Monday, February 11, 2008

What's not to LOVE?

Okay, I guess you've grasped the Love theme, as we're nearing Valentine's Day, but what is there to love about our current economy? Well, if you make less than $75k(solo)/$150k (couple) looks like our 'guvment' is going to ship you $$$ later in the year. Great news eh? An election-year gift to you and yours courtesy of the top 5% who pay all the bills! (Sorry, guess I should have put "Soapbox alert" on that one!) One 'plus' embedded in that legislation will allow a hike in current conventional loan caps (over $417K is considered a jumbo and can cost over 1% higher than a conventional loan). That may help some high-dollar properties refinance. Rates are still great, by the way. What's going on this week? Well, home sales and home values continue to slide (and actually rates did a bit as well) compared to previous years, but again, we haven't been hit quite as badly as many areas of the country. One major issue for ATL is the amount of foreclosures we've seen! Add that to current housing inventories and it's a saturated market for sure! Other ATL worries? Delta/Northwest Airlines merger? Could be happening soon, but will we lose our largest employer to Minnesota? (brrr!) Delwest? Norta? Either way, it's unsettling for ATL. Coming to a ballroom near you: "Get rich quick in Real Estate!" (While you can and should be buying real estate if you're able, this link will remind you that nothing is free!) Note: short sales are actually becoming 'popular' these days; be careful when swimming in those waters, however...

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