ForbesWoman calculated the best cities for working females raising children. To pick the 10 best, it factored in crime rates, quality of the schools, availability of good healthcare, employment opportunities with high earning potential, and a budget-friendly cost of living.
Here are their picks:
1. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Boston, Mass.
4. Pittsburgh, Pa.
5. Baltimore-Towson, Md.
6. Denver, Colo.
7. Hartford, Conn.
8. New York
9. Seattle-Tacoma, Wash.
10. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Source: ForbesWoman, Meghan Casserly (07/26/2010)
Paying off an underwater mortgage and buying a better home could be the best tactic in this troubled market.
"If you are trading up, what better time than when interest rates are at record lows and the cost of the trade-up is much less than it used to be?" says Christopher J. Mayer, a Columbia Business School economist.
With 15-year fixed-rate mortgages at about 4.5 percent, it also makes sense to pay off the mortgage and keep the house. "At this point," says Jay Brinkmann, chief economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington, D.C., "if they don't have anything else that is bringing a tremendous return, then they are buying themselves an annuity by paying their house off sooner than they needed to."
Source: The Wall Street Journal, M.P. McQueen (07/24/2010)
U.S. home prices, including distressed sales, increased by 2.9 percent compared to the same month last year, according to CoreLogic in its monthly index.
May was the fourth straight month prices showed a year-over-year increase.
"Home price appreciation stabilized as home buyer tax credit-driven sales peaked in late spring," says Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic. "But given that the labor market and income growth remain tepid, we expect prices to moderate and possibly decline the rest of the year."
Source: CoreLogic (07/13/2010)
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Julie Nesbitt
Julie Nesbitt knows the back trails and by-ways of Northern Virginia real estate.
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Enjoying Winkler Botanical Preserve
We had a great time walking the trails.
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Don’t take chances with real estate.
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REDUCED: 7202 Churchill Rd, McLean
Open House, Sunday, 1-4 BIG PRICE DROP! 7202 CHURCHILL ROADMcLean, VA 221016 Bedrooms5.5 Bathrooms6,752 SF $1,695,000
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Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services
Established in 1974 with a mission to reduce homelessness, increase community support and promote self sufficiency, the Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services is operated by a multi-denominational board of directors and staff managing over 70 housing units. Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services is located in the Mount Zephyr Business Center at 8305 Richmond…
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Building and modifying homes to accommodate multiple generations is increasingly popular as more Americans struggle to accommodate both their older parents and their grown children under the same roof.
The National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders Show this year featured a single-level residence with a master suite at each end.
"The grandparents' suite included universal design elements along with a small kitchenette," says Stephen Melman, director of economic services at the NAHB. "The concept for this home was that the parents could get help with their kids from the grandparents, while the grandparents benefited by having household maintenance chores and meals taken care of for them.”
Melman said that it is difficult to predict whether this trend will diminish when the economy improves, but he pointed to the growing number of ethnic groups where multi-generational living is expected as a sign that the trend may stick.
Source: Washington Times, Michele Lerner (07/09/2010)
At a recent meeting of the Urban Land Institute of Minnesota, Senior Fellow John McIlwain said "a new normal" will be created in the housing market over the next 10 years, and he marked the end of "the suburban century."
He noted that markets offering "a vibrant 24/7 lifestyle" will see the most robust activity, "net-zero-energy" units will become the norm, and the rental market will expand as homeownership rates fall to more historic levels.
Suburban town centers will gain popularity among those wanting an urban lifestyle without living in a big city.
Over the next decade, McIlwain said four demographic groups will fuel the housing market. He said older baby boomers increasingly are moving back to the central city, while younger baby boomers are finding it more difficult to relocate for jobs because they cannot sell their suburban houses. Meanwhile, millennials are more environmentally aware and will seek urban lifestyles, and immigrants who cannot afford large suburban houses to shelter multiple generations will increase demand for rentals.
With 1.5 million housing units per year needed to accommodate the shift to normal levels of household formation, McIlwain said zoning, financing, and regulations need to be rethought to meet housing demand.
Source: minnpost.com, Brad Allen (06/21/2010)
Homes for sale in Northern VA
With more home buyers interested in eco-friendly features, property stagers are placing more emphasis on the overall performance of green dwellings.
To give their listings a competitive edge, they can perform an energy audit and indicate the changes and upgrades made as a result to boost energy efficiency.
They also should provide a checklist detailing the benefits of the home's green features, ensure cleaning products in cabinets are eco-friendly and food in pantries is organic, and include an aesthetically pleasing recycling center that goes beyond the traditional blue bins.
Additionally, chemical odors should be eliminated from the home, living plants should be added a to help enhance indoor air quality, sustainable upgrades should be encouraged, and eco-friendly landscaping like vegetable gardens and native grasses should be chosen over lawns that require a lot of maintenance.
Source: RISMedia (06/16/10)
