Economy added 167,000 jobs in December, report finds

Mortgage rates climbed this week following Friday’s Department of Labor announcement that the economy created significantly more jobs in December than expected, Freddie Mac said today.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to an average 6.21 percent this week from 6.18 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly survey, while the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage gained from 5.94 percent to 5.96 percent. Points, which are fees lenders charge for loan processing expressed as a percent of the loan, averaged 0.4 on these loans.

CORALVILLE - Realtors say the housing bubble from a few years ago has not necessarily burst in eastern Iowa. It has deflated a little, but there are still bountiful buyers on the market. To sell your home, simply make it stand out.

Sara Rogers is packing up the knickknacks that make her house feel like home. She knows what she likes is not necessarily what someone else likes. And she wants that someone else to buy her house. Rogers said, “We wanted to put our house on the market and get top dollar for it.”

Realtors, with the spring selling season just around the corner I think now is the time to FLEX YOUR MINDS to make a very GOOD point! While home staging does not raise the appraised value of a property, IT STILL CAN BE A VERY PROFITABLE VENTURE!

Here’s why… As every realtor knows, a home that goes to market has a possible low/high list price point range. This low/high price is primarily based on location, condition, features, and finishes.

Developer attempting to sell sites he intended for resort

The man who wants to bring a Jaguar-themed luxury resort to downtown Waterford is trying to shed some of his vacant properties to fend off bankruptcy.

Scott Ehrenkrantz insists his proposed Jaguar Auto Spa and Resort still is viable.

“I think we need people to bravely go where no one’s gone before, like developing a multimillion-dollar resort in Waterford,” he said.

Ehrenkrantz holds sway over Waterford’s city center because he owns five Bentley Street properties and a prominent row of abandoned warehouses nearby on G Street.