State of Housing in the US….Addressed!

Hey Peachtree City!  After listening to the President’s State of the Union address, I sat down and pondered about the actual state of the nation’s housing situation….or at least how I saw things from my porch.  Come on folks, is it just me or are there a number of other like-minded individuals that are of the opinion now that if Washington sneezes we are all going to catch a cold?  Alright, at least a sniffle.  I just did not seem to hear anything specifically related to doing something substantial that would give the housing & mortgage industries some much needed traction.   

It’s Almost That Time of the Year Again & New Changes for Tax Preparers!

Hey Peachtree City….welcome to 2010!  Sounds kinda funny saying 2010 but anyway there are some major changes already on the horizon and I thought I’d continue to feature them on my blog.  Some of these changes have been the result of a downturn in our economy and their direct correlation to its impact on the real estate market.  This tax year will be pivital in efforts to jump-start the economy with various initiative that were put in place for taxpayers like the 1st time home-buyers program or more sophisticated ones like the Workers, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009.   

New RESPA Reglatory Changes go into effect January 1, 2010!

Happy New Year Peachtree City!  As we welcomed in the official beginning of the new millennium and a new decade the government also introduced some sweeping new regulatory reform changes that will pose a significant impact on the mortgage industry and everyone in the real estate profession. 

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)went into effect on January 1st.  I would be remiss if I did not also state that HUD will overseeing enforcement of these new rules and is stated to say that they will “exercise restraint in enforcement” giving lenders an opportunity to make a good faith effort to comply with the new regulations.