Amy Paternite’s Blog

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The American home is shrinking. Toll the bell for the McMansion.

After years of growth, the Census Bureau recently reported that median new home size fell to 2,135 square feet in 2009 after peaking at more than 2,300 earlier in the decade.
FULL STORY:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/26/real_estate/the_typical_homeowner/index.htm

Well if it’s on the internet, it must be true : )

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The weak economy and continued high unemployment has kept housing markets cool. As a result, the median price of a single-family home crept up just 1.5% to $176,900 in the second quarter, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.

Those year-over-year gains were very much in line with expectations, according to Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

FULL STORY: http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/11/real_estate/latest_home_prices/index.htm

http://www.houselogic.com/articles/10-tips-for-saving-water-garden/

Pick the right plants for your local growing conditions and you’ll save water, cut down on maintenance, and have a beautiful yard.

http://nyti.ms/a4KbpC

The question starts to hang in the air sometime after the children arrive, and the apartment in the city begins to feel a little tight: Should we consider moving to a house in the suburbs?

But that would mean leaving friends behind, along with easy access to work, the theater, great ethnic restaurants and just the general stimulation of urban living. The prospect of more space, however, is tempting — a bedroom for each child, a lawn to stretch out on. And there’s the luxury of simply pulling into a driveway and a reputable public school just around the corner.

Which to choose?

FULL STORY: nj.com

After more than a year of covering fender benders, school hazing incidents and wild possums in three New Jersey towns, the New York Times has shut down its hyperlocal news blog in the state.

“The Local,” which covered Millburn, Maplewood and South Orange, began redirecting readers Thursday to Baristanet, another local news blog that agreed to pick up its coverage of the area.

Bloomberg Story

Apple Inc. fan sites have found a cheaper fix for iPhone 4 users than the $29 rubber case that the company is selling to minimize antenna-reception problems: Livestrong bracelets that sell for about $1 each.

The iPhone Guru, The Unofficial Apple Weblog and CrunchGear are recommending that users take a pair of scissors to cyclist Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong yellow bracelets or other inexpensive plastic wristbands; cut out holes for the phones’ dock connector, headphone jack and silent-mode toggle switch; and stretch the bands around the phone.

Tax Credit Extension

By Tami Luhby, senior writerJune 30, 2010: 10:40 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — First-time homebuyers will have until Sept. 30 to close on their purchases and land an $8,000 tax credit under a bill passed by the Senate late Wednesday.President Obama is expected to sign the bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the House on Tuesday. The deadline had been June 30.

The bill doesn’t help anyone currently shopping for a home. Buyers must have signed a contract by April 30 to qualify for the tax break. At issue is when the deal must be finalized.

Qualified existing homeowners also have until Sept. 30 to close on new homes and receive a tax credit of up to $6,500.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For Alex Pemberton and Susan Reboyras, foreclosure is becoming a way of life — something they did not want but are in no hurry to get out of.
Foreclosure has allowed them to stabilize the family business. Go to Outback occasionally for a steak. Take their gas-guzzling airboat out for the weekend. Visit the Hard Rock Casino.

“Instead of the house dragging us down, it’s become a life raft,” said Mr. Pemberton, who stopped paying the mortgage on their house here last summer. “It’s really been a blessing.”

FULL STORY:
http://nyti.ms/9ZtdcF

Answers have been hard to come by, but this piece from CNN Money sheds some light…

How foreclosure impacts your credit score http://shar.es/mYwlD

FULL STORY http://nyti.ms/9YxPhZ

Sales of existing homes rose sharply in March, an indication that a government tax credit was luring buyers to the market.
Sales were up 6.8 percent from February to an annual rate of 5.35 million, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors. Analysts had expected a 5.3 percent increase.

The association said the results suggested the beginning of a spring surge as buyers moved to take advantage of a tax credit of up to $8,000 that expires April 30.