Marianne Grant's Real Estate & Tidbits Blog

This provides a GREAT reason to call all of your clients that may want to purchase a home sometime in the next year using a FHA loan. FHA is looking at increasing the upfront mortgage insurance premium from 1.75% of the loan amount to 2.25%, they are looking at increasing the monthly mortgage ins...

Effective February 1, 2010 the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will relax FHA rules that prohibit insuring mortgages on homes that are owned by the seller for less than 90 days - a move that could help expedite the rehabilitation and resale of foreclosure properties. In a housin...

This might not relate to real estate directly, but we are more than real estate professionals; we are also human beings that have to make moral choices and take stands one ways or another about what is being done in our name - morals in business as well as in life -  I am disgusted by the the fol...

These are interesting year-end statistics for the Anchorage, Alaska, housing market. Although prices for single family homes have pulled back slightly, a mere -1.5%, we have not seen the steep decline in values like other parts of the country have. Contrary to how the newspaper interpreted the D...

TODAY'S RATES*           Conventional 30 Year Fixed 5.000%         Conventional 15 Year Fixed 4.375%         5/1 Libor ARM 3.875%         FHA 30 Year Fixed 5.000%         FHA HUD 184 30 Year Fixed 5.250%         FHA 5/1 Hybrid ARM 4.125%         VA 30 Year Fixed 5.000%         VA 5/1 Hybrid ARM ...

Five Tips for a Green Home Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Global warming. Energy-efficient. These catch phrases have become part of our lexicon as we've become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you ...

Going Green in Real EstateConsumers' interest in the "green movement" has never been so high. Home builders, retailers, financial services providers, and product manufacturers are all seeking to satisfy consumers' demand for eco-friendly products and services. From energy-efficient light bulbs to...

Are you following the biggest dog race in the world, the Alaskan Iditarod from, Anchorage to Nome? Well, we are already getting pretty excited about the upcoming event. Did you know that the Iditarod is run each year to commemorate the emergency delivery in 1925 of diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, A...

Super Townhouse-condo w/3 Br, 2 Ba, a 2-car garage in premier location on Campbell Creek Greenbelt with its trails. $209,000         MLS#10-501     View out of the living room window onto the park, the creek is just beyond the tree as is a bridge and a path that'll lead you eventually to the Choc...

This is my second posting regarding Ways We Can Help Haiti. The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) announces its top-rated list of charities involved in Haitian earthquake relief efforts. AIP, a leading charity watchdog that issues letter grade (A+ to F) ratings of nonprofit groups, identif...