- Announcing something new
- Today the news section was added. It will be a place to find the latest information about National Digs and links to articles related to real estate. The news can now be found on the newly designed home page and always available at the top of the site. If you see an article you'd like to share with use please send it to us using the contact us link at the top of the page. Enjoy.
- 2007-01-02
- Advice on selling your home for 2007
- Forbes.com brings you ten tips to make a successful sale. From the article:
For starters, be realistic. Make sure your initial asking price isn't too high, or else you'll waste your time and risk turning off that first rush of potential buyers.
- 2007-01-03
- Help!
- Added a new section called help available at the top of the site. There you can find information on how to use National Digs and some of the features you may not have known about. Watch for it to be updated in the future as new things are added to the site.
- 2007-01-07
- U.S. homes unaffordable for many
- The study was conducted by the Center for Housing Policy. From the article:
While the median home price in the 202 largest metropolitan areas declined 2 percent from a year ago to $248,000 in the third quarter of 2006, mortgage rates rose enough over the year that homes actually became less affordable as pay did not keep pace.
- 2007-01-10
- Home-loan demand soars
- The first week of 2007 saw an increase in mortgage applications as interest rates fell. However, the average number of applications for the month is down 2 percent. From the article on MSNBC:
U.S. mortgage applications skyrocketed during the first week of 2007 as interest rates fell for the first time in five weeks, lending support to the view that the housing market is stabilizing, an industry trade group said Wednesday.
- 2007-01-10
- How bad will the 2007 housing market be?
- MSN and Business Week ask economists and take a look at the housing market in the next year:
Americans are increasingly nervous about the real estate market in 2007. They have good reason to be. But the news isn't all bad: Interest rates will remain at historically low levels, homebuyers will see more opportunities, and, best of all, for those planning for the long term, 2009 could be primed for a comeback.
- 2007-01-14
- Homes from the world of tomorrow
- Wired takes a look at some new construction techniques that could change the way houses are built in the near future. Also they look into several technologies already built into homes that have made them more efficient than ever before. Read about them all:
Plug + Play Construction
Hot or Not
Urban Renewal
Ice Box
Big Chill
Dig Deeper
Warm & Dry
- 2007-01-16
- Condo prices reveal housing trends
- An article on CNNMoney.com finds condo prices to be a better indication of housing prices compared to single-family homes. From the article:
More condo sellers react to market changes and act quicker than owners of single family homes, who tend to hang onto property in the face of lower prices.
- 2007-01-18
- For houses, it's hip to be green
- Business Week looks into alternative technologies that are environmentally friendly and becoming more economical. From the article:
From geothermal systems to wind turbines to solar panels, going green is starting to get glamorous, as well as being politically correct and simply forward-thinking. As renewable and conservationist technologies become economically competitive with traditional fuels, several alternative-energy companies saw demand skyrocket in 2006.
- 2007-01-18
- Not sure what you want?
- Check out a new way to browse National Digs. In the right column is link to list all the available real estate by state, city, type, and price.
- 2007-01-22
- Preparing your home for big freezes
- From CNNMoney.com:
From frozen oranges in California to deadly winter storms across the country, extreme weather has taken a very expensive toll. We tell you how to protect your most important assets from the wrath of Mother Nature.
- 2007-01-22
- Buying Your First Home
- Kiplinger.com has some advice on substantial tax-saving deductions on your new home:
Buying your first home is a huge step. When you leave the world of renting behind, you begin building equity in an investment. And Uncle Sam is there to help ease the pain of high mortgage payments. The deductions now available to you as a homeowner will reduce your tax bill substantially. And, if you have been claiming the standard deduction up until now, the extra write-offs from owning a home almost certainly will make you an itemizer.
- 2007-01-22
- Buying and Selling a Home
- Kiplinger.com investigates the real estate market and what it means for buyers and sellers:
The balance of power has finally swung in the real estate market, with more parity between supply and demand, sellers and buyers. Nationwide, the National Association of Realtors has forecast that prices for existing homes will rise 5% in 2006. That's less than half of 2005's 13% increase, but it's also a return to the historic norm.
- 2007-01-22
- Tiny London apartment on sale for $335K
- From the AP, a small apartment in London:
Almost anywhere else, the tiny dilapidated studio wouldn't attract much more than mice. But this is London and the 77-square-foot former storage room — slightly bigger than a prison cell and without electricity — is going for $335,000.
- 2007-01-25
- Who's buying now
- CNNMoney.com takes a look at the who the average buyer is today and how they're different from a few generations ago:
The biggest group of home buyers by far is still married couples, accounting for 61 percent of all homes bought, according to the National Association of Realtors.
But single women now purchase 22 percent of all homes. Single men accounted for only 9 percent of purchases.
- 2007-01-25
- 13 tips for selling your home in winter
- Tips from Bankrate.com:
...not everyone has the luxury of waiting until the traditional spring or summer home-buying season to plant that "for sale" sign. And while it's true that in most areas you'll probably have fewer buyers during the winter, you will have less competition from other sellers.
- 2007-01-25
- The World's Most Expensive Home
- Forbes.com takes a look at the world's most expensive home:
Forget who has the biggest yacht. The emerging battleground for bragging rights these days is who will lay claim to the world's most expensive home.
- 2007-01-25
- America's Best & Worst Housing Markets
- Forbes.com shares the best/worst performing metropolitan areas:
While speculators and flippers in places such as Boston and San Diego are running for cover, in other parts of the country they are basking in robust residential sales. Third-quarter median home prices last year climbed 14.6% in Seattle, Wash.; 14.3% in El Paso, Texas; and 12.3% in Portland, Ore.
Best in Pictures
Worst in Pictures
- 2007-01-28
- Sharing has never been easier
- Just added! At the top of National Digs is a link to email this page or any page to anyone you want.
- 2007-01-28
- Are housing fears overblown?
- From MSN:
Though they may be pessimistic for the three-year outlook, many survey respondents are more optimistic about the short term. Of the 3,053 Americans randomly surveyed by Experian-Gallup, 47% expect home prices in their area to go up in the next year, and 33% expect prices to remain about the same. Only 18% think prices will decline in the next 12 months.
- 2007-01-31
- Mortgage applications rise, MBA says
- CNNMoney.com reports on the increases due to home purchases and refinancing:
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity rose 3.2 percent to 631.1 in the week ended Jan. 26 after dropping 8.4 percent the previous week. The index is 0.7 percent higher than a year earlier.
- 2007-01-31