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Find a Property Investment Properties edition Buy to let, property development and investment opportunities Find a Property - Home Property Search Estate Agents Property News Specialist Properties Browse All Areas Find your ideal house, flat or apartment for sale or rent Find a Property - Moving made easy Find a Property - Specialist Properties - Investment Properties Investment Properties Property Edition Buy to let, property development and investment opportunities The Buy to Let market, one of the great success stories of the last ten years, has produced a growing band of happy investors buoyed up by the delights of solid capital growth and respectable rental incomes. It is, however, a cyclical market and one as subject to the laws of supply and demand as any other sector of the economy. Experts will advise that prospective investors should take pains to carefully research the local market and view the business as a medium to long term project. Viewed in that light, it remains a very solid bet and will continue as a popular option for a diverse cross-section of the population. This edition includes dozens of properties which should appeal to those motivated by high rental returns as well as those whose primary concern is capital growth. It also includes details of experienced agents who have made this sector a speciality. So if you're new to the market and need a reliable expert to lead you through the maze, if you're a seasoned player and know exactly what your looking for, or if you live overseas and need a professional all-in-one 'hands off' management service to take care of your portfolio this is the place to begin your search. Learning To Invest 20 Jul 2005 Thinking about investing in property but new to the business? Investment guru Simon Shinerock explains why it can pay to learn from the experts... Simon Shinerock More and more people these days are coming to the conclusion that the only way for them to have a chance of achieving financial security is to buy property. But is it better to leap in and learn through experience or should you attend one of the growing number of seminars on the subject? Simon Shinerock, the founder and Chief Executive of Choices Acquisitions , a very popular auction-buying service for investors, says more and more people are looking for reliable information and advice before they take the plunge. " Our regular estate agency business which started in 1989 manages over 1000 properties as well as dealing with millions of pounds of property sales and mortgages every month. " In addition, for the past four years, we have been providing auction information to potential investors, as well as sourcing investment and buy to let property from developers and agents for our clients. " Gradually it has become evident that many potential clients want more than information and advice, especially at the beginning - they want education. " In response to this need we have created a down to earth two hour seminar to introduce the novice investor to the business and to share with them some of the important lessons we have learned through our own experience." What You'll Learn The seminar business, can, of course, be an expensive route to take but Choices reckon they can teach the basics and introduce participants to their services for much less that the thousands some charge. " We are aware of two day seminars which are available at a cost of £2000 or more but we believe that what we provide for £50 is enough of a taster for most people and we have been very pleased with the positive feedback we have received, " says Simon. Seminars take place on a Saturday between 11.30 and 2.00pm at Choices modern Smallfield office near London Gatwick Airport. To book your place please call 01342 840000 or complete the email response form on their company information page Choices Acquisitions seminars, says Simon, will tell you about 1. The research we do 2. The evaluation and analysis techniques we have developed 3. Our contacts with developers and agents and how we have made them 4. How we find distress sales 5. A hot new area for property investment in the UK 6. How we can help you buy property below the market value Below are some case studies from Choices: Case Study - Buying at auction A client wanted to start a buy-to-let portfolio on a low cost basis, as they were tight on funding we identified Liverpool as a good area, we highlighted six properties at an upcoming auction all of which represented good value based on their likely selling prices (about 30 per cent above guide price and 20 per cent below market price). Our experience has shown that it is pointless going to auction with only one property in mind in these circumstances as the chance of failure is too high. We are able to arrange funding in principle from a short term lender should our client be unable to arrange a buy to let mortgage in time. At the auction we were able to secure the third lot on our list. The client needed to do some cosmetic work but the estimated return on their deposit and costs once let was 25%, on top of which the property had a market value of 15% more than cost. Incidentally at the same auction we were able to secure two more properties for other clients on a broadly similar basis. Case Study - Buying Off Plan We are constantly looking for Off Plan opportunities on behalf of many clients. Through a trade contact of ours we heard about a development which was coming to an end. The developer had seven flats remaining and was prepared to sell them at a 15 per cent discount to market value. After checking the local rental market and speaking to agent contacts we were able to place five of these properties with three clients all of whom were looking at long term rental and capital growth. Case Study - Overseas Property We heard of some excellent opportunities for high yield apartment hotel investments on Miami Beach. We went to Miami to check out the local market and were able to get in on the ground floor of a renovation of a boutique Art Deco Hotel right on South Beach. Based on the figures we were able to obtain this investment should return up to 40 per cent on deposit plus costs plus there is built in capital growth of 20 per cent based on current market values. Each unit is $395000 with a 20 per cent deposit required and guaranteed finance on the balance, the developer is guaranteeing the first year return following the renovation and the investor shares in 60 per cent of the nightly rental ($400 per night minimum 70 per cent occupancy). As a further bonus, the owner can stay in their hotel suite at any time for as long as they want. Case Study - Agency contacts Over 95% of all property sold in this country is sold through estate agents. It therefore makes sense for us to establish good relationships with agents in areas where we expect capital growth and good rental returns. We were approached by one of our contacts on the south coast in respect of a sea front property available through an offshore tax exile who wanted to sell without publicity. We were able to secure the property which comprised of several apartments on behalf of several clients. Some of the units are going to be let, some sold on and some used as holiday homes after renovation. Choices Acquisitions © Find A Property 2000-2005 Property in the Investment Properties edition London (North of Thames) London (South of Thames) Surrey & Middlesex Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire & Essex Hampshire, Sussex & Kent Rest of UK Rest of Europe Rest of World Today's featured property for the Investment Properties edition... Blyth Road, London, E17, London E17 "Blyth Road, E17. A first floor end of terrace flat located on this quiet street off Lea Bridge Road. The property would benefit from some modernisation and comprises two large bedrooms, bathroom." On the market for £ 147,995 through ludlowthompson.com Rental Returns Overestimated 22 Nov 2005: Recent research from Landlord Mortgages accuses some lettings agents of exaggerating rental returns...... Landlords Remain Upbeat 26 Oct 2005: Landlords are in a bullish mood and plan to buy more properties in the months ahead, says a new survey...... How To Invest In Property 20 Oct 2005: How clued-up are you when it comes to spotting a good property investment? If you feel you could use a helping hand, Ludlow Thomson has some tips...... Fantastic Investment Opportunity In South Africa 12 May 2005: How does the prospect of investing in a brand new development at the heart of Cape Town sound? Appealing? Read on for more details...... From Coronation Street To Canary Wharf 24 Mar 2005: From the terraced houses of Coronation Street to the high-rise apartment blocks of Canary Wharf: actress Annie Hulley has become a serious player in London's buy-to-let market...... PIFS Unlikely To Conflict With Buy-To-Let 03 Mar 2005: The introduction of property investment funds (PIFs) in the UK would add value to the property market but would be unlikely to have much effect on the buy-to-let sector, says a new report...... Investors Keep Faith With Property 09 Feb 2005: Despite the recent slowdown in the housing market, investors believe that property still provides the safest home for their hard-earned money...... Buy-To-Let Confidence High 07 Jan 2005: Despite negative comment from some quarters, landlords and mortgage intermediaries remain optimistic about the investment market...... Buy-To-Let Looking Good 06 Jan 2005: Strong tenant demand is pushing up rents and boosting landlords' yields, says a new report...... Landlords Hold The Line 14 Dec 2004: Despite falling house prices, most landlords are determined to hang onto their investment properties, says a new survey...... One-bed Flats Do Well 25 Nov 2004: Landlords take note: rents on one-bed flats are outpacing the rest of the market...... Buy-To-Let To Boom 08 Nov 2004: Despite talk of a market slowdown, the coming decade should see a huge increase in the number of buy-to-let investors, says a new report...... Rents On The Rise 20 Oct 2004: Rents are on the up in many parts of the country as landlords pay more for investment properties, says Paragon Mortgages...... What Tenants Want 29 Sep 2004: Power shower or roll-top bath? Garden or trendy kitchen with mod cons? Which features will have tenants fighting over your property?...... Investors Fly To Let 20 Aug 2004: As the housing market cools in Britain, investors are starting to pack their bags and look for bargains overseas...... Landlords Stand Firm 06 Jul 2004: Buy-to-let investors are showing few signs of stress and a mere 2.7 per cent say they'll sell up if house prices start to fall...... Women Bet On Buy-To-Let 23 Jun 2004: The property industry has long been a case of jobs for the boys, but that hasn't stopped a new generation of women investors from getting a foot on the development ladder...... A Leg Up From Your Landlord 22 Sep 2003: It might sound improbable, but a clever new scheme aims to help landlords make a healthy profit while giving tenants the chance to save a deposit for their first home...... Rent: The Furniture 03 Apr 2002: If you've ever been let down by a removals company, are about to relocate to the UK with your family, or are a serious buy to let landlord, rented furniture could be just the ticket....... Tenants From Hell 16 Nov 2001: They don't come trailing sulphurous smoke in their wake and 666 is not emblazoned on their foreheads. So a new service which promises to help identify the tenants from Hell should prove very popular with landlords and letting agents...... Well Hammered 15 Oct 2001: Buy at auction, the pundits all declare, if you want to pick up a bargain. Fine if you have the confidence and expertise to bid with the best. But where do you go if you don't? Meet the man with the answer...... Local Authority 08 Dec 2000: Ex-council properties may be viewed with suspicion in some quarters but in an inflated London market they're still within reach for hard-pressed first-time buyers and an excellent prospect for canny buy-to-let investors...... All Over The Shop 17 Nov 2000: Once upon a time, high streets across the land had a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker and people who lived contentedly above the shops...... Investment Properties Property Edition Buy to let, property development and investment opportunities This edition only includes specially selected properties. To search every property in an area select your local edition Top Top Find a Property - Home Property Search Estate Agents Property News Specialist Properties Browse All Areas © Find a Property 2004 Advertise (estate agents only) Contact us (estate agents only) Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
Investment Property Mortgages Reach
Freddie Mac: Investment Property Mortgages Search In order to browse this site effectively, please enable Javascript in your browser. Investment Property Mortgages Reach Your Investment-Oriented Borrowers and Reap the Rewards of Cross-Selling Additional Services Want to expand your investment property mortgage business? As part of our Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide (Guide), you can extend more options to your investment-oriented borrowers by originating 1- to 4-unit investment property mortgages and selling them to Freddie Mac. Originating mortgages for investment borrowers allows you to tap an abundant market and boost your business with cross-sell opportunities for your other financial products. Freddie Mac offers loan options for investment property mortgage originations. You can originate these mortgages as fixed-rate mortgages, Treasury-indexed ARMs, and others. Our flexible execution options include Cash and Guarantor. Use Loan Prospector ® to quickly and easily approve your investment property borrowers. Freddie Mac will purchase investment property mortgages for borrowers who own up to 10 financed properties, however, those who own more than one financed property will need to meet additional requirements. Executions Gold Cash® Guarantor MultiLender Swap Key Advantages 1- to 4-unit investment properties LTV/TLTV/HTLTV ratios per Guide Section 23.4 Purchase, no cash-out and cash-out refinances Additional eligibility requirements apply for borrowers who own more than one investment property Eligible for Cash and Guarantor executions Eligible Mortgages If the subject property is the borrower's only financed investment property: 15-, 20- and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages 5- and 7-year balloon/reset mortgages All ARMs A-minus mortgages If the borrower owns more than one financed investment property: 15-, 20- and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages 7/1 or 10/1 Treasury-indexed Hybrid ARM only The following mortgages are not eligible for delivery as investment property mortgages Mortgages with temporary subsidy buydowns Streamlined Purchase for Homeowners mortgages Alt 97® mortgages Freddie Mac 100 mortgages Affordable Merit Rate® mortgages Streamlined Refinance mortgages Affordable Gold® mortgages Seller-Owned Modified Mortgages A-minus mortgages, when the borrower owns more than one financed investment property Eligibility Requirements LTV/TLTV/HTLTV ratios per Guide Section 23.4. If the LTV ratio is greater than 75 percent, the mortgage must be an Accept or A-minus mortgage or, if manually underwritten, must have a minimum Indicator Score of 720. For More Information Contact your Freddie Mac Account Manager Call (800) FREDDIE Refer to Section 22.22.1 of your Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide For further details about this product, print out an Investment Property Mortgages fact sheet [ PDF 191K ] © 2005 Freddie Mac Doing Business With Freddie Mac Single-Family Multifamily Debt Securities Mortgage Securities Vendors and Suppliers About Freddie Mac About Us Public Policy News and Information Investor Relations Careers Buying and Owning a Home Preparing for Homeownership All About Mortgages Purchasing a Home Owning and Keeping a Home Calculators and Tools Properties for Sale
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Amazon.com: Real Simple [MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION]: Magazine Subscriptions Your Store Magazine Subscriptions See All 32 Product Categories Your Account | Cart | Wish List | Help | Advanced Search | browse subjects | top sellers | today's deals | gift ideas | newspapers | professional & trade Search Amazon.com Magazines Newspapers Newsletters Web Search This item is not eligible for Amazon Prime, but over a million other items are. Join Amazon Prime today. Already a member? Sign in . MAGAZINE INFO Explore this magazine buying info editorial reviews customer reviews See more images Customers also bought these magazines these other items Share your thoughts write a review write a So You'd Like to... guide tell a friend about this item RATE THIS MAGAZINE I dislike it I love it! 1 2 3 4 5 Edit your ratings Visit the Books Store Real Simple: The Organized Home by Editors of Real Simple Magazine Spec tacular Readers Never misplace your reading glasses again with the hip andstylish magnetic readers from CliC . Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering. A9.com users save 1.57% on Amazon. Learn how . Real Simple [MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION] Cover Price: $54.00 Price: $28.68 ($2.39/issue) You Save: $25.32 (47%) Issues: 12 issues/12 months See more images Print a Magazine Gift Card Ordering it as a gift? Give your recipient a personalized Real Simple gift card! ( Flash Player required.) See more magazine gift options . Magazine subscriptions always ship free, and they help you qualify for FREE Super Saver Shipping on the rest of your order! See details . $10 Holiday Bonus Offer: For a limited time, order two or more subscriptions to RealSimple at Amazon.com and get a promotional certificate for $10off a future order. See details . Ready to Renew? Learnhow . Availability: The first issue should arrive in 6-10 weeks. Here's why See more product details Better Together Buy this magazine with In Style [Magazine Subscription] today! Total List Price : $101.88 Buy Together Today: $52.56 Product Details Format: Magazine Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. Publisher: The Time Inc. Magazine Company ASIN: B00023J4H0 Average Customer Review: Based on 147 reviews. Write a review . Amazon.com Sales Rank: Today: #11 in Magazine Subscriptions Yesterday: #6 in Magazine Subscriptions For magazine orders, your name and mailing address will be shared with the appropriate publisher. This magazine subscription is provided by Synapse Services, Inc. Customers who bought this magazine also bought: O, The Oprah Magazine [Magazine Subscription] Martha Stewart Living [Magazine Subscription] Cooking Light [Magazine Subscription] Lucky [Magazine Subscription] Explore Similar Items : 19 in Magazine Subscriptions , 20 in Books , and 18 in DVD What similar items do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item? 15% buy this item(Real Simple [Magazine Subscription] 13% buy Domino [Magazine Subscription] 7% buy Metropolitan Home [Magazine Subscription] 7% buy House Beautiful [Magazine Subscription] 2% buy Home [Magazine Subscription] Explore Similar Items : 9 in Magazine Subscriptions , 9 in Books , and 5 in Tools & Hardware Editorial Reviews From the Publisher Real Simple is the new magazine for the way you want to live today. You'll find actionable solutions to streamline the ways you manage your life. Systems for reducing clutter, saving time, and reducing stress. Inspiring ideas about home, food, money, clothes, health, work, family, and holidays. Spotlight Reviews (What's this?) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 148 of 189 people found the following review helpful: You've got to be kidding. , February 6, 2003 Reviewer: Auliya "An Avid Reader" (Austin, TX USA)- See all my reviews Beautiful photography, but empty articles, and advertising, advertising, advertising. Every item, on every page, is an advertisement. Everything. Every sentence in every article, every caption, every line in the index. There are numerous special sections devoted to product endorsements, although they're phrased as "tips." They should give this magazine away for free, considering the money they must make off the advertising. Sure, while it's somewhat "handy" to know what's depicted and discussed (usually the URL and price are provided) it makes me a little uneasy. I feel suckered. I feel uncomfortable. Euugh. --This text refers to the edition Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 159 of 186 people found the following review helpful: Real Simple is simply about buying stuff , June 23, 2003 Reviewer: A magazine reader (Austin, Texas) I subscribed to this magazine for a year and enjoyed my first few issues, but I soon noticed that all of the ideas for "leading a simpler life" involved purchasing expensive products. You might as well just flip through a Pottery Barn catalog. They both offer the same fantasy -- "What a stress-free, genteel life I could lead if only I had closet organizers and all-white furniture!" Eventually I simplified my life by letting my subscription run out. --This text refers to the edition Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) All Customer Reviews Average Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: My favorite magazine! , December 20, 2005 Reviewer: Starr Calooy "The Wordsmith" (San Antonio, Texas)- See all my reviews I have read the reviews and find several to be inaccurate and incomplete so I want to set the record straight! This magazine does have advertisements but they all compliment the subject matter of the copy. I am a business owner/mother/caregiver/author so I truly appreciate and use all of the great organizing articles. I also don't have time to track down where to buy the products they suggest so I find the information provided extremely helpful. This is the first magazine I have ever taken the time to read or even ordered! All the others are so similiar and boring, but Real Simple shows me step-by-step how to accomplish what I need to do for my home, what materials to buy(come on! -a coffee can to store Christmas light strings are not expensive!)and where to get them! I look so forward each month to my new issue. I am buying a subscription for my best friend this Christmas. I also planned my entire Christmas dinner party two nights ago by their suggestions and it was a huge hit. The ads really are a plus- not a negative element! Congratulations on such a big success Real Simple! Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 0 of 1 people found the following review helpful: i'm totally hooked.. , December 19, 2005 Reviewer: K. Santos (New York, NY)- See all my reviews i can't say that i read it every month, but when i do i devour it. i LOVE the ideas and the new product lines. the mag is so attuned to what i crave to see and buy and know. i feel like i've learned a lot from the mag and now i have a 3 yr subscription. i'm totally hooked on this mag. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 1 of 2 people found the following review helpful: good, mindless reading , December 17, 2005 Reviewer: Dee Dee (San Antonio)- See all my reviews This is a good magazine if you're looking for short, simple articles. The tips are useful, but try to focus on one or two per issue or else you'll be taking on too much. The product recommendations are right on. I have not bought anything recommended in this magazine that was not excellent. My only complaint is that there are, of course, too many ads. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Useful , December 15, 2005 Reviewer: Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA)- See all my reviews This is the sort of magazine I think I would have appreciated more back in my student apartment-living, bead-curtain, cinderblock-bookcase, cable-spool-as-table days. That's the design ethic portrayed. Some of the articles are rather clever, and the projects- making a switchplate from a beercan, or building a stylish garden building for $1500- are often novel and useful. They're not all winnners, of course; some project ideas are pretty awful. And as others have noted, much of the content is devoted to mindless fashion slavery and buying. But for the urban single or young couple looking for some cheap design ideas, it's pretty useful. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) See all 147 customer reviews... So You'd Like To... 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Real estate horror stories - Dec. 2, 2002 Enter Ticker Symbol Search CNN/Money Autos Real Estate Money's Best Home Markets & Stocks News Jobs & Economy World Biz Technology Commentary Personal Finance College Credit and Debt Insurance Interest Rates Retirement Tax Center Ask the Expert Five Tips The Good Life Millionaire in the Making Money 101 Moneyville Retirement Planner Savings Calculator Asset Allocator Mutual Funds Money Magazine Video CNN TV Fortune 500 Best Employers Money 101 Portfolio Calculators Real-time Quotes Last 5 Quotes SPONSORED BY include virtual="/fn_adspaces/markets-stocks/last_five_quotes/sponsor.88x31.ad" -- CNN/Money Email newsletters RSS Mobile news Money archives Buy story reprints Find a Mortgage SPECIAL OFFER Personal Finance Your Home Real estate horror stories There's never been a national bust but keep an eye on your backyard. December 2, 2002: 11:57 AM EST By Leslie Haggin Geary, CNN/Money Staff Writer New York (CNN/Money) - During the past three years, real estate has been a shelter in the storm. Since 2001, home prices have gained about 6.3 percent annually, according to the National Association of Realtors . And in dozens of hot markets , from San Francisco to Providence, RI to Topeka, KS, homeowners have seen double-digit price increases over the past year. Next to the seeming flimsiness of stocks, real estate looks rock solid. For the past 40 years, home sales prices have outpaced inflation by one or two percentage points per year, and there has never been a national decline in real estate values. But that's just part of the picture. When you drill down to local markets, instead of steady rises, you may find vertiginous spikes followed by stomach-churching drops. What's more, when busts hit, it can take years -- maybe even a decade -- for individuals who bought at the top of the market to recoup their investment. To see how grim it can get, we looked at annual sales figures for 138 metro areas across the country during the past three decades to spot where local bubbles burst, what drove prices into the cellar and how long it took for property owners to recoup their money. Here are some of the factors that can kill a real estate boom. Population shifts It's obvious. Jobs equal workers. Without work, residents leave, and home sales dry up. Consider the case of southern California. Once home to a thriving defense industry, military cutbacks hit the region especially hard in the early 1990s. Some 1 million individuals left the area, according to Ingo Winzer, president of The Local Market Monitor , a real estate consulting firm that tracks housing prices nationwide. In Los Angeles, home prices shed 21 percent of their value between 1989 and 1996, with the typical house selling for $172,900. (The peak was $214,800 in 1989 following a five year, 77-percent jump.) An exodus can hit smaller communities, too. Syracuse, NY once boasted 250,000 residents back in the 1950s, when it was a thriving industrial city. No longer. Many of those jobs are gone and Syracuse lost a full 10 percent of those inhabitants from 1990 to 2000, when its population dropped to 147,000 residents. Home prices, not surprisingly, fell too. Half of all property owners in the county who sold homes in 1997, for example, sold at a loss. Vacant buildings were not uncommon. (At one point, there were more than 1,000 empty dwellings.) Local recessions Ask housing experts about local busts and one of the first places they'll mention is Houston, TX. When the oil market was kicked in the teeth back in the mid-1980s, home prices in this city tumbled fast. In just three years, from 1985 to 1988, the typical home price dropped by 21 percent -- or from $78,600 to $61,800. Related Stories • Did you pay too much for your house? • Real estate or stocks? • Milking the bubble • Rev up your resale value "Prices fell so much that people owed more on than their mortgages than their homes were worth," said David Weil, an economics professor at Brown University. " They'd drive to the bank and drop off their keys to their homes and just leave." Houston isn't the only city where home prices have fallen when the local economy languishes badly. Take the stock market crash of 1987, which hit New York City's financial industry hard. Prices peaked at $183,000 in 1988, and anyone who bought then had to wait until after 1997 to get to even money. Another victim? Hartford, CT. From 1984 to 1988, the typical home price soared 92 percent to $167,600 from $87,400. Then the insurance industry started laying off or moving out. Hartford's population growth slowed to zero. And home prices starting falling. In fact it wasn't until last year that someone who bought at the 1988 price would have made their money back. Fast run-ups in housing values Are markets that have soared quickly especially prone to a bust? That's a question no doubt troubling many homeowners. But the answer isn't simple. Certainly, there have been plenty of hot markets that suddenly turned sour. Consider Honolulu, Hawaii, for example. Back in 1995, the average tab for a house in this community hit a record $360,000 -- a whopping 122 percent increase from the decade before. Then suddenly, prices began to drop. By 1999, a $360,000 island retreat was being unloaded for $290,000, a 19 percent discount, according to NAR. Prices started to finally rise in 2000, but anyone who bought at the island's real estate peak didn't recoup their money until this year. Hawaii's housing woes were tipped off by several factors, not the least of which was the decline in the Japanese economy, which squelched real-estate investment in Hawaii. Honolulu was also in trouble in part because few fundamentals, other than investment dollars -- were pushing the market. In fact, during the boom years, the island's population was climbing at a 1 percent rate, too low to justify the massive run-up in housing values. Bottom line: it's important to look at what drives housing spikes before you assume there will be a catastrophe, said Winzer. Rising interest rates "People tell you that housing never goes down, but that's just not true -- you try to sell a house when interest rates have gone up," said Stephen Cauley, associate director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate, Anderson School at UCLA . To illustrate his point, Cauley points to the early 1980's, when double-digit interest rates were being used to fight inflation. That made the cost of borrowing money for a home almost prohibitively expensive. "It was horrendous for the housing market," said Cauley. "There were no transactions." By 1982, the number of existing home sales had slid to 1.92 million, the lowest number on record, according to NAR. Many markets -- notably Detroit, Providence, Chicago and Philadelphia -- saw home prices stay flat or fall between 1979 and 1982. These days, of course, high interest rates seem a distant threat, though they are beginning to creep up. Current mortgage rates are hovering just above 6 percent for a fixed, 30-year loan. But even if rates go up a full percentage point, rates are still low, said Cauley. How will all this play out? If history is any guide, there won't be one big pop, the kind that usually come with stock-market crashes. But that doesn't make it any less painful. --* Disclaimer Selling? Buying? Click to compare top local real estate agents More on YOUR HOME • Your Home: Bracing for higher rates • Refinancing demand lags again • A rose is (not) a rose TODAY'S TOP STORIES • Most overvalued housing markets • Risks to the economy in 2006 • Which was the worst ad of all in 2005? CNN Money contact us | subscribe to Money magazine advertising -- | site map | glossary | RSS | press room OTHER NEWS: CNN | SI | Fortune | Business 2.0 | Time © 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms under which this service is provided to you. privacy policy Reprints of site stories are available.