The housing market may be coming back, but a growing number of policy makers have expressed concerns recently that it’s still too hard to get a mortgage.
Federal Reserve governor Elizabeth Duke outlined some of these concerns and their causes in a speech last month. She was quick to note — as is anyone else who has sounded similar alarms — that she doesn’t want the market to return to the go-go days of 2005 or 2006 when anyone who could fog a mirror could get a loan. “But I also don’t think it would be a good idea to go back to the quite restrictive credit conditions of the early 1980s,” she said in the speech to mortgage bankers.
The first quarter of 2013 is almost over and so far, a few trends have emerged in real estate. These trends are not set in stone, nor can we be sure that they will continue on the same trajectories throughout the rest of the year. As with any other major part of the economy, much of real estate depends on external factors such as employment, interest rates, and general economic conditions.
For a good number of real estate professionals, 2012 wasn't a great year. We were still on a downward spiral towards the bottom of the real estate market. This wasn't exciting news for real estate investors looking to make profitable deals 
Well, well, well… what an interesting year 2013 is shaping up to be!
The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday what home buyers and real estate investors in many parts of the United States have known for months: it’s becoming a seller’s market.
Non-payment of rent is a serious problem. It is one of those predicaments that places the landlord in a difficult situation. Moral and ethical values are often challenged by the need to collect the rent. If your only two choices are to evict a family that has fallen on hard times, or to go weeks or months without getting paid, the right choice isn't always obvious. Most landlords have a conscience and genuinely care about the safety and well-being of their tenants. So the challenge is finding a solution that works out well for your tenant, as well as for your bottom line.
Investing in income producing property can be the single-most rewarding aspect of getting into real estate. Yet, it also comes with some significant responsibilities including mortgages, maintenance and property taxes. In some cases, annual property taxes can be astronomical for high dollar value properties and regions where the housing market is popular. Additionally, there are some regions where property tax assessments are not handled well, leaving real estate investors and home owners paying far more than the properties are actually worth.
