Live Large in Small Homes - Eco Cottages

You're green. You cleanse. You're on a raw diet. You love String Cheese Incident. You need an Eco-Cottage. Actually, we want one too. Eco Cottages are a collection of pre-fabricated modular homes that are designed for "self-sustaining green living". These units are built by Nationwide Homes who is a large single family and multi-family modular home buyer with manufacturing facilities in the Southeastern United States including Martinsville, VA, Arabi GA, and Siler City, NC.

The homes range from the Daisy model which is 300 sq/ft and starts out at $35,600 to the Osprey which has a base price of $60,900 and is 513 sq/ft. Almost all of their models are just one bedroom homes and only have 1 bathroom. The prices listed on their web site do not include taxes, delivery and installation charges. Their web site says that you can buy directly from the factory and deal with the site work yourself or they can try to help you find an approved builder in your area.

Please note that we did not received compensation for this post from Nationwide Homes. We just like cool little houses. These things are pretty cool! Check out the slideshow on their web site.

Other related posts and resources:
US Green Building Council
Modular Home Loans
Energy Tax Credit Extended
Best Places to Retire

Real Estate Markets Areas Showing Serious Signs of Life

Inman News released a report at the end of January which highlighted the ten metropolitan areas in the United States with the greatest one year increase in real estate listing prices. They used data compiled by Realtor.com and looked at the increase in median market list prices in 2011. The results were surprising. Many of areas which showed the greatest jumps where also communities which were hit hard during the housing slump. And the results are.....drum roll....

1. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Florida  - Median List Price was $175,000, 20.77% increase
2. Shreveport-Bossier City  - Median List Price was $167,600, 7.37% increase
3. Washington DC (Virginia)  - Median List Price was $349,990, 6.06% increase
4. Fort Wayne, Indiana  - Median List Price was $104,900, 5.01% increase
5. San Antonio, Texas  - Median List Price was $169,000, 4.39% increase
6. Washington DC (City)  - Median List Price was $385,000, 4.34% increase
7. Peoria-Pekin, Illinois - Median List Price was $134,900, 3.85% increase
8. Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Median List Price was $139,900, 3.63% increase
9. Omaha, Nebraska - Median List Price was $144,900, 3.50% increase
9. El Paso, Texas - Median List Price was $144,450, 3.22% increase

Read the entire article:
http://www.inman.com/news/2012/01/25/10-metros-with-biggest-1-year-rise-in-real-estate-list-prices?page=0%2C0

Other related posts and resources:
Best Places to Live in the Southeast
Mortgage Closing Costs - most and least expensive states
Some of the best and worst housing markets
Mortgage Rate Information

Late Mortgage Payments Increase in 4th Quarter of 2011

Nearly 6.01% of mortgagors were behind on their mortgage payments by 60 days or more in October, November, and December of 2011 according to the credit union reporting agency, TransUnion. That was an increase of .13% from the third quarter and followed multiple years of declines. In an Associated Press article by Eileen Connelly, the author found that several states appear to be rapidly improving including Arizona and California who were both hit hard during the housing downturn. The delinquency rate in Arizona fell from 9.7% last year down to 7.5% while California moved from 9.14% down to 7.14%. Nevada and Florida, who were also hammered by slumping home values, showed declining delinquencies as well. Ms. Connelly also noted that home prices dropped from November to December in 19 or the 20 cities followed in the Standard & Poor's-CaseSchiller home price-index. All cities but Pheonix! Yeah Phoenix! Woot Woot!

More Related Posts and Resources:
Is Freddie Mac Turning the Corner?
Impact of the Dodd-Frank Act
Obama Proposed Mortgage Refinancing Plan

When to Start Looking at Real Estate Listings

From career changes to relocations for retirement, economic, or family reasons, America is on the move. According to the 2010 census, approximately 40 million of us, or about 14% of the population, relocates annually. If you have a move on your horizon that will include a home purchase, you’ll want to consider how much time you should allow for a smooth transition.

Of course the length of time you should allow yourself to find a home will depend on your individual situation. Will you need to sell your current home before beginning to look for your next residence? Factors such as current lease agreements, new job starting dates, and if you have children-the school schedule, are all things that must be taken into consideration.

As soon as you have the slightest inkling that a move to a new home is in the works is the time to start looking. This is especially true if you are relocating to a new city or state. There is a lot of research involved, even before you track down your ideal neighborhood. Of course, some companies offer excellent guidance when relocating new or transferring employees and their families. However, a home purchase is such a big step, and you will want to learn as much as possible about your future location. You'll also want to speak with a licensed mortgage professional to get pre-qualified for your home financing. Once, you've located the property, you'll want to go one step further and get a mortgage pre-approval. This extra step will help provide some added weight behind any offers you may make.

Finding the right home is often not the stress producing, and time consuming part of buying it. The closing process is! The typical length of time to close on a house is 45 to 60 days from the acceptance of the offer to the closing. Since closing on a home requires many stages, one glitch is all it takes to slow things down. Buyers have to go through numerous steps such as appraisal, inspections, repairs, insurance, and unless they are paying cash, loan approval. Even small delays can postpone the closing and ultimately, the lender determines that date.

So, what’s a buyer to do when things do not go according to schedule? Think ahead and prepare for the worst-case scenario. If you have a home sale in the works, make contingency plans. If not, look into temporary housing, just in case. Should this happen, use the time wisely as you wait for the closing to finish up. Go forward with a positive attitude and enjoy not having to move in a rush. If you have to commit to a month or more in a transitional residence, why not consider having some painting, landscaping, or home improvement projects done on your future home, so it will be picture perfect when you move in?

Other Related Posts and Resources:
Preparing for the Mortgage Process
Mortgage Closing Costs - Most and Least Expensive States
USDA Rural Housing Loan Basics