Hilton’s $11.5M loss mostly from depreciation 
BY: Maria Zilberman
POSTED: May 24, 2012
Tags: baltimore development corp., depreciation, expenses, Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel, Inner Harbor, investment, M.J. "Jay" Brodie, maryland, pratt street, Real Estate, revenue, taxpayers, Tourism, value
While the city-owned Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel lost $11.5 million last year, development officials stressed that the loss is not coming down to taxpayers. “The hotel to date… has not lost a single penny for the taxpayers of Baltimore City,” said M.J. “Jay” Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp. The 757-room hotel, which [...]
National foreclosures drop again in April
BY: Melody Simmons
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: april, Brandon Moore, CEO, decrease, drop, Economy, Foreclosures, greater baltimore board of realtors, housing, Keller Williams Select Realtors, Real Estate, RealtyTrac, united states
National foreclosure filings in April hit the lowest monthly total since July 2007, a new report by the data firm RealtyTrac shows. The filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, were reported on 188,780 properties in the U.S. last month, a 5 percent decrease over figures from March and a 14 percent [...]
Numbers suggest housing market is recovering
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: May 16, 2012
Tags: commerce department, Economy, housing, housing market, jobs, market, National Association of Home Builders, Real Estate, recovery, Unemployment
WASHINGTON — U.S. builders started work on more homes and apartments last month and requested more permits to build single-family homes. The increases suggest the battered housing market is healing. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that builders broke ground in April at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 717,000 homes. That’s a 2.6 percent increase [...]
Realities of Real Estate: Motivation matters in buying, selling homes
BY: Bob and Donna McWilliams
POSTED: May 11, 2012
Tags: bob mcwilliams, buying, donna mcwilliams, home, maryland, mortgage, Real Estate, realities of real estate, selling
Buyers and sellers of real estate don’t all have the same degree of motivation. Generally, we see three different types of customers. First, there are those who have an urgent need to buy or sell. Because of job change, financial difficulties, divorce or some other personal event, there are buyers and sellers who want to [...]
Robert Nusgart: Don’t try to time market on your refinance
BY: Robert Nusgart
POSTED: May 10, 2012
Tags: bank, borrow, Economy, federal housing authority, fha, finance, harp, Home Affordable Refinance Program, mortgage, Pending Home Sales Index, rate, Real Estate, Robert Nusgart
Did you notice that mortgage rates once again are moving lower? Rates for a 30-year fixed is now easily below 4 percent, and adjustable rates for a five-year ARM are close to 3 percent. So even if you refinanced a year ago, it is highly possible to refinance again and ask your lender to structure [...]
Consumer watchdog weighs limits to mortgage fees
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: May 10, 2012
Tags: consumer, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Fees, loan, mortgage, overhaul, Real Estate, watchdog
WASHINGTON — The government’s consumer-finance watchdog is weighing an overhaul of the fees consumers pay to obtain mortgages. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it might ban origination fees that vary with the size of the loan, known as “origination points.” Lenders would charge the same flat fee for all loans. It also [...]
Realities of Real Estate: Is it better to rent or buy?
BY: Bob and Donna McWilliams
POSTED: May 4, 2012
Tags: buy, home, home ownership, housing, loan, market, mortgage, Multiple List System, Real Estate, realities of real estate, rent
These days, many people think that renting might be a better deal than making the leap to home ownership. Much of the decision is a function of your financial condition and overall ability to buy. For some, a poor credit rating or lack of cash on hand might put buying a home momentarily out of [...]
Sears execs say retailer financially strong
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: May 2, 2012
Tags: annual meeting, edward lampert, general growth properties, land's end, lou d'ambrosio, Real Estate, Retail, sears, sears holding corp., shareholders, shoppers
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears executives tried Wednesday to ease concerns about the troubled retailer’s long-term outlook amid ever-sinking sales, emphasizing the company’s financial strength, increased liquidity and prospects to boost operational results. Chairman Edward Lampert told shareholders at Sears Holdings Corp.’s annual meeting that the company is “not planning to just survive” but thrive [...]
Baltimore City Council approves property tax cut plan
BY: Associated Press
POSTED: May 1, 2012
Tags: Baltimore, city council, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake, property taxes, Real Estate, Slots, spending, tax credit, tax cut, Taxes
Comments: 1
The Baltimore City Council has approved Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s proposed property tax cut legislation. The plan approved on Monday calls for a newly created homeowners tax credit program that the mayor’s office says would be paid for with money generated by slots and by reducing spending over the next several years. Under the plan, the [...]
Realities of Real Estate: Major changes in real estate
BY: Bob and Donna McWilliams
POSTED: April 27, 2012
Tags: bob mcwilliams, changes, donna mcwilliams, industry, market, price, Real Estate, realities of real estate, sale
Over the past decade, we have witnessed changes in the real estate industry that literally dwarf any previous adjustments to the nature of this business. Both prices and volume went through the largest rise and fall of any previous point in history. At the same time, the process of how homes are bought and sold [...]
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