Builders step up spending for fifth straight month
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: February 1, 2012
Tags: apartments, commerce department, construction, government spending, home construction, homebuilders, private builders, residential, residential construction, sales
WASHINGTON — Builders increased their spending in December for the fifth consecutive month, ending a weak construction year on a hopeful note.
Spending on construction projects rose 1.5 percent in December after a revised 0.4 percent gain in November, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That pushed spending to a seasonally adjusted [...]
Home prices dropped in November in most U.S. cities
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: January 31, 2012
Tags: atlanta, buyers, california, chicago, cleveland, detroit, Economy, home prices, homebuilders, homeowners, homes, nevada, phoenix, sales, san diego, standard & poor's/case-shiller home-price index, vacant homes, washington
WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices fell for a third straight month in nearly all cities tracked by a major index. The declines show that most homeowners are not reaping the benefits from some signs of an improving housing market.
Prices dropped in November from October in 19 of the 20 cities tracked, [...]
Occupy Frederick ends weeklong encampment
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: January 30, 2012
Tags: andrew vache, carroll creek, encampment, foreclosure, foreclosure crisis, frederick, hillcrest community center, malgorzata schmidt, occupy frederick
FREDERICK — Occupy Frederick members have ended a weeklong encampment to announce their presence and call attention to the local impact of the foreclosure crisis.
The Frederick News-Post reports that participants Andrew Vache and Malgorzata Schmidt said the temporary encampment along Carroll Creek ended as planned on Saturday. Vache says staying longer could have caused the [...]
Real Estate Weekly – 1/27/12: Towne Park, Gaylord Hotel extend deal
BY: Daily Record Staff
POSTED: January 27, 2012
Tags: deal, extended, firstEnergy corp, gaylord hotel, maryland, Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs, potomac realty trust, real estate weekly, silver spring, town park, Village at King Farm
Planned community homes sold
McWilliams5/8Ballard said Wednesday it has sold and settled all homes at The Village at King Farm, in Rockville. Part of the King Farm planned community, The Village at King Farm consists of 49 condominiums above retail, restaurants and local businesses. In 2008, the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs and [...]
Realities of Real Estate: Deciphering the Homestead Tax Credit Application 
BY: Bob and Donna McWilliams
POSTED: January 27, 2012
Tags: bob and donna mcwilliams, General Assembly, gov. martin o'malley, Homestead Tax Credit Application, maryland, Maryland’s Real Property Database, realities of real estate
Some people might think the scariest event on the calendar comes at the end of October, when the ghosts and goblins visit our homes, looking to fill their sacks with sweets. That might be true for children; but among the adults, mid-January marks the beginning of a period that can really send a shiver up [...]
Foreclosures take smaller slice of sales
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: January 26, 2012
Tags: Foreclosures, homebuyers, housing, market, mortgage, Real Estate, RealtyTrac Inc., sales
LOS ANGELES — Foreclosures made up a smaller slice of all U.S. homes sold in last year’s third quarter, as banks delayed placing properties for sale and home sales slowed.
Despite the decline, foreclosures still represented 20 percent of all homes sold in the July-September period — about four times more than at the height of [...]
Walkersville Homemakers Club in Maryland to disband
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: January 26, 2012
Tags: disbanded, maryland, thurmont library, Walkersville Homemakers Club
Comments: 2
THURMONT — Members of the Walkersville Homemakers Club sorted through their history at their club’s final meeting earlier this month. After 91 years, the club is disbanding because of low membership.
Six women came to the Thurmont Library to donate club minutes and other written memorabilia to the Maryland Room’s agriculture history collection, which is based [...]
New-home purchases fall, 2011 worst ever for sales
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: January 26, 2012
Tags: builders, commerce department, construction, economist, Economy, homes, housing market, mortgages, national association of homebuilders, new-home sales, price, total sales
WASHINGTON — Fewer people bought new homes in December. The decline made 2011 the worst year for new -homes sales on records dating back nearly half a century.
The Commerce Department said Thursday new-home sales fell 2.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 307,000. The pace is less [...]
Cap plan alarms Maryland real estate agents
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: January 25, 2012
Tags: agents, General Assembly, gov. martin o'malley, maryland, Maryland Association of Realtors, Real Estate, Save Maryland's Interest Deduction, State Comptroller Peter Franchot, taxpayers
Comments: 2
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland real estate agents expressed alarm Wednesday at Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal to cap state income tax deductions for people who make more than $100,000, a change that would have a big impact on mortgage interest deductions.
Patricia Terrill, president of the Maryland Association of Realtors, said the proposal was just about the only [...]
Sales contracts for homes dip from 19-month high
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: January 25, 2012
Tags: americans, buyers, contracts, home contracts, homeowners, National Association of Realtors, Real Estate, sales contracts, washington
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes fell in December after hitting the highest level in a year and a half a month earlier.
The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday its index of sales agreements fell 3.5 percent last month to a reading of 96.6. That’s [...]
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