In a moving letter to Treasury Secretary John Snow, Tom Stevens, president-elect of the National Association of Realtors pleads for extreme caution in deliberations to include the elimination of the mortgage interest deduction in budgetary and legislative proposals. Doug Duncan, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association explains in plain terms why losing this important homeowner tax benefit will throw the housing market into a bust.
Is there anyone who doesn"t want to dine in an exclusive restaurant, shop at an exclusive boutique or vacation at an exclusive resort? Just the sound of the word "exclusive" generates images of rubbing shoulders with celebrities, wearing designer clothes, and feelings of excitement. But if you are selling your home, and you agree to list your home on an "exclusive-to- one-company" agreement, you may be excluding the most important thing a home seller needs - buyers.