Headlines in Real Estate for week ending February 22nd 2013

Here’s what you might have missed this week in real estate news.

Neighbors’ effect on appraisals
The New York Times
When calculating the value of a property, an appraiser also factors in surrounding conditions. Neighborhood nuisances like an overgrown yard or a resistant odor could, in some cases, bring down the value of adjacent homes by 5 to 10 percent, according to the Appraisal Institute.
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Estimated cost of mortgage interest write-off is revised down
Los Angeles Times
The mortgage deduction has been targeted by tax reformers looking for ways to reduce the federal deficit.
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Boomerang buyers making a comeback
The Orange County Register
Buyers who went through short sales or foreclosures are becoming homeowners again, thanks in part to loans from the Federal Housing Administration.
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We still have renters to thank for healthier housing market
CNNMoney
For the past year, housing starts have risen; however, home sales haven’t kept up. The gap suggests that builders are overwhelmingly building for renters, not buyers, which suggests that a healthy housing market may not necessarily call for more home sales.
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