Deadline Newsroom Feed 11/30/07

Compiled by Broderick Perkins
© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Deadline Newsroom Feed – DeadlineNews.Com offers a look at all the news that really hit home last week, as well as coverage outside the Deadline Newsroom. This week? Brutal. Record-setting home price declines from New England to Southern California. Some refinancing relief for those who can navigate the new hard money system. Failing FSBOs. Drought (as in climate change AND a withering housing market). And on the brighter side, a gutter-cleaning robot winner and, if you've still got enough equity money left, gifts that really hit home. Happy holidays.

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FROM THE DEADLINE NEWSROOM

Historic Home Price Declines Shadow Housing Market
A host of history-making home price declines announced this week portend a prolonged downturn.

Silicon Valley's Micro Markets
If you are buying or selling a home in Silicon Valley, now is the time, perhaps more than ever, to be sure you hire someone who has his or her finger on the pulse of a specific micro-market.

Smoothing The Rough Road To Refinancing
How to slip through the window of low rates to slam the door on ARM resets.

Give Thanks For Lower Rates
Don't stop giving thanks just yet. Home mortgage interest rates have been flat or falling since early October.

More Gifts That Really Hit Home
We've got a list for you and we've checked it twice to make sure you get the most housing bang for your holiday spending bucks.

Gutter-Cleaning Robot Honored
iRobot's "Looj" (you guessed it, sounds like "luge") cleaned up in the Best of Innovations Design and Engineering Award category at the 2008 International Consumer Electronic Showcase.

Buyers, Sellers: Realty Agents Rule
From the feel-good real estate news department: real estate agents continue to get the job done even in the softer housing market, according to buyers and sellers who hire them.

FSBOs Fall Flat
For-sale-by-owner or 'FSBO' transactions in the softening real estate market experienced zero growth last year, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Buying A Home Remains Good Deal
Spread the word. Whatever happens in Las Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Las Vegas. But that's a good thing when it comes to home buying.

Droughts Impact 'Location' Buying Factor
If you are considering a move to a growing number of regions, be prepared to live a lifestyle heavily influenced by dry weather conditions.

© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

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News from elsewhere...

CONSUMER

Ins, Outs With 2008 Homebuyers
What do home buyers want, not want?

FINANCE

FTC Releases Survey of Identity Theft: 8.3 Million Victims in 2005
San Diego, CA. - The Federal Trade Commission today released a survey showing that 8.3 million American adults, or 3.7 percent of all American adults, were victims of identity theft in 2005.

Mortgage Crisis Jeopardizing Working Class Families
Before millions of mortgages reset, Congress should freeze all balloon payments and convert them into mortgage extensions at reduced interest.

Legislators Look To Resolve Subprime Crisis Quickly. That Would Be a First
In general, the government and the coalition have largely agreed to extend the lower introductory rate on home loans for certain borrowers
who will have trouble making payments once their mortgages increase.

Banks Join To Consider Freezing Subprimes
A coalition of major banks with exposure to problem subprime mortgages is finalizing a plan to freeze hundreds of thousands
of adjustable-rate home loans at low introductory rates.

MARKETS

Mortgage Crisis Hits Home For Troops, Veterans
Except in very rare cases, VA does not refinance mortgages it didn't sell.

Home Prices Falling Everywhere Says S&P
U.S. home prices were falling in every region of the country in September, according to a closely watched index of home prices released Tuesday.

California First In, Last Out
As California goes, so goes the country. Only in the case of falling off the housing precipice the country went first.

Cool Market Slowdown With Carefully Applied Aid
How it's done.

Economist Sees Housing Market Improvement In 2008
Lawrence Yun, the new chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, during his organization's fall conference, and said there should be improvement in 2008 as problems with the credit crunch are overcome.

Third Quarter Multihousing Numbers Mixed, Better for Rentals
The most recent quarterly data show condo activity and prices on the decline, especially among existing condos, while the rental market is sending mixed signals.

DeadlineNews.Com: 'Best Repurposing Of A Realty Journalist'
"Fun, credible, astute and up to date."

TRENDS/COMMENTARY

Climate Change May Cost Florida $345
If nothing is done to combat global warming.

Optimism Only Hope For Real Estate
Of course, if cheap money isn't enough to keep the housing markets from slumping further, there's always another factor that can be used to goose sales.

BUSINESS/COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Targeting the Internet Generation
Prudential California Realty Associate Broker Linnette Edwards is a GenY-er who targets her peers - a population that is second in size only to the Baby Boomers. Her first real estate transaction was an e-lead and since then, she’s built her business entirely on Web-based marketing.

The Holidays Are Upon Us. Is Your Housing Client, Professional or Friend On The List?
St. Joseph The Home Seller kits. Clock houses. Monopoly. House warming gifts. Come 'n' get 'em.

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Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist of 30 years, is publisher and executive editor of San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service, and the new Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's new backshop. In both cases, it's where all the news really hits home.

DeadlineNews.Com's Editorial Content Is Intellectual Property - Unauthorized Use Is A Federal Crime