Category Archives: Uncategorized

Home Buying Predictions for 2016

HOME PRICE APPRECIATION WILL SLOW. Industry experts expect home prices to continue to rise in 2016, but at a slower pace, somewhere between 3 percent and 4.5 percent nationally. In the expensive coastal markets, like New York and San Francisco, prices had been rising much more quickly, but that trend is not sustainable, said Ralph McLaughlin, a housing economist for the real estate website Trulia.

“We are approaching a critical threshold on the costly coasts where the median household would have to spend 40 percent or more on the median-priced house,” he said. “That’s a signal that households will not rush to buy homes because affordability is pushing down on their ability to do so.”

THE SPRING MARKET COULD HIT IN WINTER. Spurred by the expected rise in interest rates, buyers may come out earlier in the year than usual, maybe even in January and February, Ms. Richardson said.

Mr. Smoke agreed that a “crazy spring market” could be in the offing. “Rates are going up, and buyers have seen prices rising and will want to get in before they go up higher,” he said. “And the third factor is, what’s the alternative? Renting is becoming increasingly expensive.”

Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/27/realestate/home-buying-predictions-for-a-new-year.html?ref=realestate&_r=0

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Tax Benefits for Homeowners in the Fed Gov Budget for 2016

Homeowners and mortgage borrowers also count as special interests on Capitol Hill, and this year’s Christmas tree is sprinkled with tax benefits for them as well. Some could even lower your next tax bill.

Home improvements you made during the past year that conserve energy, such as putting in new insulation, more efficient windows or an exterior door. You may be eligible for a 10 percent tax credit on their cost, up to a maximum credit of $500. Tax credits come directly off your bottom-line federal tax bill, so a $500 credit is more valuable than a $500 deduction, which is tied to your marginal tax bracket.

The federal budget bill that Congress passed along with the extenders legislation also reauthorized the biggest home energy-efficiency tax subsidy of all: the 30 percent credit for installing “renewable energy” improvements such as solar panels and wind and geothermal equipment. There is no dollar limit on what you can claim as a credit on these improvements, but the equipment must be purchased by you outright and installed on your principal residence. If you don’t own the solar panels on your roof, you don’t qualify for the credit.

Another key extension in the tax bill: Deductions for mortgage-insurance premium payments. Millions of home buyers who make down payments of less than 20 percent are charged mortgage insurance premiums or guaranty fees, whether for conventional loans (those eligible for sale to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) or government-backed Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veterans Affairs (VA) or Rural Housing loans backed by the Agriculture Department.

Read more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/classic-christmas-tree-bill-has-goodies-for-ordinary-homeowners/2015/12/21/ee9c140c-a810-11e5-9b92-dea7cd4b1a4d_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-realestate%3Ahomepage%2Fcard

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Portable, Enviromentally friendly Ecocapsule

ecocapsuleA Slovakian architecture firm has started selling environmentally-friendly pod homes for a fraction of the cost of most Aussie real estate.

Prices for the micro-homes, called Ecocapsules, start at €79,900 ($121,000 Aus)  ($86,000 USA dollars) and they can be shipped to Australia for €1,900.

The self-sustainable pods, created by Nice Architects, rely on solar and wind power as well as rainwater collection.

They can be taken almost anywhere on the globe, meaning the luxuries of a hotel room are now available in the wilderness.

Or alternatively they could be used as a backyard granny flat, though it is unclear when Australian councils would land on the matter.

read more at: http://www.domain.com.au/news/the-ecocapsule-a-movable-environmentallyfriendly-mini-home-20150716-gidsq3/