Realestateheadlines

Hello and welcome to JeffGaffney.com.This website is an evolution from multiple conversations I’ve had with colleagues and associates throughout the years. You will find that this site is primarily tracking real estate news across Central Virginia, as well as national headlines. For fun, you may find “two scoops” of UVA Athletics information, as well as some inspirational and motivational materials. I track hundreds of news sources and have always enjoyed doing this. As a result, many friends have asked where they can get a copy of my materials. So, here it is, have at it! We’d love to hear from you if you have any comments.


Builders Get Back in Game

By DAWN WOTAPKA, Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2010

In St. Petersburg, Fla., close by Tropicana Field, an unusual structure is emerging from a construction site: a rental apartment building. MORE »

Home Builder Hovnanian Swings to Profit

By JOHN KELL, Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2010

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. swung to a fiscal first-quarter profit as the company became the latest home builder to benefit from a federal tax credit while reporting fewer write-downs and its lowest cancellation rate since 2005. MORE »

Sometimes losing a home is just the beginning of the pain

By Harvey S. Jacobs, The Washington Post, Saturday, March 6, 2010

As if losing one’s home in a foreclosure or short sale were not already sufficiently traumatic, many former homeowners are learning that the day they turn in their keys may be only the start of an even more prolonged housing-induced misery. MORE »

Mansions go modular as costs, timeline lure high-end buyers

By Lisa Rein, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, March 4, 2010

One day in February, it was an empty, snow-covered lot in Bethesda. In 32 hours, the property held a six-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bath French country mansion with a walkout basement.
MORE »

Looking to refinance? Ask yourself these four crucial questions

By Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin, The Washington Post, Saturday, March 6, 2010

Q: We want to refinance our home loan. We are at 5.75 percent and might be able to get 4.85 percent on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. We would save $87 to $104 per month, and we are thinking about adding extra money each month to pay off the loan faster. MORE »

The recession has hurt many people’s credit scores. How to fix it?

By Kimberly Lankford, Special to The Washington Post,Saturday, March 6, 2010

The recession may have done a number on your credit score, even if it spurred you to reform spendthrift ways and cut up your credit cards. For many, the drops have come at the same time that lenders have tightened their standards and demanded higher scores to get the best interest rates. MORE »

Take Three: Will Congress Extend the Home Buyer Tax Credit?

By Nick Timiraos, www.online.wsj.com, Feb. 22, 2010

It’s that time of year again: time for lobbyists to convince Congress to extend the home buyer tax credit. MORE »

Better to Wait Until Home Buyer Tax Credit Expires?

By Emily Friedlander, www.online.wsj.com, Feb. 25, 2010

The home builders and Realtors are jazzed for the home buyer tax credit’s remaining weeks. It’s tempting for home buyers to get caught up in the hype. But perhaps you’re better off waiting? MORE »

Why Existing Home Sales Are Flat, Not in Free Fall

By James R. Hagerty, www.online.wsj.com, Feb. 26, 2010

Ignore today’s headlines on U.S. home resales. If you strip out the effects of tax credits, the underlying trend looks about flat, says from Tom Lawler, a housing economist in Leesburg, Va., who monitors local sales across the country day to day. MORE »

For Landlords, the Numbers Are Starting to Look Better

By M.P. MCQUEEN, www.online.wsj.com, Feb. 20, 2010

Home prices are falling, rents are tumbling, and apartment vacancies are rising. So why are thousands of small investors becoming landlords? MORE »

Freddie Mac Abandons Ship on Interest-Only Loans

By Nick Timiraos, www.online.wsj.com, Feb. 26, 2010

Freddie Mac said on Friday that it would stop buying and securitizing interest-only loans in September because those mortgages have performed so poorly. MORE »

Vegas House Bargains Dry Up

James Hagherty, www.online.wsj.com, Feb. 23, 2010

Jonathan Griffin, Michael Pawlak and Chris Iuso all are chasing bargains on foreclosed homes here. It should be easy. Las Vegas is one of the foreclosure capitals of the U.S., with about one in four households behind on house payments or in mortgage foreclosure. MORE »