1,906 59.2% Reporting resale single family residences and condos as well as new homes
* % Change is from last year
— Information provided by DataQuickSales in the Bay Area for May reached a six-year high, but were still 8.8 percent below the average recorded for May by DataQuick since 1988. They reached a record low in 2008, when only 6,216 homes were sold in May in the nine-county Bay Area, and a record high only a few years earlier in 2004, at 13,567.
"It's not exactly a stampede, but people are starting to move off the housing market sidelines in numbers we haven't seen in quite a while," said DataQuick President John Walsh.
The median price in the Bay Area rose to $400,000 in May, up 2.6 percent from April and up 7.5 percent from May 2011. May was only the second month since 2010 that median prices have risen year over year.
The median home price in the Bay Area reached a low of $290,000 in March 2009, and a peak of $665,000 in June and July of 2007.
One factor in the increase in median prices is a change in the mix of what is selling, Walsh said. Foreclosures are a smaller percentage of sales and higher-priced properties are moving in larger numbers than in recent years.
Median home prices rose in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Solano counties, but fell in Marin, Napa, San Mateo and Sonoma counties, according to DataQuick. The highest median price in May was $701,000 in San Francisco, and the lowest was $190,000 in Solano County.
— Bay City News
Featured Listings
391 North Almenar Drive, Greenbrae; Listed at $1,495,000; 4 Bed, 3 1/2 Bath; 2,786 sq. ft.
2 Presidio Court, Corte Madera; Listed at $1,125,000; 4 Bed, 3 Bath; 2,460 sq. ft.
22 Frances Ave., Larkspur; Listed at $795,000; 2 Bed, 2 Full; 1,393 sq. ft.
315 Crown Road, Kentfield; Listed at $1,149,000; 3 Bed, 2 Bath; 1,801 sq. ft.
Home values are most certainly on the rise in Larkspur and Greenbrae!
5 tips for staging your home | Inman News
5 tips for staging your home
From houzz.com
By Inman News, Tuesday, June 19, 2012.
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=74937583">Pink bedroom</a> image via Shutterstock." width="225" />Pink bedroom image via Shutterstock.
Editor's note: The following item is excerpted with permission of houzz.com. See the entire article: Stage Your Home and Sell it Fast.
By SUSAN C. KIM
This real estate slump is a real drag, especially if you're trying to sell your abode. So, stage your pad to beat out the competition and draw in more prospective buyers. Most buyers have a hard time looking past pink walls and green shag carpet, so do the legwork for them and present their "new home" on a silver platter.
If done smartly, the money spent staging will be made up tenfold in the house sale -- and you keep all the hot accessories for yourself afterward (or unload them on Craigslist).
Here are some tips I used when staging my San Francisco condo. This unit sold within a month and a half for just below asking price. The exact same (unstaged) unit, located one floor down, never even got an offer. So there you have it.
Clear it all out
I mean it, girlfriend, move every single thing out of your place. That goes for your beloved troll doll collection, leopard skin rug, and the couch your mom claims you were born on. As sentimental as these things might seem to you, buyers want to be able to imagine themselves in your space; seeing clothes in the closet, family photos and random tchotchkes prevents them from doing so.
Photo credit: eva
After moving everything out, then place in only necessary furniture back, keeping in mind that you want the space to look BIG, CLEAN, SPACIOUS and UNCLUTTERED. This isn't supposed to be a functional room. Nope. As I did in this living area, you can lose the TV, stereo, side tables and ottomans if it creates more room.
...CONTINUED
All rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.
Staging definitely helps homes sell!
Microsoft Surface Just Made the MacBook Air and the iPad Look Obsolete
Microsoft has guts. It's what you get when you're the underdog; either that or you curl into a RIM and die. Microsoft is the underdog because no matter how many hundreds of millions of people use its software, the cool and the future belong to Apple. Or belonged. After yesterday's Surface event—assuming they don't fumble the execution—Gates' children may have found the weapon to stop the heirs of Jobs and turn the tide. Or at least make things exciting for everyone again.
That weapon is Microsoft Surface. And it is beautiful. Beautiful and functional and simple and honest. Surface just bumped the MacBook Air and the iPad to the back seat, and it did so by hewing tightly to everything that Apple's Jonny Ive holds dear, according to the Ten Principles of his Jedi design master, Dieter Rams:
Good design principles for both hardware and software
• Good design is innovative
Surface uses a new manufacturing process—VaporMg—that reduces its weight while keeping it strong. That process also allows for a built-in kickstand, which is invisible when using the product in tablet mode. It may seem obvious, but it's innovative and enables its laptop mode easily. The same happens with the use of the cover as a keyboard—with its own design breakthroughs. And again with the combination of multi-touch and pressure sensitive pen technology in the Pro model. This is something that you can't find built in any tablet or computer today.The software user experience is also innovative. It's not just an evolution of the Palm, or a Newton springboard. Metro's live tiles offer information in real time without having to launch apps. It allows for multitasking with split screens. It was created from scratch for touch but it also works with a physical keyboard and trackpad. Metro is, without a doubt, the most innovative user experience both on Earth and on the USS Enterprise.
• Good design makes a product useful
The touchscreen, the case keyboard and the built-in stand, together with the powerful Ivy Bridge brains in the Pro version, make Surface more useful than both tablets and ultrabooks. Surface adapts to your usage at any time, on the sofa or on your desk. In fact, it's the first morphing computer that actually makes sense.This, too, extends to the software. Again, the live tiles, the multitasking, and Surface's ability to run full professional programs like Photoshop all open the scope of a computing device that can both entertain you and work for you at the same time.
• Good design is aesthetic
Surface is definitely aesthetic. This thing is beautiful when it's turned off—like the iPad and MacBook Air—and when it's turned on. Simple and sleek minimalism. The software has exactly the same attributes.Everyone who has seen and touched it thinks the Surface itself is gorgeous. Metro is perfect for it: colorful, simple, without the horrible artifice of skeuomorphism omnipresent in OS X and iOS.
• Good design helps us to understand a product
Surface's hardware and software is self-explanatory. Three seconds with the product and you know how to transform it from tablet to ultrabook. Boot it and you will be able to fully understand Metro immediately, discovering its more advanced features quickly.• Good design is unobtrusive
With Surface, there's nothing to get in your way. Hardware-wise, it's a tablet designed to be held, with angles that are comfortable in your hands. Microsoft claims that in ultrabook mode, the keyboard is better than any other keyboard—although the fact that they wouldn't let anyone touch it may belie that sentiment. But the keyboard is undeniably unobtrusive, disappearing every time you cover your tablet's display. And the built-in trackpad allows you to edit any part of a document without having to lift your hands off the keyboard. Fast. It's certainly more elegant than Apple's wireless accessory solutions.Again, the same happens with Metro. It never gets on the way of the most important thing: your information.
• Good design is honest
Devoid of artifice, Surface and Metro are both designed to serve their respective functions. There's no gratuitious eye candy. Every curve, every part and notch in the hardware, is there to make its mission possible. In Metro, even the smallest animations have been designed to convey a meaning. Nothing is there just for fun. Unlike iOS and OS X, there are no artificial skins, no leather, no trying to fake real objects that are already obsolete in the real world.• Good design is durable
Microsoft stressed that the VaporMg process is extremely durable. The screen glass is Gorilla 2, the best you can get right now. And the keyboard appears solidly built, too. Metro is also durable: it will stand the test of time because it doesn't use outdated visual metaphors. It's just transparent to the user, all information, no adornment. iOS feels dated next to it. Metro's user experience is one that I see going well into this century, for as long as we use touch screens.• Good design is consequent to the last detail
Clearly, the philosophy of Surface is united across hardware and software. Everything responds to the same values. Every detail is part of a single idea and responds to all these principles.This is where Apple fails. The hardware is consequent to the last detail. But the user experience is not consistent with the principles established in the hardware. Objectively and comparatively, it's a mess. Ive's designs are tainted by Forstall's leather.
In fact, I'm convinced that Surface is the product that Jonny Ive would make if he had complete hardware and user interface design control at Apple.
• Good design is concerned with the environment
We don't have details about manufacturing, so I can't judge this one.• Good design is as little design as possible
Both Microsoft and Apple's hardware follow this rule strictly. But Microsoft out-Apples Apple by taking this principle to the user experience too, as I explained above.The design in Metro is as minimal as it can get, as opposed to the land of fake surfaces and shiny knobs in iOS or OS X. Information is God in the Metro universe, and every graphic element is there to show it in the clearest way possible. Or, said in a different way, there are no frivolous graphical elements to get in the way.
Excited? You should be
If Microsoft delivers—which means that the price and the battery life should be competitive with Apple's offerings, and that keyboard lives up to its billing—it has a real chance of stopping the seemingly unstoppable Apple empire. Or at least slowing it down.
If it fulfills its promise, if Microsoft Surface Pro is $800 or $900 and can pull six or seven hours of battery life, then things will change. It's going to be hard, since they don't have the app ecosystem yet, but that will come eventually. Microsoft has the user base, the developer base, and the deep pockets to make sure of that.
The only thing Microsoft was missing until yesterday just was a better platform. Now all the pieces are in place for a well-fought war, just like the good old days.
Come this fall, you will have two choices: 1) Get a MacBook Air for work and an iPad for play or 2) Get a beautifully designed, ultra-fast tablet with a sleek touch interface that can also be a full computer with the power of an ultrabook.
The iPad started a new era in computing but, for all its undeniable hardware innovation and beauty, it carries a legacy. It's a truly useful and fun color Newton on gorgeous, zippy hardware. And the MacBook Air is perhaps the perfect ultrabook, the pinnacle of Apple's laptop evolution. But, sadly, it runs an OS X/iOS Frankenlion. And it represents the end of an era, not the future. Both are extremely good and successful products but, when you look at them as a complete package of hardware and software, they fail to pass the stringent 10 Principles test advanced by Rams.
But Surface doesn't. It is new from the ground up. It's a coherent product that can be a tablet like the iPad and an ultrabook like the MacBook Air. A new product that merges the old and the new into something that seems to work quite nicely.
No, it's not the Second Coming of the Jesustabletbook. And yes, Apple will respond (I hope!) in kind. But Surface could be the first device to fulfill the promise of the New Computing Era ushered in by the iPad.
I'm excited. Not only because Surface looks great on its own, but because it signals a new drama in the struggle between Cupertino and Seattle—one that I've been following with many others since the 80s. The difference is that, once again, the classic players have switched roles. Apple is the winner but the prisoner of its own success and heritage. Microsoft is the underdog and has the freedom that only someone with nothing to lose can afford. I wonder if Apple would be bold and continue to innovate instead of just living from Job's heritage.
Whatever happens, a new war begins this fall. This is going to be fun.
Have you seen this? It could very well give Apple a run for their money.
Tips to maximize your home appraisal | Inman News
Tips to maximize your home appraisal
From houzz.com
By Inman News, Monday, June 11, 2012.
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=57721813">Appraisal factors</a> image via Shutterstock." width="225" />Appraisal factors image via Shutterstock.
Editor's note: The following item is republished with permission of houzz.com. See the original article: The Do's and Don'ts of Home Appraisal.
By Vanessa Brunner
Selling a home was difficult even before the market started to slide. Now, every penny counts more than ever, which means that every leaky window, every dangling gutter and every ugly cabinet can make a big difference in the price of your home. While we all have a natural tendency to nest in the places we live, the reality is that many of the changes we make (or don't make) can make or break our home's asking price.
What to do -- and what not to do -- before and after a home appraisal? We asked Houzz users and professional appraisers across the country for their tips.
When remodeling, DO tackle all the major features in each room.
Photo credit: Feinmann Inc.
KITCHEN
DO have:
- An open layout.
- Newer, matching appliances; stainless steel.
- Extra perks like small-beverage refrigerators, dual dishwashers, instant hot water, and a central vacuum clean-out.
- Granite countertops.
- Custom cabinetry.
DON'T try to fix outdated cabinetry or countertops. These need to be replaced if you want to add value -- new hardware won't be enough to fix them.
BATHROOM
![]()
Photo credit: Rikki Snyder
DO have:
- New fixtures and mirrors.
- A freshly painted tub, if necessary.
- Natural light.
- Good ventilation.
- New or refaced cabinetry.
DON'T let your bathroom feel dark or have any outdated colors or materials.
BEFORE YOUR APPRAISAL
Photo credit: Kenny Craft, CNU LEED AP
DO make a list of recent improvements to your home. Think big and small here -- this can range from renovating the kitchen to painting your deck. Make sure your appraiser has a list when comparing your home to others in the area.
DO talk to your appraiser before the inspection. Discuss your house and its history. Find out the appraiser's history, number of years in business, and knowledge of the area. "The key in getting a fair appraisal is to have an appraiser that is experienced and knowledgable in the local market, and that you've checked out," said Greg Wilkinson of Worth Every Dollar Appraisals in Atlanta.
DO ask your agent to do a walk-through with the appraiser. Houzz user Genevieve Llerena says this is the best decision she made. "She pointed out all of the work that I'd done and made sure the appraiser was familiar with all of the comparables in our area. She reminded him of how our location made a difference in the comparables."
More from houzz.com:
Copyright 2012 houzz.com
Contact Inman News: All rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.
Many homes are not appraising so this could help!
Number of homes on market down as prices pick up
Yes here in Marin we are seeing prices inch up due to continued lack of inventory and the buyers are out there!
The Unspoken Appraisal Problem
- 78
inShare
As lenders, buyers, sellers, and real estate agents, the big unknown after a deal is put together is the appraisal. A proper pre-approval can smooth out the other components of the mortgage approval (income, assets, and credit- even title issues can be uncovered before the contracts are signed), so the only “unknown” is the appraisal.
The spoken challenges:
- An appraised value has always been loosely defined as “what a reasonable buyer would pay to a reasonable seller”, meaning that both sides were of sound mind and under no external pressure. But in today’s environment of foreclosures and short sales, the whole concept of “reasonable” is muddled. So, appraisers are challenged, through no fault of their own, in determining a home’s value because they can’t ignore the data and the distressed transactions, but should they be considered “reasonable”?
- Add to it the prevalence of seller’s concessions today (wherein the seller agrees to pay the buyer’s closing costs) and the appraiser is faced with a further dilemma> If the seller is willing to pay $10,000 of the buyer’s closing costs, doesn’t that mean that they believe the “reasonable” value of their home is less than the actual price? Many will argue that the seller’s merely looking to make their home more financially attractive to solicit more interest in it, creating more competition, and thereby securing the highest price for themselves.
So, appraisers are in a difficult position, for sure. But, there is a problem with appraisals today that goes beyond a property’s worth. It’s the unspoken challenge.
With the advent of post real estate bubble regulations (predominantly HVCC in terms of appraisals), most lenders order their appraisals through a third-party company. This company gives the appearance of independence- a company immune to the pressures of a loan officer or a real estate agent who might push a value too high. But, in fact, many of these Appraisal Management Companies are owned or controlled by the lenders themselves. And these AMCs don’t actually do the appraising. In many cases, they subcontract the work out to actual appraisers, but only pay them a fraction of the monies collected.
So, appraisers, besides being under tremendous scrutiny, today have a tougher job and they are asked to work for less money. Is it surprising that they would be conservative in their evaluations? The bubble was not the appraisers fault. There were multiple reasonable buyers willing to pay the prices in 2006, and the values reported were valid at the time. The appraisers didn’t create outrageous underwriting guidelines that allowed too many unqualified buyers to bid on those homes.
Let’s get rid of HVCC and let the appraisers do their job; otherwise, home appraisers will not be showing appreciation in any real estate market.
Yes let's get rid of HVCC!
Home prices show strongest gain in 6 years!
Existing-home sales rose to 4.62 million (seasonally adjusted annualized rate) in April from a downwardly revised March rate of 4.47 million, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Tuesday. Economists had forecast the April sales pace would be 4.66 million.
The median price of an existing home climbed 10.1 percent to $177,400 from $161,100 in April 2011, the strongest year-to-year gain since January 2006. The median price in April reached its highest level since July 2010 when it was $182,100.
The inventory of homes for sale in April rose to 2.54 million, the highest level since last November, bringing the months’ supply of homes on the market to 6.6.
The 10.0 percent yearly gain in the sales rate was the strongest since October when sales were up 14.0 percent year-over-year.
We still need more inventory!
Rates Great, Home Prices Less Filling
It is just amazing that interest rates can get even lower. Great prices, low rates, time to buy!








Microsoft has guts. It's what you get when you're the underdog; either that or you curl into a RIM and die. Microsoft is the underdog because no matter how many hundreds of millions of people use its software, the 




As lenders, buyers, sellers, and real estate agents, the big unknown after a deal is put together is the appraisal. A proper pre-approval can smooth out the other components of the mortgage approval (income, assets, and credit- even title issues can be uncovered before the contracts are signed), so the only “unknown” is the appraisal.

