The short answer is that buyers determine the value of real estate. Any commodity is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Sellers of real estate establish an asking price, which may be considerably more than what an informed buyer should be willing to pay; there are some typical errors that sellers make in projecting what their property is worth. Buyers who choose to be represented by … Continue reading...

The mortgage market meltdown in 2008 has dramatically affected the way loans are underwritten and the documentation required by lenders. The Dodd-Frank bill was enacted in 2009 as a knee-jerk response to address some of the practices that contributed to the collapse of the mortgage security market, demise of a number of prominent financial and insurance institutions, and the rash of foreclosures … Continue reading...