Get FREE Home Staging to sell your home!

For an upcoming story about home selling, MONEY magazine is looking for people who are interested in having their home staged by a professional at no cost. Home stagers give advice on furniture placement, paint selection, and other factors that can boost a house's appeal to potential buyers.

Specifically, we're looking for people who are currently trying to sell their home or are just about to put their home on the market. The home must not be in contract. The home must also be a freestanding single-family house. The story will focus on strategies to help you sell your home in a tough market.

http://moremoney.blogs.money.cnn.com/2011/03/08/money-help-sell-stage-home/

Foreclosures make up 26% of home sales

Home prices are down but sales are up, somewhat contradictory trends.

Home prices fell nearly 6% during the six months ended Dec. 31, sending values to their lowest levels in the post-bubble period, S&P/Case-Shiller reported on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes rose for the third straight month. "At least it's not a double whammy where both sales and prices are dropping," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist for PNC Financial Services Group. "Deals are getting done."

That's because 26% of all homes sold last year were foreclosures and short sales, according to a RealtyTrac report released on Thursday. That's down slightly from 2009, but a jump compared to 2008.

See more: ForeclosuresMakeUp26%ofHomeSales

Is Buying an REO from the Bank the Best Deal?

There`s a common misconception among consumers who want to buy real estate from a bank. Does this provide them with the best deal? Maybe yes, but maybe no. Let`s take a look at the reality of the situation.

The common logic is that since the owner`s equity has been washed out by the bank`s takeover of the property, the bank owned property must be a good deal. Real estate professionals immediately recognize this is not necessarily true. There are many times when the property is still worth less than the amount of money that`s owed to the bank " making the bank`s price the wrong price.

Is Buying an REO from the Bank the Best Deal??

Who is MERS and Why Are They Suing Me?

The Mystery Company that Forecloses on Homes

A homeowner takes out a mortgage with Wells Fargo. Two years later, she gets behind in payments due to unforeseen circumstances. That’s when a foreclosure suit lands on her doorstep, but instead of Wells Fargo, someone named “MERS” is trying to take her home. Just who in the heck is this “MERS,” and who asked it to get involved?

More and more homeowners are asking this question and, in the process, successfully challenging these foreclosure suits.

What is MERS?
MERS stands for “Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems.” Created a decade ago, it is owned by several of the largest mortgage companies in America, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Wells Fargo, Citimortgage, Chase, HSBC and Countrywide.

Full Story: Who is MERS and Why Are They Suing Me??

Borders is planning a fire sale!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Borders is planning liquidation sales in the 200 stores it is shutting down as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

"There will be opportunities for liquidation-type sales," said Borders spokesman Donald Cutler on Thursday. "Specifications about them will be revealed in the coming days and weeks."

376Email Print Borders, the second-largest book retailer behind Barnes & Noble (BKS, Fortune 500), announced on Wednesday that it had filed for bankruptcy and was closing down nearly one-third of its 659 stores. The closures are expected to be completed in April.

Read on: Borders Planning a Fire Sale!

Don't sweat rising mortgage rates

Will rising interest rates slam the door on a fragile housing recovery?

No -- though that only underscores just how grim the housing picture is.

The rate on the 30-year conforming mortgage has risen to a recent 5.1% from 4.2% last October (see chart, right), tagging along behind an even larger rise in the yield on the 10-year Treasury note over that period.

Good news, bad news
The jump in the mortgage rate has added around $50 to the monthly tab on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage on a median-price house ($170,000 or so) purchased with 20% down, estimates Paul Dales of Capital Economics in Toronto.

For Full story: Don't Sweat Rising Mortgage Rates/

After foreclosure: How long until you can buy again?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Walking away from a mortgage you can still afford to pay has consequences; everyone knows that. Your credit score is shot and it can be impossible to get credit.

Some homeowners, no doubt, believe that the credit score hit is worth getting out from a deeply underwater mortgage. They may owe, say, $500,000 when their house value is only valued at $350,000. And, they figure, there's no way it will ever be worth what they owe so it's better to get out from underneath the burden.

To read full story click below: http://http//money.cnn.com/2010/05/28/real_estate/homebuying_after_foreclosure/index.htm?iid=EL