I must admit, for far too many years I originated loans and guided my clients by the philosophy to “buy as much home as you possibly can afford” believing that most people ended up “growing into their mortgage payment” as they continue to improve their employment skills and subsequently their income levels.

I was talking with the good people from Shea homes the other day and they find themselves in an interesting predicament. I am sure a lot of home builders find themselves in the exact same situation these days. You see, Shea has people walking through their models in Back Country everyday that would love to buy a new home there BUT…they have a home to sell.

So you are sitting on the sidelines right now missing out of the $8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit because someone at the bank told you that your score was not good enough to buy right now. The banker probably did not provide much more information other than you “need to fix your credit and pay your bills on time” if you want to buy a house.

Homebuyers may be surprised to find that homeowners insurance isn’t going down, despite precipitous declines in sale prices.

Trading homes is not a new idea, but in this economy it is becoming a more valuable option. I know a builder that had a custom home for sale last year. Some potential buyers wanted it but needed to sell their home first. The builder took a look at the buyers’ home, liked it, bought [...]

Let’s continue our look at the top 20 mistakes people make when renovating. If you’d like to check out numbers 20 through 10, visit www.codreamhouse.com and click on News. Now, as Casey Kasem used to say, on with the countdown.
10) Using the wrong paint. There is a reason people make paint for different surfaces. Use [...]

I think this title speaks for itself so let’s get right to it – the top 20 mistakes people make when remodeling or renovating their homes. We’ll count down in reverse order. Remember to be here next week to learn what blunder made number one.
20. Gutting everything. In most cases this isn’t necessary and will [...]

For all those who read my blog on a regular basis you know I just went through a flood in my basement. I then wrote two newspaper columns talking about my problems and frustrations with the insurance industry. You’ll also remember I advocated looking into flood insurance as an option. These new digital maps now [...]

Last week I wrote about how my sump pump failed and flooded my basement. And how my insurance agent broke the news to me that I was “not covered” for the damage. I also shared with you how to avoid this predicament with a little $10 fix. If you’d like to read the first part [...]

Naturally, it was about 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday when I discovered our basement was flooding. Can someone please explain to me why floods never happen between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday?
The float on our sump pump decided to go on strike, so the pump failed to kick on after two days [...]