News

Second Shelters: Why I Started a Blog for the Most Important Real Estate Purchase of Your Life

By Candy Evans | December 2, 2010 |

I’ve never really told you why I started a blog called SecondShelters. Truth is, I wanted to call it SecondHomes, but the URL was already taken. I like the word “shelter” because that is the purpose a home serves — it is really a shelter from the elements, from the big, bad world. As a…

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Bipartisan Deficit Panel: $500K limit on Mortgage Deduction, No Second Home Deduction

By Candy Evans | December 2, 2010 |

I think I could live with just about every single suggestion this bipartisan deficit panel has made, at least, those that I have read, except the home mortgage deduction limitations and eliminating the mortgage deduction on second homes. Homeowners can now deduct mortgage interest on mortgages up to one million dollars. But would a second…

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Lawmakers Eye That Home Mortgage Deduction To Balance Budget

By Candy Evans | December 1, 2010 |

The Presidential, bi-partisian committee scrutinizing ways to cut our huge budget deficit brought on by the housing market collapse, Wall Street firms going under, and the biggest government bail out in the history of the world, may end the U.S. home mortgage¬† deduction. It could certainly end the mortgage interest deduction of second home properties.…

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Dallas Real Estate News: Home Sales Flat, Price Declines, Unless You Live in Park Cities

By Candy Evans | December 1, 2010 |

I know, Case-Shiller says sales and housing prices are down in Dallas-Fort Worth. It was a pretty sucky report. The only places where sales are up — San Francisco, San Diego and Washington D.C., where all the government jobs are bringing in YPs by the bushels sporting $100 to $300K jobs, all seeking housing. But…

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Dallas House Porn: Contemporary Lust and Water, Water Everywhere

By Candy Evans | November 30, 2010 |

I have been cheating on my house by lusting after this estate property for years. YEARS! And now, she is on the market, available. Be still, my beating heart. Listed with Douglas Newby, this home is on the same little lake where police went full S.C.U.B.A. this summer to find the murder evidence that nailed…

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How To Save Money for a Home Down Payment: Eat Squirrel, Not Turkey

By Candy Evans | November 29, 2010 |

Thanksgiving is over and for most of us, those turkeys from last Thursday are going to make excellent sandwiches for a few days. But the inspiration for this post truly came from an article I came across on the BBC: is squirrel the perfect austerity food? I mean, we are trying to make ends meat…

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