FRIDAY - BLAME IT ON THE RAIN
How to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home
How to grow 10 favorite fruit trees at home; Where is the U.S. housing market headed; Best places to flip homes in the Bay Area; Housing prices cool slightly; Renters pour out woes at Mountain View housing event; Common credit mistakes for mortgage seekers; Housing isn't overvalued, except in these 10 spots; Cash sales decline; Ideas for shared kids' rooms.
Enjoy!
Five Takeaways: Where is the U.S. Housing Market Headed? Signs point to a housing market that may slowly be gaining some balance and entering more normal territory as a variety of recent housing reports paint an improving picture.
Where to make the most money flipping houses in the Bay Area - Redfin, a online real estate brokerage, analyzed homes that were purchased and resold within 12 months known as “flipping” a home. Among the top U.S. cities for flipping, San Jose came in third with an average gain of $152,000 and Oakland ranked fifth with $134,500 in average gains.
Housing prices cooling slightly - Although it might not seem like it in San Francisco, the overheated housing market seems to be cooling off. It's not that home prices are falling, they are just rising at a slower pace.
Bay Area home prices rise 18 percent — how much higher can they go? Prices will likely continue climbing, but just not at the level they have over the past two years, said Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow, a real estate information company. Prices have gone up 15 percent during the last year, according to Zillow’s estimates, and that will slow to about 7 percent in the next year while the historical average is about 3 percent growth per year.
Renters pour out woes at housing event in Mountain View - As for why Mountain View is becoming so expensive, "the main answer is we don't build enough (housing), Terplan said, adding that it should be no surprise that prices are growing rapidly given the number of people wanting to move to Mountain View and the Bay Area. And it isn't because there is a lack of interest from developers. Terplan pointed the finger at regulations and restrictions.
5 Surprising Missteps That Sabotage Mortgage-Seekers - Common credit mistakes could complicate the mortgage process for potential home buyers. Consequently, knowing ahead of time what one shouldn’t do can make all the difference in ensuring that a buyer does not jeopardize the loan approval process. For example, applying for credit during the loan process is a red flag.
Housing Isn’t Overvalued, Except in These 10 Spots - With winter over and housing data showing a market that is bouncing back, bubble markets are few and far between—that is with California being the exception. Eight of the 10 most overvalued U.S. housing markets are in the Golden State; specifically, Orange Country, Los Angeles, and Riverside-San Bernardino are in the top four. Potential bubbles are determined by using price-to-income and price-to-rent ratios, as well as comparing home prices to historical trends
Cash Sales Decline; Still Dominate Lower-Priced Homes - Is cash still king? Cash sales declined year over year in the first quarter in 102 of the 126 metro areas. However, cash sales still make up a significant portion of the lower-priced home market in many areas. In fact, in the top 30 metro areas, it was found that more than one-third of home purchases in the lowest priced third of the market were made with cash.
Share Tactics: Great Ideas for Shared Kids' Rooms - Maintain peace and maybe even inspire togetherness with decorating strategies from a designer with seven grandchildren. My favorites:
