A monthly member communication featuring the must-have news, resources, and information from C.A.R. that will save you time, money, your transaction--maybe even your sanity--as you navigate today's housing market. http://www.car.org/tools/smart/resources/YMYW/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:05:46 -0800 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:04:29 -0800 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.9) http://www.feedforall.com Working with first-time buyers unsure about today’s market? Send them to our third annual Southern California Home Buyer’s Fair, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times and taking place Saturday, March 13, and Sunday, March 14, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Admission is free to the public and attendees can benefit from more than 50 “how-to” education seminars on the home-buying process, as well as visit an exhibit hall featuring industry experts to help answer their questions. For more information about the event, please click the title. http://www.homebuyersfair.com 762CDF9C-46C5-4EAC-B5CB-330782975B4B Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:04:29 -0800 The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced it is instituting a one-year moratorium on the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) 90-day anti-flipping rule. Starting Feb. 1, buyers may use FHA-insured financing to purchase properties resold through private developers and investors, providing access to a broader array of recently foreclosed properties. Prior to this announcement, FHA prohibited insuring a mortgage on a home owned by the seller for less than 90 days; though certain exceptions did exist, such as HUD-owned, government-owned, and bank-owned properties. The reexamination of the 90-day anti-flipping rule was passed as an action item during C.A.R.'s board of directors meetings last October. As a result, C.A.R. leadership met directly with FHA Commissioner David Stevens and submitted a letter to Commissioner Stevens detailing the challenges facing many home buyers using FHA loans, and the need for this rule to be revised to reflect current market conditions. To read more, please click the title. http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2010/HUDNo.10-011 05805DE8-C00C-459A-AEB1-7295395C1D40 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:03:56 -0800 The deadline will be here relatively quickly and it is uncertain if this credit will be extended again. Don’t let your eligible clients miss out on the chance to own their own home. The federal first time home buyer tax credit of up to $8,000 and the move-up/repeat buyer tax credit of up to $6,500 will expire this spring. Click the title to brush up on the details of the tax credit options. http://www.car.org/legal/real-estate-law/archive/whats-hot-homebuyer-tax-credit/ 8257058B-4994-46C5-B01A-762DB7086A89 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:03:33 -0800 HUD has recently released a revised "Shopping for Your Home Loan: HUD's Settlement Cost Booklet" under the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act (RESPA) Final Rule which took effect Jan. 1, 2010. Lenders and mortgage brokers now are required to provide borrowers with this booklet within three days of completion of the loan application. Please click the title for a copy of the RESPA settlement booklet. http://www.car.org/media/pdf/legal/respa-settlement-booklet-2010/ D9025701-DCCB-4113-9974-9131D03D9B5E Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:03:05 -0800 The Internal Revenue Service and its private-sector partners recently made Free File available. Most taxpayers can have free use of helpful tax preparation software and free electronic filing of the federal tax returns. There are many new tax breaks this filing season, and Free File software can make it easier for people to find all the credits and deductions they are due. Taxpayers must go through either www.IRS.gov homepage or www.IRS.gov/freefile to access the free options. http://www.IRS.gov 332642C8-28ED-4F75-934D-25ACE00A00CF Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:02:36 -0800 C.A.R.’s Market Snapshot is your free member benefit! Help keep yourself and your clients up-to-date on the latest real estate market conditions with a customizable one-page analysis sheet. You can tailor each Market Snapshot with your contact information and send it directly to your entire client base. Click the title to download this month's Market Snapshot. http://www.car.org/3550/pdf/econpdfs/Snapshot_Dec.Jan2010FINAL.pdf 9ACC415E-8FF3-4B21-8CBE-E21028ED7BB0 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:02:08 -0800 In coordination with the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), C.A.R. is offering a series of free webinars detailing everything you need to know about FHA. The series consists of one-hour sessions presented by Nancy West, one of HUD’s four Marketing and Outreach Specialists nationwide. Click on the title to view upcoming webinar topics and schedules, as well as register for individual sessions. http://www.car.org/tools/smart/resources/fha/ 0525FB7B-2A8E-4119-ADFC-ABA2445E17FB Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:01:31 -0800 We’re here to help make sense of facts and figures with brief commentary on the latest industry data. Read up on how California’s pending sales compare with the rest of the country with our most recent Real Estate 411. http://www.car.org/marketdata/marketdata/realestate411/realestate411pendingsales/ 8845FF13-687B-4100-B928-FB03335AD6E9 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:58:12 -0800 It’s quick, easy, and could increase your bottom line! Help potential clients find you by adding contact information, specialties, designations, and photos to your personalized Member Web Page. http://www.car.org/members/memberwebpages/ 7B5EFD91-B700-4609-9048-95AFE22A95E8 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:57:37 -0800 Success in Real Estate http://videos.car.org/mediavault.html?menuID=0&flvID=1 6942DF86-7902-4F68-AAD9-89AAF4B1679B Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:57:18 -0800 ePUBS(TM) for zipForm 6® is now FREE for C.A.R. members. Helping California real estate go green ... one transaction at a time. http://www.car.org/tools/wfo/ePUBSWF/ 0A696023-B3DB-4461-AD4D-175933192D43 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:46:40 -0800