Personal Finance

WASHINGTON DC – McMansions may be a thing of the past. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the average size of a new home dropped by more than 2,000 square feet in 2009. Some speculate the cause is downsizing due to tough economic times. Read the story, published by WFMZ-TV of Allentown PA, here.

HAZLETON PA – A federal appeals court ruled Sept. 9 (2010; Thursday) that Hazleton PA could not fine landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, or required prospective tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit. The court ban against both measures, part of the city’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, is seen […]

HARRISBURG PA – An e-mail was distributed Tuesday (May 18, 2010) from Florida, with a subject line that blared “Real Estate Agents Get Lower Health Insurance Rates in Pennsylvania.” Sound appealing? It’s not. Be wary of such messages, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department has warned. Real estate licensees and others should be suspicious if someone tries […]

LOS ANGELES CA – OK, here’s the pitch. You’re a first-time home seller; that buying thing has been so-o-o-o done to death already. And you’re located in the eight-county Philadelphia area. And you want to be on television in one of those prime-time reality shows. Here’s your chance for 15 minutes – no, wait, make […]

HARRISBURG PA – A change to the Pennsylvania Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act, signed into law last Monday (July 6, 2009) by Gov. Edward Rendell, might prevent heartache for future purchasers who find their dream home deal has fallen through. Senate Bill 241, written by Bucks County (PA) state Sen. Tommy Tomlinson and passed […]

HARRISBURG PA – Two additional bills aimed at preventing mortgage fraud were signed into law Monday (June 29, 2009) by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed. Rendell, joining a package of five laws approved last year to target different aspects of the same problem. The two latest pieces of legislation were spurred by a case in Berks County […]

HARRISBURG PA – Pennsylvania’s Department of Banking is taking a tougher line against mortgage brokers that either refuse to comply with regulations or are not licensed to practice in the state. Last week it took enforcement against seven different companies. On Friday (May 22, 2009) it issued a cease-and-desist order against U.S. Mortgage Group Inc., […]

WASHINGTON DC – One of the biggest drawbacks in years past of being an independently contracted real estate agent was a perceived lack of perks that sometime accompany other jobs. The National Assocition of Realtors® (NAR®) has been building its membership benefits package to overcome that hurdle, and last week (May 13, 2009; Wednesday) officially […]

MOUNTAIN VIEW CA – Could home owners save money, and help create a greener planet, if they knew more about the energy they use? Website search behemoth Google Inc. thinks so, and is partnering with electric utility companies to experiment with new software it calls the Google PowerMeter. PowerMeter works with new smart meter devices […]