Brian Ripp's Blog

Updating Bathrooms After kitchens, bathrooms are a home buyer's biggest concern. The good news here is that bathroom renovations typically realize a homeowner an 80-90% return on their investment. For a small space, $1,000 can go a long way to helping you boost your home's value. In addition to t...

According to the National Association of Realtors, the kitchen is the single most important room for most prospective home buyers. If you don't have the funds to do a complete kitchen overhaul, don't despair. For just $1,000 you can make some significant changes that will have home buyers doing a...

Foreclosures and bank REOs are pulling a new wave of novice investors into the market, some of whom are just a little clueless. They see the price and they say, wow! I can buy that house and turn it into a rental.  But they don't understand the local market, they don't understand landlording, and...

The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 403 to 12 to extend and expand the home buyer tax credit.  The bill passed the U.S. Senate late yesterday and now will go to President Obama for his signature, where it is expected to be signed this week. The tax credit will be extended through April ...

In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.03 percent for the week ending October 29, 2009 - up from the previous week when it averaged 5.00 percent.      Last year at this time, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.46 percent. ...

When selling your home, the best thing you can do is stage it for prospective buyers.  Staging is simply preparing your home in a way that creates buyer interest, and it can make a dramatic difference in the selling price and the speed of sale.  Try these quick staging tips: •·         Make the e...

Purchasing a condo often is the first step in the homeownership process, and can be a good opportunity for first-time buyers.  However, as more homeowners living in community developments with homeowner associations find themselves in trouble, many are not paying their dues.  As a result, residen...

The median home price in California will rise 3.3 percent to $280,000 in 2010 compared with a projected median of $271,000 this year, according to C.A.R.'s "2010 California Housing Market Forecast".  Sales for 2010 are projected to decrease 2.3 percent to 527,500 units, compared with 540,000 unit...

You may have heard how some plants are said to have almost magical healing properties.  You may even have purchased items made from these wellness-enhancing wonders at your local health food or drugstore.  But why spend money on teas and vitamins when you can grow your own herb garden? Planting a...

Many Americans believe that a lack of money for a down payment and closing costs is the biggest obstacle to homeownership, according to National Association of Realtors (NAR's) 2009 National Housing Pulse Survey.  Job security is also a major concern.  Two-thirds of those surveyed think layoffs a...