Dear visitor of SaabRealtors.com, I'm pleased to announce that I made this year Americas Top 100 Real Estate Professionals. Please read the article posted on 06/04/2009 in following publications:
I'm happy to share with you my success story and that I'm #16 out of 1,500,000 Agents in the Nation! and #1 in VA, DC and MD! I'm proud to represent the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area community and dedicate to all of my friends and clients my hard work during these tough economic times. Many of you are facing difficulties, going through unemployment, foreclosure disaster and fear of bankruptcy... Our market now is showing signs of improvement; many families pursuing their dream of home ownership. I'm here for you to offer my guidance if you need it now more than ever before. I will keep maintaining my professionalism to deliver exemplary service. Thank you for visiting all of our web sites! Sincerely, George Saab, Broker SAAB, REALTORS®
The White House
The White House Blog Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 1:21 pm Another Leg in the Stool Making Home Affordable: Connecting the President’s plan with those who need it. Housing-Rescue Plan Adds 'Short Sales' The Obama administration on Thursday laid out additions to its housing-rescue plan that are designed in part to make it easier for financially troubled homeowners to sell houses that are worth less than their mortgages. The newest initiative creates a standardized process and adds incentives for so-called short sales, in which a borrower -- with lender approval -- sells the home for less than the amount owed. The government also said it would make it simpler for borrowers to voluntarily transfer ownership of properties to mortgage companies through a "deed in lieu" of foreclosure, helping the companies avoid a potentially costly and time-consuming foreclosure process. Administration officials said the new initiatives could help hundreds of thousands of borrowers or more. For more information click here.
Tax Credit Provides Outstanding Opportunity for Home Buyers A tax credit of up to $8,000 is available for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence. Video Interview: Tax Economist Answers Questions About the Home Buyer Credit Rob Dietz, Ph.D., director of tax issues for the National Association of Home Builders, discusses the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit in this videotaped interview.
No Change in Fairfax's Unemployment Rate by SCOTT McCAFFREY, Sun Gazette Fairfax County in March retained the second lowest unemployment rate among Virginia’s 134 cities and counties, with its 4.7-percent jobless rate unchanged from a month before. A total of 565,011 county residents were employed in the civilian workforce during the month, and 28,040 were looking for work, the Virginia Employment Commission reported on April 29. The Fairfax jobs picture mirrored the trend across Northern Virginia in April, as most communities saw relative stability, with no large changes either up or down in joblessness. Across Northern Virginia, the unemployment rate in March was 5.2 percent, unchanged from a month before, representing about 1.37 million residents employed in the civilian workforce and about 75,000 looking for work. Among major jurisdictions in the region, unemployment was 4.4 percent in Arlington County, 4.8 percent in Loudoun County, 5.1 percent in Alexandria, 5.7 percent in Prince William County and 8.2 percent in the city of Falls Church. Statewide, the unemployment rate in March was 7 percent, unchanged from a month before.
Arlington's Unemployment Rate Remains Lowest in Virginia by SCOTT McCAFFREY, Sun Gazette Arlington in March retained its long-held crown as having the best jobs picture in Virginia, as the raw numbers of unemployed in the county were virtually unchanged from a month before, according to figures released April 29 by the Virginia Employment Commission. The county’s unemployment rate of 4.4 percent was unchanged from February, and represents a rate less than half the national joblessness rate. All told, 127,996 county residents were employed in the civilian workforce in March, with 5,930 looking for work. Though more than double the unemployment rate recorded for Arlington residents two years ago, the rate was still lowest among Virginia’s 134 cities and counties. The Arlington jobs picture mirrored the trend across Northern Virginia in April, as most communities saw relative stability with no large changes either up or down in joblessness. more...
Fairfax Video Update Posted (Created: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 10:49 AM EDT) Among the headlines: Vienna has been named a "Tree City USA" for another year; the county's unemployment rate is among the lowest in Virginia; and Fairfax County marketing students are collecting gently-used prom dresses for their annual Fair Oaks Prom Shop. to view all Sun Gazette video click here...
World's Best Places For Real Estate Buys Matt Woolsey, Forbes.com 01.21.09, 04:30 PM EST Washington, D.C., traditionally takes a back seat to world cities like London, New York and Tokyo when it comes to real estate investment. That's likely to change. Thanks to a proposed $1 trillion wave government spending, investors are flocking to D.C. for opportunities in the commercial and residential real estate markets. All these new programs will need offices, after all, and their employees will need places to live. This year, Washington leapfrogged London for the first-place ranking in the world's best cities for real estate investment. But don't count out the world's financial capitals just yet--even with massive financial troubles in London and New York, those cities finished second and third, respectively. To read the article click here...
Senate Approves Measure to Reduce Home Foreclosures
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would expand federal efforts to prevent mortgage foreclosures, shield mortgage service companies from lawsuits if they participate in federal loan modification programs, and give renters of foreclosed properties at least 90 days’ notice before eviction. The bill included an expansion of federal efforts to combat homelessness, which has risen during the economic downturn. The Senate bill, however, did not include Democrats’ most ambitious proposal to aid troubled homeowners: a provision that would have allowed bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of primary mortgages. That provision, championed by Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, failed last week to get the 60 votes needed to advance. The broader housing measure, which the Senate approved on Wednesday, 91 to 5, must now be reconciled with similar legislation approved by the House in March. The House version included the bankruptcy provision but the speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said it would be removed. So far, the federal programs to reduce foreclosures have largely fallen flat, particularly the Hope for Homeowners program approved by Congress last summer. Only one mortgage was modified under the program, which lawmakers had hoped would help as many as 400,000 homeowners. The new Senate bill does not include additional money to aid mortgage borrowers, but it does draw $2.3 billion from the Treasury’s $700 billion financial bailout fund for various provisions. The bill also would increase the borrowing authority for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to $100 billion from $30 billion, a move that will save banks billions of dollars by reducing the extra premiums that they would have had to pay to shore up the deposit insurance fund. The bill also extends through 2013 the $250,000 maximum value of deposits insured by the F.D.I.C. Before the financial crisis, the maximum amount insured had been $100,000. “This bill is principally designed to provide that long sought-for relief for people who are facing foreclosure,” Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut and chairman of the banking committee, said at a news conference after the vote. “The bill does other things, but certainly, a major target is to deal with peoples’ housing issues and try to stem the tide.” Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, a main proponent of the bill, had a strong role in the homeless prevention provisions and others that would give the Treasury secretary more latitude in deciding when to use taxpayer money to buy stock in financial institutions receiving bailout assistance. Mr. Reed, at the news conference with Mr. Dodd, stressed the effort to fight homelessness. “We’re facing the greatest crisis in homelessness since the Great Depression,” he said, citing news accounts of tent cities appearing. The Senate bill would provide $2.2 billion for homelessness assistance and up to $440 million for prevention. (This article brought to you by New York Times.) May 7, 2009
