An increase in distressed properties on the market is no longer chipping away at overall home prices, an “unusual and encouraging” sign, a new report suggests.
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The percentage of mortgage fraud activity rose 20 percent in the third quarter compared to a year earlier, a report by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network finds. Almost 62 percent of the nearly 20,000 suspicious activity reports in the third quarter, which ended Sept. 30, began about four years ago, the report noted.
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More borrowers are exploring financing options to cover the costs of rehabbing properties they buy. “Rehab” loans are surging in popularity, according to a New York Times article.
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A number of South Carolina’s privately owned historic plantations are hitting the market, a rare occurrence in property sales. Housing experts say that the sluggish economy and cost of maintaining these properties as well as generational changes in ownership are the reasons behind the increase in plantation sales.
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Houston surpasses other metros in the country in one measure of ethnic diversity, a report from Rice University shows in analyzing census data from 1990, 2000, and 2010.
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In an effort to prevent blight, municipalities increasingly are imposing ordinances that require mortgage servicers to cough up fees, post bond for repairs, and register homes headed toward foreclosure.
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The dust, dander, and mold in home owners’ long-neglected attic could be irritating their family’s lungs and kicking up allergies. “No one thinks about their attic, but it’s a problem area,” says Mike Tringale of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
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