Real estate shopping tip, open houses useful?, crowd-funding commercial real estate

 

Are open houses necessary to sell a home? 

Real Estate Tip:
 

Before you make offers to buy property, look at as many similar properties in that area as possible so you’ll have a solid frame of reference to make a reasonable bid.

Real Estate Insights:
 

U.S. Banks Move Away From Home [View Article]: This latest data that shows a record low in real-estate-linked debt's share of bank assets highlights the mortgage lending reluctance that we’ve been seeing in US real estate for quite some time.  Unfortunately, good borrowers today are being penalized for the sins of the past.  In a typical knee-jerk reaction, the pendulum has swung way too far in the other direction locking many responsible buyers, particularly younger, first time buyers out of the real estate market.  The fact that Wells Fargo is cutting its minimum credit scores for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac however is a welcome sign.