With spring 2013 around the corner, many Americans will finally be venturing out to enjoy their yards. And according to an online survey conducted by Harris Interactive in December 2012, those with a yard/landscape will be looking forward to three yard and landscape activities most of all: relaxing, planting, and spending time with family.

The study, conducted among more than 2,800 U.S. adults (ages 18+) on behalf of PLANET, the national trade association of landscape professionals, finds that yard/landscape ownership is highly prevalent (88 percent) among Americans. In fact, 81 percent of those with a yard/landscape say the upkeep of their yard/landscape is important to the look of their home.

When asked the chief reason for maintaining or improving their yard/landscape, yard/landscape owners are most likely to cite showing pride in their home (42 percent) as the primary motivator, although creating an outdoor relaxing space (16 percent) and raising or protecting their property value (15 percent) also win double-digit support.

(Family Features)—When it comes to improving your home, it's easier than ever to make eco-friendly choices that save you money, are better for the environment and make your home more beautiful. Here are a few easy ways you can go green all over the house.

Light it Up - As you make the switch from incandescent bulbs, it's important to look for a bulb that will not only conserve energy and save money, but that gives you the kind of illumination you want. Look for an alternative with even light distribution, such as 3M LED Advanced Light. It lights up a room as beautifully as you would expect, and lasts for 25 years, delivering energy efficiency without compromise. It uses one quarter of the energy used by an incandescent light bulb and can save you up to $140 worth of electricity over the bulb's lifetime. In addition, it contains no mercury and does not need special disposal. Learn more at www.3MLighting.com/LED.

Decorate with Recycled Materials - Whether you're a do-it-yourselfer or want to buy ready-made items, there are plenty of options that keep materials out of landfills. Look for furniture made from reclaimed wood, carpets made from recycled plastic, flooring made from sustainable resources such as bamboo or cork, and wallpaper made from managed timber sources. You can find glassware, dinner sets and accessories made from recycled glass, and textiles like curtains and blankets made from organic fibers.

Mortgage applications decreased 7.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 15, 2013.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 7.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 7 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 8 percent from the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 4 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 3 percent compared with the previous week and was 6 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 75 percent of total applications from 76 percent the previous week. The refinance share has decreased for ten straight weeks and is at its lowest level since early May 2012. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity remained constant at 5 percent of total applications. The HARP share of refinance applications increased to 31 percent from 30 percent the prior week. The government share of purchase applications decreased to 33 percent and is at its lowest level since January 2009.

Some people refer to the heating and air conditioning systems as the "comfort systems." If you've ever had to be without one in the dead of winter or the heat of summer, lack of comfort may be an understatement. Simple maintenance with a HVAC checklist is something that every homeowner can perform.

Periodically

• Change your filter every 90 days; every 30 days if you have shedding pets.
• Maintain at least two feet of clearance around outdoor air conditioning units and heat pumps.
• Don't allow leaves, grass clippings, lint or other things to block circulation of coils.
• Inspect insulation on refrigerant lines leading into house monthly and replace if missing or damaged.

Annual, in spring

While recent economic reports suggest that home building took a pause at the beginning of 2013, leading indicators point to more growth for housing in the months ahead.

Per data from the Census Bureau, housing starts were down 8.5 percent in January. However, all of the loss was in the multifamily segment, where construction fell from an unusually high annualized rate of 365,000 in December to a steadier 277,000 rate in January. On a year-over-year basis, starts of multifamily units in properties with five or more units remain up 35 percent. Single-family starts were virtually unchanged in January at a 613,000 rate, up 0.8 percent from December.

Narrowing in on the custom home building market, roughly defined as owner-built or owner-hired contractor-built homes, quarterly Census data indicate a declining market share as other forms of home building pick up. As of the end of 2012, custom home building fell to a quarterly total of 30,000 starts, placing the one-year moving average of market share of total single-family starts at 24 percent. This is down from the cycle high of 31.5 percent set during 2009, although the share remains elevated compared to historical conditions.

If you are currently suffering from procrastination, let’s explore why and what you can do about it.

You don't love what you do and you're not excited about it.

If you are not eager to work, it can be because you're thinking about the money you don't have and the money that you need to make. The need to make money only appeals to your prefrontal cortex not your heart. This does not give you a strong enough motivation to get you to do the things you need to do in a timely manner.

In addition, when you're desperate to make money, you’re sending out a negative vibration of scarcity. What you get back is what you send out; more scarcity. Then you're in a vicious circle.

Debra W. Still, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), applauded H.R. 1077, the Consumer Mortgage Choice Act, introduced earlier in March in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI). The bipartisan bill would modify the definition of points and fees in the Dodd-Frank Act’s Ability to Repay/Qualified Mortgage provisions to improve access to affordable mortgage credit for qualified borrowers.

Under Dodd-Frank, loans that have points and fees in excess of three percent of the loan amount cannot qualify for the Qualified Mortgage definition that allows lenders to meet the ability to repay test. Non-QM loans carry with them greater liability for lenders, and thus will be more expensive or less available for borrowers.

“Determining a borrower’s ‘ability to repay’ is a critical part of underwriting a safe and sustainable mortgage, and MBA has worked closely with policymakers to craft a QM rule that works best for borrowers and lenders alike,” said Still. “In our review of the final rule, we have identified several concerns with the points and fees calculation that have the potential to limit the choices that borrowers have when selecting a mortgage and increasing the costs of getting those mortgages. This bill goes a long way toward addressing those concerns.”

The latest FNC Residential Price Index® (RPI) indicates that U.S. property values continued to recover through January—the 11th consecutive month of rising prices. Despite the uneven pace of price gains across different geographical markets, there are clear signs that the housing recovery is increasingly widespread.

A limited housing supply and declining foreclosure sales are contributing to the recovery of underlying property values. The average list-to-sale price ratio increased to 93.5 in January, compared to 90.3 during the same period a year ago; in other words, the average asking price discount dropped to 6.5 percent from 9.7 percent. Foreclosures, as a percentage of total home sales, were 20.2 percent in January, down from 26.9 percent a year ago.

Based on recorded sales of non-distressed properties (existing and new homes) in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, the FNC 100-MSA composite index shows that January home prices rose 0.3 percent from the previous month and were up 5.7 percent on a year-over-year basis from the same period in 2012.] The 30-MSA and 10-MSA composite indices show similar trends of rising prices, with the 10-MSA composite accelerating more rapidly at 0.8 percent month-over-month and 7.2 percent year-over-year.

Hilton Head Island Area Market Stats (MLS)*

• Closed Sales YTD: 446 (+11.2%)
• Pending Sales YTD: 648 (+27.6%)
• Median Price - Area wide YTD: -1.4%
• Average Price - Area wide YTD: -2.3%
• Median Price - Hilton Head Island Villas/Condos YTD: +36.2%
• Median Price - Hilton Head Island Detached Homes YTD: -4.4%
• Median Price - Mainland Detached & Villas/Condos YTD: -0.5%
• Housing Inventory: 2,456 Homes for Sale - 8.2 Months Supply (-33.2%, trending down)

      *Current as of February 2013. Next update for March to be released mid- to late-April

To see both reports in full, complete with graphs, click on

• Monthly Indicators
• Housing Supply Overview

Monthly Indicators

The sun is shining brighter for longer, the birds are chirping a bit louder and people have a renewed spring in their step. And then there's the climate. Home buyers and sellers are readying themselves for an exciting spring market. Buyers are motivated by an attractive affordability environment, while more and more sellers are receiving near top dollar for their home. We've come a long way over the past 12 to 18 months but we're not there yet. Here's how February stacked up.

New Listings in the Hilton Head region decreased 1.7 percent to 467. Pending Sales were up 26.9 percent to 340. Inventory levels shrank 18.4 percent to 2,456 units. Prices tumbled a bit. The Median Sales Price decreased 4.2 percent to $228,000. Days on Market was down 4.8 percent to 124 days. Absorption rates improved as Months Supply of Inventory was down 33.2 percent to 8.2 months.

A few consumers may feel less confident due to Washington's latest self-inflicted crisis. Others would advise not to read the news in the first place. The fact is, the economy continues to grow, but at a snail's pace. Sequestration is more of a nuisance than a real threat to recovery; and there's significant pent–up demand from renters, first-timers, parents' basementers and investors to counteract it.

House Supply Overview

As we lean toward the spring market, let's review what's transpired over the past 12 months. For the 12-month period spanning March 2012 through February 2013, Pending Sales in the Hilton Head region were up 22.1 percent overall. The price range with the largest gain in sales was the $225,001 to $375,000 range, where they increased 33.7 percent.

The overall Median Sales Price was down 2.4 percent to $227,000. The property type with the largest price gain was the Condo segment, where prices increased 19.0 percent to $163,000. The price range that tended to sell the quickest was the $100,000 and Below range at 87 days; the price range that tended to sell the slowest was the $650,001 and Above range at 189 days.

Market-wide, inventory levels were down 18.4 percent. The property type that lost the least inventory was the Single-Family segment, where it decreased 17.5 percent. That amounts to 7.8 months supply for Single Family homes and 9.1 months supply for Condos.

To see both reports in full, complete with graphs, click on

• Monthly Indicators
• Housing Supply Overview

(All data provided by Multiple Listing Service of Hilton Head Island - powered by 10K Research and Marketing and sponsored by the South Carolina Association of REALTORS.)

Pocket listings—listings sold outside of the MLS—are gaining heat inside the real estate industry. Far from a new concept, they are one of real estate’s biggest in-house controversies, with professionals from across the country taking different stances as to whether or not they help or hinder the market.

These off-market listings are never entered into the MLS. Instead, the homes are marketed directly by the seller’s real estate agent or broker, who has complete control over the listing, thus keeping the listing in their “pocket.”

Some real estate professionals argue that pocket listings are harming the market by skewing the overall market image, as homes not listed in the MLS have limited exposure and make it harder to browse comparable homes and prices. Others are frustrated that pocket listings enable the listing agent to take in the full commission; the MLS not only provides a way to share property information, but also compensation between real estate companies. Brokerages that list homes privately will most likely be completing those transactions entirely in-house, collecting not only the selling commission, but also the commission reserved for the buyer’s agent.