Le Fleur de Lis Realty, LLC

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 ...

The housing slump caused by the end of the tax credits may be over, with sales of new homes rising 24 percent in June compared to May to an annual rate of 330,000, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Nevertheless, sales were at their second-lowest rate since 1963 – May’s were the lowest. “The future is going to be ...

Judicious home remodeling is still worth the investment, according to Remodeling magazine's annual "Cost vs. Value Report."By G.M. Filisko var author=''G.M. Filisko''; var date='Jan 1, 2010'; if (author!='''' && date!='') document.write(' | '); | January 2010Uncertainty and restraint are the order of the day in this economy, ...

Rates on conventional mortgage loans were essentially flat this week, according to Freddie Mac. The average rate for 30-year fixed mortgages didn’t move from last week’s record-low figure of 4.57 percent. Also, rates on 15-year fixed mortgages reached a new record low this week, falling slightly to 4.06 percent from 4.07 percent last ...

Anyone shopping for a new mortgage these days should shop around, says Cameron Findlay, chief economist for LendingTree. Although mortgage rates look astoundingly low, the spread between what the bank receives and what it pays investors has actually increased, giving banks more room to negotiate. Applicants with good credit scores should ...

Outdoor kitchens continue to be one of the hottest trends in home décor, but not all of them are created equal. Here are some things to consider when evaluating the safety and durability of this attractive yet vulnerable feature: • Is there adequate ventilation? Extensive outdoor cooking spaces should be carefully designed to keep ...

More than 1,200 prison inmates, including 241 serving life sentences, applied for and received first-time hom ebuyer tax credits, according to a Treasury Department report released Wednesday. Treasury said many filed multiple claims, even some outside the alloted time persiod, and received help from paid preparers. Altogether they fraudulently ...

Fiserv on Monday released a report that analyzed housing financial data from fourth quarter 2009, which seemed to suggest real estate could be improving. “Optimism that a sustainable economic recovery is underway and is driving increases in home prices across many U.S. metro areas. More and more, consumers have confidence that buying a ...

FORT PIKE, NEW ORLEANS (June 16, 2010) - Today, Governor Bobby Jindal took a helicopter out to the Northern end of the Chandeluers Island chain to see the state-led dredging operations under way there along with Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis and St. Bernard Parish President Craig ...

Some experts are saying that the next big real estate problem could be a shortage of homes. Only 672,000 new homes were started in April. That’s less than half the number needed to meet the country’s average population growth. In the past, an average of more than 1.3 million households have been built each year, creating demand for ...