Nancy Hankin's Blog

    A number of Realtors across the country are reporting a rise in rental scams. Here’s how one of the most popular scams works: A Realtor lists a home for SALE. Shortly after, a con artist puts this home on various websites and lists it for RENT at a VERY ATTRACTIVE PRICE, which is WELL BELOW M...

Living is sunny Palm Springs, California offers lighting most days of the year, but many of our “snowbirds” live elsewhere, and may need some good lighting tips. Following is some lighting information I hope will prove helpful.    Lighting falls into two groups: indirect (ambient) and direct (acc...

Following is an article I read in The New York Times I thought would be helpful. I can personally attest to the insanity involved in obtaining a loan nowadays. I would suggest you pay attention to the following article. You might not imagine the “horrors” of obtaining a loan or refinancing, but ...

I recently listened to Frank Abagnale Jr tell his life’s story which has been profiled on TV, in the movies and in many books. Abagnale was the con artist, who was later hired by the FBI to help them learn many of the “tricks of the trade.” If you saw the movie “Catch Me If You Can,” you’ll know ...

Lots of BLAME on Government, Little BLAME on the Real Culprits! What happened? Basically, they made a lot of really bad mortgage loans.We can argue about why, whether it was the gov't pushing them to do it, or greed on their part, or whatever. But in the end, they made a lot of loans they shouldn...

Please forgive me.  I was actually using a worm as a metaphor to describe what’s been happening in our market to “grab your attention.” Did it work? As we all know, the real estate market pretty much “peaked” in 2005…then started to spiral downward for the next 6-7 years.  Most markets lost 30%-3...

The pendulum has swung 180 degrees regarding lending matters. If you don’t believe me, try getting a loan, or ask someone who has recently tried to get a loan. It’s a nightmare! Seven to nine years ago, all you had to do was breathe to get a loan. You qualified for a loan if your heart was still ...

As many of you know, I live in beautiful Southern California in the Palm Springs Desert Area. There is so much to do in California, but I often wonder how families can afford some of these exciting outings. Most tickets to places like Disneyland, Marine World, and Lego Land run about $100 per chi...

Here are a few headlines from June 20, 2012: Americans See Biggest Home Equity Jump in 60 Years: Mortgages: Americans are digging themselves out of mortgage debt. Home equity in the first quarter rose to the highest level since 2008 as homeowners taking advantage of record-low borrowing costs to ...

I just came across another “horror story nightmare” involving SHORT SALES. There doesn’t seem to be an ending to all these sad stories. WHY can’t these banks get their “acts together?” The list goes on and on and nothing seems to be getting any better when it comes to Short Sales.   This is the ...