J.R.'s Mortgage and Real Estate Blog

Want to take advantage of a government tax credit for purchasing a home, but weren't eligible under the first-time homebuyer credit? Well, it's time to start looking for that new house. The government, hoping to lure higher-end buyers back in the market, has created a tax credit of $6500 to homeo...

I see it all of the time. I'm somewhere teaching a class of realtors about social media. One of them will come up to me afterward and say, "Could you take a look at my Facebook page?" I am usually quite happy to oblige. I open up their page and "Yikes!" While Facebook is a great tool, it should b...

It is amazing to me the amount of confusion that abounds among homeowners as of late. Should I refinance or wait? Did my home go down in value? Should I pay off credit cards? Will I have a job tomorrow? What steps will the government take (or not take) to help out homeowners? With all of the talk...

I continue to hear terms like "frozen markets" and "credit crunch" on the various media outlets. While I understand the fear in the market, is it really that bad or just a lot of hype? It seems that every other day my business partner and I are having this discussion. The question we always come ...

Take a look at the Charlotte Business Journal today. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/03/09/daily36.html Foreclosures in North Carolina according to Realty Trac are down by 50% from the same time last year! There actually is a ton of positive news out there this week. The stock m...

I know you've all been deluged with a huge amount of bad news regarding the financial markets. The mortgage market is just one of them. I recently found a website that is a fantastic source of upbeat information regarding the economy. One could get the idea very quickly from reading the articles ...

Here is an article from this morning's Charlotte Observer. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/402351.html It talks to a Wachovia economist who states that "Interest rates haven't been this low for a sustained period of time in the past decade". So how can you capitalize on this in your bu...

Reuters reported today that online retail spending rose 15 percent on the Monday after Thanksgiving from a year earlier. Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Take a look at the link here. http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE4B25Q220081203It seems that online spending reached $846 million...

Just wanted to put this out there...... How is everyone feeling about the market? * Positive* Concerned but optimistic* Just plain concerned* I don't know what to think* I'm preparing for the worst while loading up on ammunition and canned goods I'm still concerned but optimistic. I personally be...

All right now...... Take a deep breath..... let it out...........relax................. Ahhhh!!!! Feel better? I know, I know. There's blood in the streets. Everyone is waiting for the (gasp!) next Great Depression! The bailout bill won't pass! The stock market is tumbling! And you and everyone a...