The word on the street is that you should buy real estate, not stocks. There is a lot that can be said for this piece of advice. Let’s face it, you could buy a stock today and see it drop tomorrow, and the last couple of weeks have seen a lot of drops. Certainly the same could be said for real estate, the past few years have definitely seen dramatic drops, but overall real estate can offer a more steady investment over time.

Unlike investing in stocks, housing can help pay for itself through tax write-offs and rental income. While there are some stocks that offer dividends, for the most part you buy at one price, and sell for another.

In addition, most real estate markets appear to be bumping along the bottom. While many areas continue to see drops in home prices, the drops do appear to be less dramatic. Affordability levels are better than they have been in 50 years, another great incentive to invest in property.

Overall, housing appears more stable than the stock market at the moment, combine that with the ability for your investment to help pay itself off and real estate seems like the place to be. After-all, it’s definitely a buyers market out there!

Click here to read “Forget the Market. Buy a House”, from Smart Money.

Good credit is essential in securing a loan these days, excellent credit is even better. In many cases a few points can mean all the difference in helping sink your chances or elevate your opportunities, therefore helping your credit be as good as it can be is of the essence. Below are a few common scenarios that could pop up on your credit report, and how to approach them.

Paying off account balances is a great idea and reduces your available credit/credit balance ratio (an important piece of information that lenders examine), but they need to show as paid on your credit report. If you have recently paid off account balances make sure that they appear as paid and not outstanding or overdue.

Make certain that any unpaid bills that appear on your credit report are actually yours. Surprisingly enough often mistakes occur on credit reports that actually belong to someone else. Additionally, any bills tied to former addresses should be looked for as well.

Look at your credit limits. Are they listed correctly. Higher limits with larger unused percentages will place you in better standing. Similarly lower limits with more higher used percentages can limit the loan size you could be entitled to.

The bottom line is that it is in your best interest to examine your credit report with a fine tooth comb. Small errors can make a difference, and in today’s tight lending market this could be a difference that you can’t afford to have. The small costs involved with making repairs to your credit report are worth it in the long run

Real estate success is local. While many communities across the nation are seeing home values continuing to slide, many other markets appear to have stabilized or are displaying signs of stabilizing. One day we hear good news, the next bad, but overall the big picture is much better than it has been.

What is affecting real estate the most is jobs. Where there are jobs there is typically a more stable housing market. Where unemployment rates are high, real estate prices are still (for the most part) slipping. It is a complicated cycle, we need jobs for real estate recovery and yet real estate is a catalyst for economic recovery. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

On the positive side of real estate recovery, today’s home buyer is making an investment that should put him in good stead. The old investment adage buy low, sell high, has never been more apropos. It is much better to be a buyer than a seller in today’s market where prices are still low in many areas because of the number of bank owned properties driving prices down.

The bottom line: If your local real estate market hasn’t stabilized yet, have patience it will eventually.

Click here to read an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal, “How to Tell if Your Housing Market Has Hit Bottom”.

Buyers are in charge when it comes to real estate these days. Sellers don’t like this piece of news, and who can blame them, after-all no one likes to be on the losing end of a game. This means that it is a great time to be a home buyer, even better if you don’t have to sell a piece of real estate to buy a new one. What makes it such a great time to be a buyer? Mortgage rates, home prices and inventory. That’s right, these three items add up to create prime buying power.

Mortgage rates are low, averaging just over 4.5% for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage, and they don’t appear to be heading up any time soon. If you have a job and a steady source of income as well as good credit, there couldn’t be a better time to buy a new home.

Home prices are down. While there are some areas of the United States that appear to have reached bottom, few areas are rising but merely stabilizing. Some parts of the country are still dropping and bargains abound.

Inventory of homes for sale is high. A high inventory means more bargaining power for buyers. There aren’t a lot of home buyers out there and sellers who are lucky enough to receive contracts don’t want a potential home buyer to get away.

In a nutshell, if you want to buy a home get out there and start looking!

Click here to read a recent article from CNN Money about being in a buyers market.

It is a great time to buy luxury real estate. Not only are mortgage rates once again at historic lows, but real estate values are low and inventory is high. It is a buyer’s market, which means it is an exceptionally great time to invest in a larger, nicer home, a better time in fact than has been seen in years. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal mentions that a larger home gives more bang for the buck, and these days that is exactly what people are looking for.

It has taken a bit longer for sellers of high end homes to come to grips with reality. That reality is that it is no longer a seller’s market and that sellers are no longer in control. What that means is that sellers now feel the need to not only come down in price but do a better job of haggling when they get an offer, after-all it is an unknown when the next offer may arrive.

Click here to read a recent article from the Wall Street Journal on why it is a good time to buy a bigger, nicer home.

When it comes to real estate, Spring selling season is here and luckily it coincides with Spring cleaning. Spring represents growth and a fresh start, a time when many people clean out the old and start anew. With the recession subsiding and real estate sales picking up it is more important than ever to give your home a fresh, clean look. Where to start? The windows are a great place to begin.

Cleaning windows can be done with Windex and a cloth (or paper towels) or with a squeegee and soapy water. The squeegee method can be a bit messier, easier on the outside of the house, but significantly less time consuming. When cleaning the windows don’t forget your screens. Take them in the back yard and hose them down.

Other great areas to clean are the refrigerator and other appliances, like the stove and oven. Most people will open the refrigerator and take a look, so empty it out and clean the walls and shelves. A self-cleaning oven makes cleaning it a snap.

Clear out your cabinets and clear off your counters. Look around your home and try to see it through a potential buyer’s eyes. The cleaner your home appears, the more appealing it will be. Spring is here, time to start fresh.

I came across a couple of websites in Money Magazine we thought you might be interested in.

The first is WalkScore.com. This site calculates the walkability of an address based on the distance from the house to nearby amenities. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking. If you are interested in being within walking distance of restaurants, shops, libraries, parks, etc, you will enjoy this website.

Next is DIYorNot.com. This site helps you compare the time and cost of doing a project yourself vs hiring a local contractor. For example, the cost of having a professional replace a stove hood is $538 vs a ‘do it yourself’ cost of $400. Costs can be adjusted by Zip code.

It is important to research a neighborhood before purchasing your new home

While many people seem to think that it is not wise to think of your home as an investment, the reality is that your home is an investment. This being said there are some things to keep in mind when setting out to buy a home, the least of which is getting to know the neighborhood you wish to buy in. If you do your research and your homework selecting your home properly can insure more of a return for you when you decide to sell at some point in the future.

Research the neighborhood that you want to live in. Aside from knowing the schools and amenities that are available, take a close look at the property levels. Which streets hold more value? Is one edge of the neighborhood closer to a more upscale neighborhood, is one side close to a less desirable neighborhood? According to Realty Times, less is more. They say purchasing the least in the best neighborhood will give you the greatest return as every time a better house sells your value goes up as well.

While you may not look at your primary residence as an investment, in the long run it may be the best investment you have, so do your research and you will be happier in the long run.

Click here to read buying advice from Realty times.

Current home trends lean toward a simpler more efficient lifestyle

From wall coverings to energy efficient appliances, trends are set in home remodeling and design just as they are in fashion, entertainment and elsewhere. Realtor Magazine recently published an article on current home trends and, not surprisingly most are geared toward cost effectiveness, energy efficiency or reducing stress. The past few years of enduring a recession and a housing bust have made people want to get down to the basics and live a simpler life and these priorities have filtered into the home.

Current trends in home design include neutral colors, like white and beige, which are more calming than bright vibrant colors. Energy efficient appliances like refrigerators and cook tops are also being used more frequently as they are better for the environment and, in the long run, the wallet. In order to keep the calm people are also adding relaxation rooms to their homes, whether they be complete spa rooms or a simple massage chair. A designated place to unwind helps erase stress and add to home’s value at the same time.

Click here for a complete look at current home trends.

It is a buyer's market

When it comes to real estate the general sentiment appears to be that of putting 2009 in the past and looking forward to a brighter 2010.  Looking at where we are and where we are headed as far as real estate goes will take us from the present into the future.  Currently home values are affordable, because prices are low and interest rates are low.  Both of these low levels add up to the fact that it is a great time to be a buyer when it comes to real estate.

Interest rates have been hovering at 5% or lower for the better part of the past year, a trend that cannot be expected to continue.  As the market stabilizes more and the economy gets better, interest rates will rise.  While home prices still may drop in many areas of the country, they will not drop much more.  Areas that are less affected by foreclosures, short sales and REO properties are likely to level out faster than other areas due to the lack of distressed sales in their inventories.  A rise in interest rates may bring real estate prices down to sell but the days of 20% and 30% decreases appear to be unlikely.

In a nutshell now is a great time to buy if you have been waiting for the right time to plunge into the market.  Take advantage of low interest rates while they are here.  It is a buyer’s market now, it won’t be forever.

For an interesting analysis of the real estate conditions and a forecast of 2010, by CNN Money, click here.