* Conforming FNMA Loan Amount. Rates may include points.
Information updated: 9/03/2010
I am pleased to service all of Palm Beach Real Estate including Wellington Real Estate, Wellington Florida homes and Wellington condos, Royal Palm Beach Real Estate, Royal Palm Beach Florida homes and Royal Palm Beach Real condos, West Palm Beach Real Estate, West Palm Beach Florida homes and West Palm Beach condos, Lake Worth Real Estate, Lake Worth Florida homes and Lake Worth condos, Greenacres Real Estate, Greenacres Florida homes and condos.BANK OWNED PROPERTIESand SHORT SALE PROPERTIES.
I can help with all of Palm Beach Real Estate including luxury home sales, Beach Home, Waterfront and Equestrian home sales. I can also help with commercial properties in Palm Beach, Business Opportunities and Lot and Land sales.
Wellington Homes are about fifteen miles from the Oceanfront Homes of Palm Beach. If you are considering Wellington Real Estate which includes Wellington Condos, Wellington Homes, Wellington Equestrian Homes and Wellington waterfront Homes then please give me a call.
Royal Palm Beach Homes are just north of Wellington. If you are considering Royal Palm Beach Real Estate which includes Royal Palm Beach Condos in a variety of sizes and amenities, Royal Palm Beach Homes from Ranch style or two stories, Royal Palm Beach Equestrian Homes with large acreages and styles and should you prefer the variety of Royal Palm Beach waterfront Homes I would be happy to help you.
West Palm Beach Homes are closer to the Intracoastal Real Estate and here you can find some Lower Priced Homes. West Palm Beach Real Estate that are closer to the water are most likely more expensive and have more of a character , West Palm Beach condos are varied in sizes and age of construction and are in a variety of neighborhoods.
Loxahatchee Homes are more to the west of the Equestrian community of Wellington and here you can find some Lower Priced Homes as well as some newer high priced homes. Loxahatchee Real Estate that is newly built is most likely more expensive and has more of a modern look.
On this site you can find information on Wellington Florida Homes for sale, Wellington Florida Foreclosures as they come up on the Real Estate market. You can search all of Wellington Florida Homes for rent and research and be informed on Wellington Florida recent home sales, keep up with the changing Wellington Fl Home prices and values. Research the variety of Wellington Fl Schools from pre-K to High School, search for Wellington Home Fl rentals, research and get all the information on the Wellington Fl Housing market and Wellington Home ownership.
You can search Royal Palm Beach Homes for sale, get information on Royal Palm Beach Foreclosures, and research and preview Royal Palm Beach Homes for rent, if you are looking for Royal Palm Beach recent home sales you have come to the right place, get all the information you will need on Royal Palm Beach Home prices and values, find out which Royal Palm Beach Schools your children will attend according to your address and search and preview all Royal Palm Beach Home rentals, here you can research and get informed on the entire Royal Palm Beach Housing market and Royal Palm Beach Home ownership.
You can search all Lake Worth Fl Homes for sale; research the properties that are Lake Worth Foreclosures, do a quick search of Lake Worth Homes for rent, research and get a clear understanding of Lake Worth recent home sales and get first hand knowledge of Lake Worth Home prices and Lake Worth home values, research the variety of Lake Worth Schools that are available for you children. If you are looking for Lake Worth Home rentals that suits your budget you have come to the right place, here you can research and get all the information on the Lake Worth Housing market and Lake Worth Home ownership.
Here we showcase the city of West Palm Beach Homes for sale, and you can search for West Palm Beach Foreclosures, preview the variety of West Palm Beach Homes for rent and research and gather information on West Palm Beach recent home sales, you can get all the information on the variety of West Palm Beach Home prices and values, find the West Palm Beach Schools from pre-K to high school that your children will attend. Looking for West Palm Beach Home rentals you can search for properties that fit your budget, research the West Palm Beach Housing market and get the facts on West Palm Beach Home ownership.
Interested in Greenacres Homes for sale or in researching all Greenacres Foreclosures you have come to the right place, here you can research all Greenacres Homes for rent, and research all the Greenacres Real Estate recent home sales and Greenacres Home prices and values, find the Greenacres Schools your children will attend, search and find Greenacres Home rentals and research and get all the facts on the Greenacres Housing market and Greenacres Home ownership.
Preview all of the Lantana Homes for sale, research and find Lantana Foreclosures, search and find Lantana Homes for rent research all Lantana recent home sales, research fine and compare Lantana Home prices and values, research and find the Lantana Schools your children will attend, find all the hot Lantana Home rentals and research and gather information on the Lantana Housing market and Lantana Home ownership.
Here you can preview all the Boynton Beach Homes for sale, research all of Boynton Beach Foreclosures, research all Boynton Beach Homes for rent that fits your budget, research and gather information on Boynton Beach recent home sales, be informed on Boynton Beach Home prices and values, find out which Boynton Beach Schools your children will attend. You can search and find Boynton Beach Home rentals and research and gather information on the Boynton Beach Housing market and Boynton Beach Home ownership.
If you are interested in Loxahatchee Homes for sale and wish to preview all of the Loxahatchee Foreclosures you are in the right place, here you can preview all of the Loxahatchee Homes for rent, research and get informed on Loxahatchee recent home sales, gather information and get informed on Loxahatchee Home prices and values. Find the Loxahatchee Schools your children will be attending. If you need Loxahatchee Home rentals you have come to the right website, here you can research and gather information on the Loxahatchee Housing market and Loxahatchee Home ownership and Florida homes for sale.
Its folksy-looking cover is familiar to most people who have searched for a home to buy. Indeed, The Real Estate Book, the regionally distributed listings magazine, is a hallmark of the house-hunting process. But the India-based company that owns the publication, as well as many other titles such as Apartment Finder and New England Home, is having a crisis of its own. Today, Network Communications Inc. of Bangalore announced it had signed a fourth extension with lenders as it continues its attempts to restructure its debt. Network defaulted on a $9.4 million interest payment in June after failing to secure a new loan to replace an existing credit line that expires in November. The firm, whose total debt is about $296 million, has suffered the decline of two industries, advertising and real estate.
Move over Tim Allen. Another '90s-vintage celebrity -- Robert Van Winkle, aka America's first white rapper, Vanilla Ice -- will star in his own home improvement show. "The Vanilla Ice Project," ten half-hour episodes beginning Oct. 19 on the DIY network, hopes to sell audiences on unscripted laughs from the drama and suspense that ensues when a former rapper rocks a tool belt and a nail gun. You might even learn how to renovate your existing home for profit.
This could be a good thing for both the ever-developing, home-makeover-loving America and the rehabbed, recovered, pop-culture icon. Nearly 20 years after he slid and pumped through his signature hit "Ice Ice Baby," you could say Van Winkle is reinvented. For this gig, the MC's traded in his microphone for a drill and proves that this married father of two can be rather helpful around the house.
But what does Ice know about maximizing home values in Palm Beach, Fla.?
A lot, as it turns out. "The Vanilla Ice Project" is just his day job though. Vanilla Ice is still performing -- he'll be releasing his sixth studio album. Yet when he's not touring he'll be flipping homes in Palm Beach -- something he's been doing for years. The series follows the tattooed, tool-toting rapper, 42, as he and his crew -- friends and home improvement professionals -- renovate a nine-bedroom 7,000-square-foot mansion in the Versailles community. The stripped-to-the-drywall project in real time took about 11 weeks to complete.
"Everything was missing, from the floor to the ceiling," Handyman Ice told the Palm Beach Post about the trashed pad. "They took everything - the crown molding, the flooring - yes, even the kitchen sink!" he says. "It was depressing to see a fairly new house be ravaged. But I love Palm Beach County. This is my area."
Vanilla and his family also live in Versailles. The house featured on the show that he and his hardworking entourage renovate was previously priced at $2.5 million. The recession and burst housing bubble worked in Vanilla's favor. He bought it for roughly $400,000 and dropped about $300,000 to renovate the place.
And the Ice Man isn't posing on this one. Vanilla won't be wearing MC Hammer pants as he tools around, climbing roofs and jumping fences. He is the real home-improvement deal with nearly 15 years experience. Van Winkle has been involved in the real estate business since he was a teenager, and long before he was a famous rapper. During his music career lull, and while recovering from drug abuse and depression, he dedicated his time to buying, developing and selling properties.
In fact, in somecul-de-sacs Vanilla Ice is something of a real estate hero. The Versailles community, a collection of once multimillion-dollar homes, was victim to mortgage fraud and an excessive-flipping scandal. Here's to Vanilla smoothing over the ice!
"I still am Vanilla Ice -- but when I'm not touring around the world, I'm here in Palm Beach, making money in real estate -- I flip houses," he says in a video teaser.)
With his street cred back in check -- in Palm Beach, at least -- our guess is he isn't going to be cool with being called "the next Ty Pennington."
Homeowners are slashing prices more drastically and more frequently, according to recently released data from ZipRealty. The average price reduction is now 7.1 percent of list price.
List prices dipped about $19,000 in August compared with July, across the 26 markets studied. On average, sellers made two price cuts during that time.
Seven cities saw price reductions on more than half of their inventory, with Jacksonville, Phoenix and Minneapolis on top with 55 percent, 54.4 percent and 52.4 percent, respectively.
"Earlier in the year we saw sellers being aggressive with their pricing, but not reducing as much," says Leslie Tyler, vice president of marketing for ZipRealty. "What we are seeing now is that the trends are reversing."
With the seeming desperation of home sellers, and the continued drop in mortgage rates, buyers are in a very good position. But the plunging rate at which buyers are applying for mortgages tells a different story, which might explain sellers' attitudes.
Fewer homes are sold near the end of the year, and with the homebuyer tax credits now gone, people who have to move due to a job or a divorce will more quickly lower their asking price, she says. However, buyers are also being more patient. "Knowing prices are going down, buyers are more willing to wait for the right house."
For buyers looking for the best deals: the deepest discounts, with more than a 10 percent price reduction from the list price, were all in Florida. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale dipped 12.32 percent, Orlando, 11.49 percent, and Jacksonville, 11.24 percent. Their median price reductions were $26,000, $20,000 and $19,000 respectively.
The next closest contender was Baltimore, with a 9.6 percent reduction in price that amounted to a median $19,000 dip. San Francisco, whose median list price fell the furthest of all, down $35,000, actually had the fewest number of reductions per listing, at 1.76 on average. No city cut their prices three times or more, but Chicago and Phoenix tied for first in the highest number of average reductions per listing: 2.43.
Texas sellers made the smallest price cuts, with a median price cut of only $10,000 in Houston and Dallas. The Raleigh-Durham, N.C. area was a close third with $10,100.
With mortgage rates at record lows, it's not a bad time to consider buying.
For tips on related topics, see these AOL Real Estate guides:
Fannie Mae won't fade away so easily -- at least not before it strikes some fear into sluggish loan servicers. The company has announced that it will penalize loan servicers who take too long to process foreclosures that clearly don't qualify for a short sale or loan modification. The fines will be based on a formula that considers: the outstanding balance left on the loan; the rate of return for investors in the mortgage-back securities supported by the loan; and the length of delay, among other criteria. Every state has a prescribed foreclosure-completion timeline, which can vary from as little as 60 days, in states such as Georgia and Texas, to up to 300 days, in states such as New York and New Jersey. The measure is being taken to decrease the number of vacant homes with delinquent mortgages that are being held off the market (known as "shadow inventory") which pull down home and rental prices. According to Fannie's quarterly report, about 450,000 single-family loans securitized into mortgage-backed securities were seriously delinquent or in the foreclosure process as of June 30 -- nearly 5 percent of the 9 million guaranteed by Fannie.
Would you give blanket consent for your real estate agent to share information with the other party's agent in a home purchase, as long as both agents work for the same broker? That's permitted under a New York State law given final approval this week.
New York's new law will allow buyers and sellers of all dwellings to sign, in advance, just one catchall consent form agreeing to dual agency representation for any property. A dual agency relationship is when both the seller's agent and buyer's agent represent the same brokerage. And under existing law, buyers have had to sign a new form before each showing of any property in which a dual agency relationship exists.
Arguments can be made for whether the new law, effective in January, benefits the broker's agent, the seller or the buyer. In theory, it is meant to make disclosures more transparent for the buyer. But unless a buyer is willing to skip seeing quite a few properties, or chooses to use an agent from a small boutique brokerage, he or she just might not be that much better off.
Under current law, buyers and sellers of single-family dwellings across the state receive such written disclosures, but only verbal disclosure has been required for deals involving condominium and cooperatives within the five boroughs of New York City, which is composed mostly of multifamily buildings with more than four units.
Where written disclosure was in effect, a new form allowing dual agency representation, where relevant, has had to be signed in advance by both the seller and the potential buyer with each showing. This has slowed the process for homebuyers and sellers, but also curbed the speed by which real estate agents could show properties listed by their own agency. With the new law, as announced by the Real Estate Board of New York, each party can elect to give implied consent by signing in advance one form that would apply to any dwelling. (They of course could also decline any and all potential dual agency conflict.)
Were people really signing a new form before each viewing? "I'd like to say to you: sure. But, I think, not every time they walked into a showing," says lawyer Neil Garfinkel, of Abrams, Garfinkel, Margolis, Bergson, LLP, the residential counsel to REBNY, New York's real estate professionals board.
"They probably did it when that dual agency was created [with an offer]," he says. "I don't think people could easily comply with the letter of the law."
Too much unnecessary paperwork and the exclusion of NYC co-ops and condos is fixed with the induction of this law, signed by Gov. David Paterson earlier this week.
"We think it is a good thing that the consumer receives that form. You will see a dramatic change in how [brokers] deal with consumers," says Garfinkel.
"In theory [the new law] makes a lot of sense," says New York City real estate broker Diane Saatchi, of Saunders & Associates. "In practice, I don't know that it makes a lot of difference."
It doesn't matter much because the agents are all, in effect, working more for the seller than the buyer, whether the same broker is being used our not, says Saatchi. "It is clear that we work for the seller because the seller pays the commission," she says. "If the buyer and the seller both paid the commission, then that might make a difference."
Garfinkel disagrees with what he says is a typical view taken by real estate agents associated with the National Association of Realtors. "REBNY says if you're not representing the seller, you are representing the buyer, but NAR says you're representing both."
"Our job is to be honest to both parties, even in a dual-agency situation," clarifies Saatchi. "If I know that the seller's property is next to the garbage dump, I can't withhold that from the buyer, but to tell that to the buyer isn't looking out for the seller."
Saatchi says that when an agent represents both parties, closer bonds are usually formed with the buyer than the seller.
"When you work with a buyer you really get to spend way more time with them than you do with a seller," she says. "You meet their kid, or their uncle, when they come to look at the house, or their dog is in the car with you. But they are not the ones we represent.
"I understand having this law and the forms, but it doesn't really match our practices. You're not taking care of the real problem with it."
The new law appears to protect the agents more than it does the parties to the transactions. If agents were not always complying with the existing law -- by having the paperwork signed prior to each individual dual-agency showing -- then the agents were liable. If the agents were not verbally informing their co-op and condo clients of potential dual-agency situations, they also were liable. Now with it all having to be in writing up-front, there is less of a chance for an agent to be accused of not following the law. But at the same time, buyers who opt into a dual-agency situation before they've ever seen a single property no longer need to be told immediately prior to a showing if a particular home creates a dual agency situation.
It seems to me that this new law doesn't really create more transparency for the buyer and seller. Remember, REBNY, with 12,000 paying members, represents real estate professionals, such as agents, brokers, banks and builders, but not the parties to the transactions. So just as Saatchi says agents truly work for the person who is paying them, we can conclude that the same is true for those REBNY truly represents: Its own paying members.
For tips on related topics, see these AOL Real Estate guides:
It's time to find some patience because home sales aren't likely to rebound significantly this selling season, new mortgage data indicates.
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 37 percent drop in applications for home loans last week compared to the same week in 2009.
Even though the weekly survey -- an index measuring mortgage volume -- was up a seasonally adjusted 1.8 percent from the previous week, experts warn that the continuing low levels of mortgage applications could mean a prolonged recovery for home sales numbers.
Waning applications is an indicator that home sales are unlikely to increase in August or September, Michael Fratantoni, MBA's vice president of research and economics, said in a press release.
But there's one good piece of news for the consumer: With interest rates historically low (and amazingly falling even lower), buyers are racing to take advantage of refinancing options.
"Lower long-term interest rates have led to a new surge in mortgage refinancing," Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics Ltd. in Toronto, told Bloomberg.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage dipped to 4.43 percent from 4.55 percent the week before, marking a record-low in data that dates back to 1990.
But Ashworth added that sales data reveals that "the housing market is in free fall again."
Despite the opportunity to benefit from rock-bottom rates, buyers aren't jumping in to buy, following the expiration of the homebuyer tax credit. And dismal reports of demand -- like existing-home sales plummeting in July to their lowest level on record -- have sent jitters to the stock market in anticipation of a double-dip recession.
Without a housing sector recovery, some argue, the economy can't fully turn around.
It seems implausible -- even impossible -- yet here we are again. For the 10th time in the last 11 weeks, conventional mortgage interest rates dropped to a new historic low. The average 30-year fixed rate hit 4.32 percent for the week finishing Sept. 2, a drop from the previous week's 4.36 percent, according to Freddie Mac. Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped to an average of 3.83 percent, down from last week's 3.86 percent. Unbeatable rates may encourage trigger-shy buyers to take a shot at homeownership this fall after the late-summer slump.
The federal government's Home Affordable Modification Program has a lot of work left to do if it hopes to catch up to the private sector. HAMP, with its promise of helping up to 4 million homeowners avoid foreclosure, completed 36,695 modifications in July. In the same period, private mortgage programs completed 120,351 - more than three times the federal program's rate. The numbers were tabulated by Hope Now, a private sector consortium of servicers and other mortgage counselors who offer alternatives to HAMP. So why is it that so few homeowners are taking advantage of the government's mod program? It's not for lack of trying: Including both HAMP and private program figures, servicers completed 1.13 million modifications so far this year -- a far cry from 4 million, and that's not counting the thousands who have dropped out of the program.
Still trying to decide which is right for you? Here are some AOL Real Estateguides to help you no matter whether you choose to buy or rent:
A Newport Beach, Calif., house once owned by actor John Wayne has come on the market for $2.263 million. To appreciate what a marketing boost it is to be able to claim that the Duke slept here, you need to know that Orange County, where Newport Beach is located, is the region that gave us Richard M. Nixon and where the GOP comes home to roost.
Among Orange Countians, John Wayne is a conservative god whom they named an airport after. The Texas Republican Party asked Wayne to run for national office more than once, an idea that Ronald Reagan was probably glad the Duke took a pass on.
While it's not known how much time Wayne spent at the house, books on the Hollywood icon recall him playing poker, bridge and backgammon, among other games, at the nearby Big Canyon Country Club.
The 4,448-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bathroom home (see photos below) has a two-story living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, a mirrored bar and parquet floors. There is a marble fireplace and a newly remodeled kitchen with a center island, double ovens and a butler's pantry. The formal dining room opens to the garden and has a custom console that was designed by Wayne. The home overlooks the Big Canyon Golf Course and sits off the fourth tee.
The listing agent says that Wayne, born Marion Morrison, personally did some remodeling on the home, including designing a custom art piece with two stone American bald eagles. What? You expected something less patriotic?
The house has had two owners since Wayne, who died in 1979 of stomach cancer.
Now should you be among those miscreants afraid to buy a house in this market, remember what the Duke had to say: "Courage is being scared to death ... and saddling up anyway."
After a gloomy month of frightening housing numbers, a ray of sunshine cut through the clouds. The Pending Home Sales Index for contracts signed in July rose 5.2 percent from June, according to the National Association of Realtors. While this is a 19.1 percent fall from last July's home sales numbers, economists had predicted a drop of 1 percent for this July. The new increase indicates that the housing decline following the end of the homebuyer tax credit incentives was nearing its end. It is hoped historically low mortgage interest rates and affordable housing prices will help the ailing housing market recover in the coming months.
.jpg)
Its folksy-looking cover is familiar to most people who have searched for a home to buy. Indeed, The Real Estate Book, the regionally distributed listings magazine, is a hallmark of the house-hunting process. But the India-based company that owns the publication, as well as many other titles such as Apartment Finder and New England Home, 
Move over 
It's time to find some patience because 
It seems implausible -- even impossible -- yet here we are again. For the 10th time in the last 11 weeks, conventional 
The federal government's 
After a gloomy month of frightening 