Despite the encouraging increase in the Housing Market Index (HMI), overall measure continues to remain quite low. High numbers of foreclosures, financing difficulties, inaccurate appraisals, and restrictive lending are all key factors in the discouragement of potential buyers.

According to the NAHB’s Chief Economist, David Crowe, this second consecutive gain indicates that well-qualified buyers from similar areas have been “tempted” by favorable mortgage rates and pricing to seek a new home. Gradual gains can be expected as conditions continue to improve.

Three out of four regions saw an increase in November. The Northeast increased by 6 points, the Midwest by eight, and the South by two points. After a large increase in October, the West returned to trend with a six point decline. It now rests at fifteen.

Overall poor housing market conditions are beginning to improve. With a slow yet steady increase in the HMI, buyers and builders alike can see a bright future ahead. Although it may take a significant amount of time to enter into ideal levels of confidence, good things come to those who wait.

In her recent article for the Equifax Finance Blog, “Homeowners Insurance: Someone Gets Hurt On Your Property” Linda Rey offers homeowners advice for dealing with injuries on their property.

The first thing that needs to be assessed is the extent of the injuries. Are they serious enough to warrant a 911 call?

After that, depending on your relationship with the injured party, the police may need to be called so both parties can make statements.

Next, be sure and take photos of the situation. Try and photograph any injuries and the area of your property where the injury occurred.

Depending on how the injured party wants to handle the situation, more work may be required on our part. If the injured party is merely looking for reimbursement of medical costs, this could be a best case scenario. Of course, if the person is looking to sue you or claim damages beyond what your insurance policy covers, the aforementioned steps become even more important.

Either way, be sure and call your insurance agent as soon as possible for more guidance on how to handle a situation. The sooner you bring in an agent, the sooner he or she can assess the situation and offer advice.

For more insurance advice, visit the Equifax Finance Blog.

In his article, “Home Buying: The Low Down on No Down Payment Mortgages,” Cook covers several types of loans that could help you finally purchase the Jacksonville real estate you’ve always dreamed about. Here are a few of the options he mentions.

If you’re thinking of moving to a small town or suburb, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds loans to thousands of families each year. There are some income and geographical restrictions on these loans. For example, you can only make up to 115 percent of the median annual income where you’re going to live. Also, these USDA loans do not cover homes in major cities. However, you also don’t need to live on a farm or in the middle of nowhere to be eligible.

VA loans are a great option for those who have served 90 days on active duty or with the Reserve or National Guard. Surviving spouses of servicemen and women may also qualify for these loans. They will cover up to half the cost of your mortgage, depending on the amount your borrow and where you live.

Don’t think you’re eligible for the aforementioned programs? Most state and local governments offer a variety of no down payment loans. In fact, most people are surprised by the amount of assistance available for first-time buyers. Do a little research in neighborhoods you’ve had your eye on. You might be able to afford your dream home after all!

Be sure and visit the Equifax Finance Blog to read Cook’s full article and to see a list of resources.

A recent post on the Equifax Finance Blog offers some tax tips for deducting business mileage. Tax specialist Eva Rosenberg’s article, “2012 Standard Mileage Rate: How It Affects Your Business Vehicle,” has the following advice.

If you use your car for business or work, you probably already know that you can use either the standard mileage deduction or you may use actual expenses. Using actual expenses allows you to claim depreciation deductions, in addition to the registration fees, repairs, insurance and fuel costs. Aside from the standard mileage rate increase, the rate for moving and medical mileage has also increased to 23.5 cents per mile from 19 cents. Charitable mileage stays the same, at 14 cents.

One thing that people may not realize is that the standard mileage rate has deduction built into it. Rosenberg points out that when you sell your car, you must take depreciation into account. She suggests using the table on the Small Business Taxes & Management site to determine how much depreciation you used each year. This number will be be based on the total number of business miles you reported on your tax returns.

Read Rosenberg’s full article on the Equifax Finance Blog.

According to a recent post on the Equifax Finance Blog, the process might seem complicated, but there are things you can do to simplify things. Sam Tamkin shares some great tips in his article, “6 Ways to Get Your Property Taxes Reduced.” For one thing, you need to know how real estate taxes are determined. You should also be aware of when the best time to file your dispute is.

Once you learn some basic tax facts, its time to arm yourself with proper documentation. The key to reducing your property tax is showing proof that homes in your neighborhood are selling for/valued less than your home’s appraisal value. It may also help your cause if you provide photos of the devalued homes and your own. After all, if there is little to no difference in two properties, why should you be forced to pay significantly more than another homeowner?

Tamkin’s article goes into great detail on how to prepare for your dispute. For all of his advice, visit the Equifax Finance Blog.

Hotel guests are certain to enjoy the lavish interiors, amenities and services that the South Ocean Boulevard boutique hotel offers, year-round. The 134-room hotel was designed by Leslie Schlesinger Interiors, who turned the time-worn and old-fashioned building completely around, into the city’s newest and hippest hotel with modern, clean design approaches and state-of-the-art conveniences and amenities.

Modern Asian influences give the beachfront property a relaxing feel and fresh and simplistic design. Omphoy balances the edifice with tranquil, earth-friendly details intended to evoke a stress-free environment.

With trunk-like pillars, koi ponds and floor-to-ceiling ocean views, the soft and comfortably relaxed earthy design scheme of The Omphoy lobby takes the breath away of guests and visitors. The scheme continues in the chic lobby bar, which offers sexy backlit caste glass, an Asian-influenced billiard table, 103-inch plasma television and sumptuous sofa seating that creates a genuinely inviting atmosphere.

With low lighting in the hallways, guests only experience lush, gentle and warm surroundings at The Omphoy, which extends into the guest rooms boasting custom-designed furniture, crisp white sheeting, bronze porcelain tile floors. All rooms offer a spacious balcony, terrace or large picture window that open the rooms to panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway.

Omphoy guests enjoy innovative and world-class cuisine by celebrity chef and James Beard award winner, Michelle Bernstein. The Exhale spa at The Omphoy Ocean Resort features a full spa with transformational spa therapies, skin-care services, steam rooms and cardio gym with yoga. The hotel also offers a full-service complimentary business center, Wi-Fi access throughout, a palm tree lined pool with a soothing waterfall and private cabanas, refined pool bar, direct beach access and access to exclusive area golf courses.

For more information, please visit www.omphoy.com.

Your Jacksonville home is important and there are steps you can take to minimize losses. As far as the structure of your home is concerned, storm shutters can help with hurricanes. If you’re building in an area affected by tornadoes, having a reinforced safe room is a sound investment.

According to the Equifax Personal Finance Blog, another thing you can do is prepare to file an insurance claim. In “Natural Disaster Insurance Claims: What to Do When a Natural Disaster Strikes,” insurance expert Linda Rey discusses the different types of insurance you may need.

Assuming you have the proper insurance, you will want to have a photo or video inventory of your belongings. Although this step is vital to providing the insurance company with proper information, Rey reports that only about one-third of policy owners have taken this step. Saving receipts for large items as well gathering insurance policies and reporting information is also important. You should keep all of this information in an  easy-to-access place so you can grab it on the run. Having all of this information will expedite your claims in case of emergency.

For more disaster preparation tips, read Rey’s full article on the Equifax Personal Finance Blog.

In “Pet-Friendly Housing Steering the Real Estate Market,” Equifax guest blogger Steve Cook points out that living with pets can be pricey. However, people seem to be buying more pets than ever before. This can lead to some uncomfortable situations when renting property, especially when half of rental property owners don’t allow pets at all, and the rest charge extra fees for them. When the costs range from $20 to $700 up front and are often in addition to a monthly payment, pet owners are looking at homes as the cheaper alternative.

In fact, the demand for pet-friendly real estate has caused one real estate broker in Naples, Fla., to build a business around advertising properties to pet owners. The Pet Realty Network allows pet-owning buyers to search listings across the U.S.

So if you’re looking to sell your home, you may be missing out on a huge market by not including pet owners in your search. Read Cook’s post at the Equifax Personal Finance Blog and see if selling your real estate to the dogs helps!

Well, the Equifax Personal Finance Blog is back again this week with just the sort of news we need. According to a recent post, “Hardest Hit States Are Showing Signs of Economic Recovery,”  Florida residents are demonstrating our credit smarts once again. Equifax credit expert Janet Dedrick says higher average credit scores could mean that economic recovery is headed our way.

In her post, Dedrick explains that the areas that were worst hit by the economic and housing crisis – including Florida – saw declines in credit scores for more than three years. The worst, she says, was in June of 2008. At that time, 42 percent of Major Metropolitan Areas (MSAs) watched as average credit scores fell.

But the news is better since December 2010. Average credit scores are back on the rise, with the largest increases being seen here in Florida and in other hard-hit states, such as California. Dedrick says it all means that consumers are smarter when it comes to using their credit. If creditors see good risk once again, maybe they’ll loosen the lending reins a bit, and we’ll see more homebuyers with access to the loans they need to make homeownership a reality.

What’s your opinion? Do you think Floridians are being more careful with using and managing our credit? Check out the Equifax Personal Finance Blog,  then come back here to let us know what you think. We hope your observations will confirm the positive trends the research is showing.

The updated edition includes more details, strategies and examples than the first. You’ll be able to see specific social media campaigns with sales results organized by builder type. The book also has sample Twitter campaigns designed to increase foot traffic to communities.

Through clear, concise writing and real-world examples, Carol can help you design programs that are perfect for your business. You’ll also learn how to:

• Gain Facebook friends and Twitter followers
• Improve search engine optimization (SEO)
• Optimize your websites, blogs and social media sites
• Run successful social media campaigns
• Track, analyze and improve results

With 20 years of experience, Carol Flammer is the go-to person for social media and public relations for real estate and construction. She is the founder of Atlanta Real Estate Forum, president of Flammer Relations, Inc., and managing partner of mRELEVANCE, LLC.

Whether you’re already involved in social media or just looking for a place to start, Social Media for Home Builders 2.0: It’s Easier Than You Think, is the book for you.

You can buy the book from BuilderBooks or Amazon.