How Facebook Facebook Latest from The Business Journals San Francisco’s hottest ‘hood? Try TriSoMaWant Facebook shares? You may already own someFamily of Facebook founder, other execs to do well in IPO Follow this company ’s blockbuster IPO will impact Silicon Valley’s housing market is something Realtors, potential home buyers and sellers alike have been paying attention to for months.

This week, I talked to a few Realtors in the area and heard some interesting things about what this mega IPO could mean for folks looking to buy or sell a home. To sum it up, they predict: higher prices, multiple offers, unsolicited offers and crazy demand in already tight markets. Oh, and potential East Bay migration.

Full story is available on bizjournals.com

Fewer people are buying and more people are renting — some by necessity and some by choice.

Information from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that 66.3 percent of Americans owned their own home in 2011, down from a high of about 69 percent in 2004.

Full story is available on OurMidland.com

For George Allen, buying houses and giving his children the mortgage over the years has been a way of “keeping it in the family.”

It’s a win-win. Allen acts as the bank. He gets a decent return on his investment as his children pay down the loan with interest, consistent with prevailing mortgage rates. The kids avoid mortgage fees and closing costs, and get to space out tax and home insurance payments.

Full story is available on NorthJersey

Rosie Hayes can already imagine what her home is going to look like – three bedrooms, two baths on a single level with a big kitchen because she likes to cook for her mother, daughter and grandchildren.

“It doesn’t have to be nothing fancy,” she said. “Just something I can maintain myself.”

Full story is available on fayobserver.com

Even with the scars left by the housing mess, homeownership is still a goal for many Americans.

If you vowed to make your homeownership dream come true in 2012, it’s time to get started. Indeed the timing may be ideal. Housing market observers say that prices appear to have bottomed out in many markets, and mortgage rates are at their lowest point ever.

Full story is available on Courier-Journal

Buying a condominium is getting trickier for anyone who wants to put down only 3.5 percent and have the government insure their mortgage.

The issue isn’t just the borrower’s financial wherewithal. It’s the building’s, and plenty of condos no longer get a thumbs-up from the Federal Housing Administration.

Full story is available on Seattle Times

Like watching HGTV’s House Hunters? Fine. Just don’t emulate its method of house-shopping next time you’re in the market.

My girlfriend and I have watched a lot of HGTV’s House Hunters, and especially the overseas version, House Hunters International. In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the skinny: Presumably real home-buyers and a presumably genuine real estate agent walk through three houses. Then the buyers choose one. As the program ends, they fast-forward a few months to see what the happy homeowners have done with the place.

Full story is available on Money Talks

There’s certainly no shortage of real estate Web sites. If you spend time online looking for real estate advice or searching for properties, you know that.

This is mostly a good thing because more information makes for more educated consumers. But it can be a challenge to wade through all of the information available and determine which sources are credible. Finding sources with relevant information can also be a challenge, so let me tell you about three real estate sites with a Texas focus

Full story is available on Blanco County News

Property values are dropping. Mortgage rates are at an all-time low.

For homebuyers in Delta County, there may never be a better time to purchase a house. For folks searching for better returns on their investment than the banks or stock market are offering, real estate can be a great option.

Full story is available on Delta County Independent

Here’s the storyline that’s developed with respect to real estate and its role in the recession: During the recent drop in real estate values, a significant percentage of home buyers were not able to make their mortgage payments and were foreclosed upon. This was because they were unqualified, bankers were greedy and made risky loans, and the securitization of mortgages was not regulated enough and went haywire.

Full story is available on boston.com