FULLY APPROVED SHORT SALE IN TERRAMAR
Have you heard of a FULLY APPROVED short sale that the home owner was current!!! Well I have! Matter of fact one just closed October 30, 2010 right in the pristine neighborhood of Terramar.
This particular home owner DID have a hard ship and MY TEAM was able to negotiate this short sale with Chase and receive a FULL LEIN RELEASE with a small contribution from the seller. Amazing! there is hope out there for bank to start working with their home owners!
This home was FULLY approved at 370k. the home had many features and the property was in MINT CONDITION… this was not like your ordinary short sale or REO you stumble across!
The home featured the following: 6 bed 4.5 baths and 2100+ Square feet. Property included an RV gate/parking and a 1/2 basketball court that backed to the common area. The backyard was truely an oasis perfect for entertaining. It was equipped with a 50 ft patio, built in BBQ, Huge Diving pebbletec pool with spa and waterfall feature. The Master Suite of the home had his and her built in closets, a master bath with dual side fireplace overlooking large garden tub. Additionally in the fourth bedroom upstairs was FULLY equipped to be a media room and lastly, the family room downstairs was complete with a dry bar built in and fireplace.
Here is a little about where Terramar is located in Peoria, Arizona This area has long been one of the most desirable locations in the Valley. Peoria’s attractive nature and mountainess views along with its limitless amount of recreational opportunities and exceptional school systems One of the most desirable characteristics of this community is the high quality housing..
What a truly breathtaking area to raise a family!!!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
HAFA NEWS YOU CAN USE
HAFA News You Can Use
With the standard HAFA program getting introduced a few months ago and now Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae introducing their own versions at the start of August, it can be confusing to keep up with all the changes and updates.
From “The Government Goes Media on Foreclosure Alternatives,” this excerpt talks about the possibility of HAFA being more successful than the HAMP program:
The HAMP program has not been a raging success. In fact, nearly 521,000 trial modifications have been cancelled and over 60% of those have been trials for six months or more. Only 398,000 borrowers have been converted from trial loan-mods to permanent workouts. Over 45% of cancelled trials are now in a an alternate modification program offered by the servicers. But, of those, at least 6% are still falling back into a 60+ day delinquency status. There are no official HAFA stats to report, but it should be more successful overall then HAMP.
Or check out this video which detailed the still-evolving HAFA policies in May 2010:
How are Freddie HAFA sales different from the standard program?
Freddie’s program is the allowances to subordinate liens. Each junior lien, in order of priority, may receive no more than 6% of their unpaid principal balance up to an aggregate cap of $6000, in exchange for release of the subordinate liens and satisfaction of the underlying debts. That means that if a home has 2 liens in subordinate position, one is a $210,000 HELOC recorded before a $2700 HOA lien, the HELOC will only get $6000 and the HOA nothing.
Freddie Mac will accept the short-sale minimum acceptable net proceeds in satisfaction of the amount owed under the note and release of its lien
Freddie Mac will not require promissory notes or cash contributions from the borrower by Subordinate lienholders must also agree to release all liens without promissory notes or contributions from the borrower in order for the borrower to close under the program.
Fannie Mae HAFA sales include greater incentives for the servicers, taking the max under the Treasury program at $1500 to $2,200.
With the standard HAFA program getting introduced a few months ago and now Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae introducing their own versions at the start of August, it can be confusing to keep up with all the changes and updates.
From “The Government Goes Media on Foreclosure Alternatives,” this excerpt talks about the possibility of HAFA being more successful than the HAMP program:
The HAMP program has not been a raging success. In fact, nearly 521,000 trial modifications have been cancelled and over 60% of those have been trials for six months or more. Only 398,000 borrowers have been converted from trial loan-mods to permanent workouts. Over 45% of cancelled trials are now in a an alternate modification program offered by the servicers. But, of those, at least 6% are still falling back into a 60+ day delinquency status. There are no official HAFA stats to report, but it should be more successful overall then HAMP.
Or check out this video which detailed the still-evolving HAFA policies in May 2010:
How are Freddie HAFA sales different from the standard program?
Freddie’s program is the allowances to subordinate liens. Each junior lien, in order of priority, may receive no more than 6% of their unpaid principal balance up to an aggregate cap of $6000, in exchange for release of the subordinate liens and satisfaction of the underlying debts. That means that if a home has 2 liens in subordinate position, one is a $210,000 HELOC recorded before a $2700 HOA lien, the HELOC will only get $6000 and the HOA nothing.
Freddie Mac will accept the short-sale minimum acceptable net proceeds in satisfaction of the amount owed under the note and release of its lien
Freddie Mac will not require promissory notes or cash contributions from the borrower by Subordinate lienholders must also agree to release all liens without promissory notes or contributions from the borrower in order for the borrower to close under the program.
Fannie Mae HAFA sales include greater incentives for the servicers, taking the max under the Treasury program at $1500 to $2,200.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Market Update 2010
MARKET UPDATE
September 2010
HOW LOW CAN THEY GO
Mortgage Type Interest Rate APR
30 Year Fixed 3.875% 4.005%
15 Year Fixed 3.500% 3.729%
5/1 ARM 3.000% 3.018%
Interest rates as of 09/01/10. Conforming interest rates. Interest rates and APR based on loan amounts not to exceed $417,000. Loan to values not to exceed 80%. 720+ credit score. Owner occupied only. Purchase and rate in term refinances. Not all applicants will qualify. Call today for your individual scenario rate quote.
FHA STREAMLINES CONTINUE TO SURGE
If you currently have an FHA mortgage with a rate of 5.000% or higher, you may be able to refinance with no appraisal, and little or no closing costs. The recent drop in interest rates have caused an influx of borrowers refinancing to take advantage of the FHA Streamline refinance option. Call today if you have an FHA mortgage at 5.000% or higher. 480-368-2000.
FHA NEEDS CASH
In an effort to increase cash reserves, FHA is modifying the upfront mortgage insurance premium and monthly mortgage insurance charge. Currently the upfront mortgage insurance premium is 2.25% of the loan amount, which is rolled into the base loan amount. The current monthly mortgage insurance fee is .55%, which is part of the monthly mortgage payment.
Effective October 4th, 2010, the upfront mortgage insurance premium will be reduced from 2.25% to 1.0%. The monthly mortgage insurance fee will be raised from .55% to .85% - .95%; which will vary based on certain risk factors of the file.
NATIONAL HOME PRICES UP FOR THE YEAR
“National home prices jumped a substantial 3.6% in the past year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released on Tuesday. Prices also climbed 4.4% in the second quarter compared with a 2.8% plunge in the first quarter.” – cnnfn.com
The tax credit is the largest contributing factor for the increase in home prices. Industry insiders predict that home prices will level off, and potentially see a decline in the coming months, now that the tax credit has expired, and employment is not dramatically improving. Without another stimulus from the Federal Government, the housing market will remain shaky for the foreseeable future.
HOME SALES TAKE A BEATING
Home sales hit a 15 year low.
“Existing home sales sank 27.2% in July, twice as much as analysts expected, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million units. Much of that drop is attributed to the end of the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit.” – cnnfn.com
TAX CREDIT 2010 & DOWNPAYMENT ASSISTANCE
The housing market is on the slide, and there is no hope in the foreseeable future; but there are rumors of help on the way.
A new buzz is stirring about the possibility of a new Government tax credit for home buyers to once again kick start the housing market. Numbers are now surfacing, and it is apparent that the tax credit had a much bigger impact on housing than many critics of the tax credit claimed.
Did someone say “Downpayment Assistance?” H.R. 600 FHA Seller-Financed Downpayment Reform Act of 2009 is not dead; not yet. Downpayment assistance allowed the seller to contribute the buyer’s minimum downpayment on FHA mortgages and was eliminated a couple of years ago when there was a push for everyone to have “skin in the game.” Downpayment assistance allows borrowers to essentially purchase a home with no money down. With the current housing market sputtering to a standstill, downpayment assistance may be making a come back.
If either the tax credit or downpayment assistance resurfaces, the housing market will once again erupt with new buyers coming off the fence and out of the woodwork. Yes, it may just be a short term Band-Aid, but the Government will want to stop the bleeding before there is hemorrhaging.
September 2010
HOW LOW CAN THEY GO
Mortgage Type Interest Rate APR
30 Year Fixed 3.875% 4.005%
15 Year Fixed 3.500% 3.729%
5/1 ARM 3.000% 3.018%
Interest rates as of 09/01/10. Conforming interest rates. Interest rates and APR based on loan amounts not to exceed $417,000. Loan to values not to exceed 80%. 720+ credit score. Owner occupied only. Purchase and rate in term refinances. Not all applicants will qualify. Call today for your individual scenario rate quote.
FHA STREAMLINES CONTINUE TO SURGE
If you currently have an FHA mortgage with a rate of 5.000% or higher, you may be able to refinance with no appraisal, and little or no closing costs. The recent drop in interest rates have caused an influx of borrowers refinancing to take advantage of the FHA Streamline refinance option. Call today if you have an FHA mortgage at 5.000% or higher. 480-368-2000.
FHA NEEDS CASH
In an effort to increase cash reserves, FHA is modifying the upfront mortgage insurance premium and monthly mortgage insurance charge. Currently the upfront mortgage insurance premium is 2.25% of the loan amount, which is rolled into the base loan amount. The current monthly mortgage insurance fee is .55%, which is part of the monthly mortgage payment.
Effective October 4th, 2010, the upfront mortgage insurance premium will be reduced from 2.25% to 1.0%. The monthly mortgage insurance fee will be raised from .55% to .85% - .95%; which will vary based on certain risk factors of the file.
NATIONAL HOME PRICES UP FOR THE YEAR
“National home prices jumped a substantial 3.6% in the past year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released on Tuesday. Prices also climbed 4.4% in the second quarter compared with a 2.8% plunge in the first quarter.” – cnnfn.com
The tax credit is the largest contributing factor for the increase in home prices. Industry insiders predict that home prices will level off, and potentially see a decline in the coming months, now that the tax credit has expired, and employment is not dramatically improving. Without another stimulus from the Federal Government, the housing market will remain shaky for the foreseeable future.
HOME SALES TAKE A BEATING
Home sales hit a 15 year low.
“Existing home sales sank 27.2% in July, twice as much as analysts expected, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million units. Much of that drop is attributed to the end of the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit.” – cnnfn.com
TAX CREDIT 2010 & DOWNPAYMENT ASSISTANCE
The housing market is on the slide, and there is no hope in the foreseeable future; but there are rumors of help on the way.
A new buzz is stirring about the possibility of a new Government tax credit for home buyers to once again kick start the housing market. Numbers are now surfacing, and it is apparent that the tax credit had a much bigger impact on housing than many critics of the tax credit claimed.
Did someone say “Downpayment Assistance?” H.R. 600 FHA Seller-Financed Downpayment Reform Act of 2009 is not dead; not yet. Downpayment assistance allowed the seller to contribute the buyer’s minimum downpayment on FHA mortgages and was eliminated a couple of years ago when there was a push for everyone to have “skin in the game.” Downpayment assistance allows borrowers to essentially purchase a home with no money down. With the current housing market sputtering to a standstill, downpayment assistance may be making a come back.
If either the tax credit or downpayment assistance resurfaces, the housing market will once again erupt with new buyers coming off the fence and out of the woodwork. Yes, it may just be a short term Band-Aid, but the Government will want to stop the bleeding before there is hemorrhaging.
Friday, August 27, 2010
July Existing-Home Sales Fall, But Prices Rise
Existing-home sales were sharply lower in July following expiration of the home buyer tax credit but home prices continued to gain, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, dropped 27.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million units in July from a downwardly revised 5.26 million in June, and are 25.5 percent below the 5.14 million-unit level in July 2009. Sales are at the lowest level since the total existing-home sales series launched in 1999, and single family sales – accounting for the bulk of transactions – are at the lowest level since May of 1995.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a soft sales pace likely will continue for a few additional months. “Consumers rationally jumped into the market before the deadline for the home buyer tax credit expired. Since May, after the deadline, contract signings have been notably lower and a pause period for home sales is likely to last through September,” he said. “However, given the rock-bottom mortgage interest rates and historically high housing affordability conditions, the pace of a sales recovery could pick up quickly, provided the economy consistently adds jobs.
“Even with sales pausing for a few months, annual sales are expected to reach 5 million in 2010 because of healthy activity in the first half of the year. To place in perspective, annual sales averaged 4.9 million in the past 20 years, and 4.4 million over the past 30 years,” Yun added.
Mortgage Rates Dip
According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to a record low 4.56 percent in July from 4.74 percent in June; the rate was 5.22 percent in July 2009. Last week, Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed was down to 4.42 percent.
The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $182,600 in July, up 0.7 percent from a year ago. Distressed home sales are unchanged from June, accounting for 32 percent of transactions in July; they were 31 percent in July 2009.
“Thanks to the home buyer tax credit, home values have been stable for the past 18 months despite heavy job losses,” Yun said. “Over the short term, high supply in relation to demand clearly favors buyers. However, given that home values are back in line relative to income, and from very low new-home construction, there is not likely to be any measurable change in home prices going forward.”
Inventory Rises
Total housing inventory at the end of July increased 2.5 percent to 3.98 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 12.5-month supply at the current sales pace, up from an 8.9-month supply in June. Raw unsold inventory is still 12.9 percent below the record of 4.58 million in July 2008.
NAR President Vicki Cox Golder said there are great opportunities now for buyers who weren’t able to take advantage of the tax credit. “Mortgage interest rates are at record lows, home prices have firmed and there is good selection of property in most areas, so buyers with good jobs and favorable credit ratings find themselves in a fortunate position,” she said.
A parallel NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 38 percent of homes in July, down from 43 percent in June. Investors accounted for 19 percent of sales in July, up from 13 percent in June; the balance were to repeat buyers. All-cash sales rose to 30 percent in July from 24 percent in June.
Breakdown of the Numbers
• Single-family home sales dropped 27.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.37 million in July from a pace of 4.62 million in June, and are 25.6 percent below the 4.53 million level in July 2009; they were the lowest since May 1995 when the sales rate was 3.34 million.
• The median existing single-family home price was $183,400 in July, which is 0.9 percent above a year ago.
• Single-family median existing-home prices were higher in 11 out of 19 metropolitan statistical areas reported in July in comparison with July 2009 (the price in one of 20 tracked markets was not available). However, existing single-family home sales fell in all 20 areas from a year ago.
• Existing condominium and co-op sales fell 28.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 460,000 in July from 640,000 in June, and are 24.0 percent below the 605,000-unit level in July 2009. The median existing condo price was $176,800 in July, down 1.7 percent from a year ago.
By Region
• Existing-home sales in the Northeast dropped 29.5 percent to an annual pace of 620,000 in July and are 30.3 percent lower than a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $263,800, up 4.8 percent from July 2009.
• Existing-home sales in the Midwest fell 35.0 percent in July to a level of 800,000 and are 33.3 percent below July 2009. The median price in the Midwest was $151,600, down 2.8 percent from a year ago.
• In the South, existing-home sales dropped 22.6 percent to an annual pace of 1.54 million in July and are 19.8 percent below a year ago. The median price in the South was $156,300, down 3.3 percent from July 2009.
• Existing-home sales in the West fell 25.0 percent to an annual level of 870,000 in July and are 23.0 percent below a year ago. The median price in the West was $224,800, up 3.3 percent from July 2009.
Source: NAR
Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, dropped 27.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million units in July from a downwardly revised 5.26 million in June, and are 25.5 percent below the 5.14 million-unit level in July 2009. Sales are at the lowest level since the total existing-home sales series launched in 1999, and single family sales – accounting for the bulk of transactions – are at the lowest level since May of 1995.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a soft sales pace likely will continue for a few additional months. “Consumers rationally jumped into the market before the deadline for the home buyer tax credit expired. Since May, after the deadline, contract signings have been notably lower and a pause period for home sales is likely to last through September,” he said. “However, given the rock-bottom mortgage interest rates and historically high housing affordability conditions, the pace of a sales recovery could pick up quickly, provided the economy consistently adds jobs.
“Even with sales pausing for a few months, annual sales are expected to reach 5 million in 2010 because of healthy activity in the first half of the year. To place in perspective, annual sales averaged 4.9 million in the past 20 years, and 4.4 million over the past 30 years,” Yun added.
Mortgage Rates Dip
According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to a record low 4.56 percent in July from 4.74 percent in June; the rate was 5.22 percent in July 2009. Last week, Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed was down to 4.42 percent.
The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $182,600 in July, up 0.7 percent from a year ago. Distressed home sales are unchanged from June, accounting for 32 percent of transactions in July; they were 31 percent in July 2009.
“Thanks to the home buyer tax credit, home values have been stable for the past 18 months despite heavy job losses,” Yun said. “Over the short term, high supply in relation to demand clearly favors buyers. However, given that home values are back in line relative to income, and from very low new-home construction, there is not likely to be any measurable change in home prices going forward.”
Inventory Rises
Total housing inventory at the end of July increased 2.5 percent to 3.98 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 12.5-month supply at the current sales pace, up from an 8.9-month supply in June. Raw unsold inventory is still 12.9 percent below the record of 4.58 million in July 2008.
NAR President Vicki Cox Golder said there are great opportunities now for buyers who weren’t able to take advantage of the tax credit. “Mortgage interest rates are at record lows, home prices have firmed and there is good selection of property in most areas, so buyers with good jobs and favorable credit ratings find themselves in a fortunate position,” she said.
A parallel NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 38 percent of homes in July, down from 43 percent in June. Investors accounted for 19 percent of sales in July, up from 13 percent in June; the balance were to repeat buyers. All-cash sales rose to 30 percent in July from 24 percent in June.
Breakdown of the Numbers
• Single-family home sales dropped 27.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.37 million in July from a pace of 4.62 million in June, and are 25.6 percent below the 4.53 million level in July 2009; they were the lowest since May 1995 when the sales rate was 3.34 million.
• The median existing single-family home price was $183,400 in July, which is 0.9 percent above a year ago.
• Single-family median existing-home prices were higher in 11 out of 19 metropolitan statistical areas reported in July in comparison with July 2009 (the price in one of 20 tracked markets was not available). However, existing single-family home sales fell in all 20 areas from a year ago.
• Existing condominium and co-op sales fell 28.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 460,000 in July from 640,000 in June, and are 24.0 percent below the 605,000-unit level in July 2009. The median existing condo price was $176,800 in July, down 1.7 percent from a year ago.
By Region
• Existing-home sales in the Northeast dropped 29.5 percent to an annual pace of 620,000 in July and are 30.3 percent lower than a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $263,800, up 4.8 percent from July 2009.
• Existing-home sales in the Midwest fell 35.0 percent in July to a level of 800,000 and are 33.3 percent below July 2009. The median price in the Midwest was $151,600, down 2.8 percent from a year ago.
• In the South, existing-home sales dropped 22.6 percent to an annual pace of 1.54 million in July and are 19.8 percent below a year ago. The median price in the South was $156,300, down 3.3 percent from July 2009.
• Existing-home sales in the West fell 25.0 percent to an annual level of 870,000 in July and are 23.0 percent below a year ago. The median price in the West was $224,800, up 3.3 percent from July 2009.
Source: NAR
Foreclosures Down, But Late Payments Up
Foreclosures Down, But Late Payments Up
The wave of foreclosures appears to be subsiding slightly. According to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Delinquency Survey:
• The percentage of loans on which foreclosure action were started during the second quarter was 1.11 percent, down 12 basis points from last quarter and down 25 basis points from one year ago.
• The percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of the second quarter was 4.57 percent, a decrease of six basis points from the first quarter of 2010, but an increase of 27 basis points from one year ago.
• Loans that were 90 days or more past due or in the process of foreclosure was 9.11 percent, a decrease of 43 basis points from first quarter, but an increase of 114 basis points compared to the second quarter of last year.
“The good news is that foreclosure starts are down, and the inventory of homes anywhere in the process of foreclosure fell for the first time since 2006 and had the largest drop since 2005,” says Jay Brinkmann, MBA’s chief economist.
The bad news is that the percent of loans one payment behind had peaked in the first quarter of 2009 at 3.77 percent and fell to 3.31 percent by the end of 2009. Now that rate has risen to 3.51 percent.
“Only when we see a consistent increase in employment will we see an increase in sales and starts, and a sustained improvement in the delinquency numbers,” Brinkmann adds.
Source: Mortgage Bankers Association (08/26/2010)
The wave of foreclosures appears to be subsiding slightly. According to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Delinquency Survey:
• The percentage of loans on which foreclosure action were started during the second quarter was 1.11 percent, down 12 basis points from last quarter and down 25 basis points from one year ago.
• The percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of the second quarter was 4.57 percent, a decrease of six basis points from the first quarter of 2010, but an increase of 27 basis points from one year ago.
• Loans that were 90 days or more past due or in the process of foreclosure was 9.11 percent, a decrease of 43 basis points from first quarter, but an increase of 114 basis points compared to the second quarter of last year.
“The good news is that foreclosure starts are down, and the inventory of homes anywhere in the process of foreclosure fell for the first time since 2006 and had the largest drop since 2005,” says Jay Brinkmann, MBA’s chief economist.
The bad news is that the percent of loans one payment behind had peaked in the first quarter of 2009 at 3.77 percent and fell to 3.31 percent by the end of 2009. Now that rate has risen to 3.51 percent.
“Only when we see a consistent increase in employment will we see an increase in sales and starts, and a sustained improvement in the delinquency numbers,” Brinkmann adds.
Source: Mortgage Bankers Association (08/26/2010)
Monday, August 9, 2010
Housing Tax Credit was like a Painkiller
Housing Tax Credit was like a Painkiller…Posted on 29 Jul, 2010 by admin According to a CNN Money article, “The tax credit was like a painkiller for the housing market, but we’ll have to go into surgery to deal with the underlying problems…”
I certainly can’t speak for the rest of you, but surgery isn’t exactly a fun experience. The housing market has taken it’s bumps and bruises, broken bones, etc., but the bandages have to be addressed properly, not just put on tighter. With any injury, if you’re following the proper treatment procedures, you should follow the RICE method. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation…
What does this mean as translation for the housing market? How about TIRE – (T) Tax Credits for Buyers to stimulate offers, (I) Inventory Reduction, (R) Regulation of the banks to accept reasonable offers on properties, (E) Expedition of these submitted offers.
There are many problems within the system, each having a different solution. Buyers are backing out of deals because of the lengthy timeline, and because there is so much inventory on the market, they can find a new property that may not need to be approved. Offering continued tax credits to buyers will offer incentives for them to continue purchasing, it’s proven that this solution worked. Temporary regulation of the lenders to approve reasonable offers, and expediting the process will correct the tumbling housing market.
Until the time where this TIRE method comes to light, the market shifts, and property values continue to rise, we will see a very slow recovery to this housing market crisis. If property values continue to dip as they have, and homeowners owe more than their house is worth, anytime they want or need to sell within the next 10-15 years, depending on the market, it will be a Short Sale.
It would be a shame if the real estate market was still in a cycle 15 years from now, where the term “Short Sale” was as popular as it’s become today. That would simply mean, that bandage was just put on way too tight!
I certainly can’t speak for the rest of you, but surgery isn’t exactly a fun experience. The housing market has taken it’s bumps and bruises, broken bones, etc., but the bandages have to be addressed properly, not just put on tighter. With any injury, if you’re following the proper treatment procedures, you should follow the RICE method. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation…
What does this mean as translation for the housing market? How about TIRE – (T) Tax Credits for Buyers to stimulate offers, (I) Inventory Reduction, (R) Regulation of the banks to accept reasonable offers on properties, (E) Expedition of these submitted offers.
There are many problems within the system, each having a different solution. Buyers are backing out of deals because of the lengthy timeline, and because there is so much inventory on the market, they can find a new property that may not need to be approved. Offering continued tax credits to buyers will offer incentives for them to continue purchasing, it’s proven that this solution worked. Temporary regulation of the lenders to approve reasonable offers, and expediting the process will correct the tumbling housing market.
Until the time where this TIRE method comes to light, the market shifts, and property values continue to rise, we will see a very slow recovery to this housing market crisis. If property values continue to dip as they have, and homeowners owe more than their house is worth, anytime they want or need to sell within the next 10-15 years, depending on the market, it will be a Short Sale.
It would be a shame if the real estate market was still in a cycle 15 years from now, where the term “Short Sale” was as popular as it’s become today. That would simply mean, that bandage was just put on way too tight!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Home prices show stability after modest gain
Very Interesting with ALL the hype floating around with the market dropping 10%.. I dont agree! Read Below :-)
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home prices rose slightly in May compared with a month earlier, appearing to have stablized at the lower levels that followed the end of the residential real estate bubble, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index of 20 major housing markets released Tuesday.
Prices were up 1.3% from April, and 4.6% from 12 months earlier.
The price rise might have reflected one of the last gasps of the government's incentive program, which paid tax refunds of as much as $8,000 to homebuyers if they signed a sales contract before May 1.
"It does look like the market was boosted by the tax credit," said Robert Dye, senior economist for PNC Financial Services. "It seems to have pulled some of the demand forward."
Although the increase was welcome news for the beleaguered housing market, S&P spokesman David Blitzer downplayed the gain.
"While May's report on its own looks somewhat positive, a broader look at home price levels over the past year still do not indicate that the housing market is in any form of sustained recovery," he said. "Since reaching its recent trough in April 2009, the housing market has really only stabilized at this lower level. The last seven months have basically been flat."
Home prices peaked back in July 2006 and fell for 33 straight months before bottoming out in April 2009. The peak-to-trough decline came to more than 32%.
The index went on a short upswing for five months, regaining 5.3% of its loss before turning tail again, declining 2.2% before a modest rebound in April.
Winners and one loser
Only one of the 20 metro areas, Las Vegas, reported a price decline for May, with a 0.5% loss. Minneapolis had the largest spike: prices jumped 2.8% and were up 11.6% over the prior 12 months.
San Francisco had the largest year-over-year gain, 18.3% higher than May 2009. San Diego, at 12.4%, and Los Angeles, at 9.7%, have also posted healthy year-over-year gains.
In a way, the index may understate its positive results. It counts all sales, including distressed properties. Those have become a major component of the market, with short sales and bank repossessions accounting for close to a third of all sales.
Repossessions sell, on average, for 27% less than conventional sales, according to a recent report from MIT economist Parag Pathak and two Harvard researchers, John Campbell and Stefano Giglio.
"It's not surprising that there is a discount due to foreclosure," said Pathak in a release. "But it is surprising that it's so large."
The repossession discount comes from a couple of factors. Borrowers who lose their homes to foreclosure may not have had the funds or the incentive to maintain their homes well. The homes often come onto the market in poor condition, lowering their values.
In addition, lenders often want to sell the homes very quickly to avoid all the expenses of home ownership - taxes, utilities, insurance and maintenance - so they're willing to sell at far below comparable homes.
Maureen Maitland, vice president for index services at S&P, said foreclosure and short sale data is included in the index because they represent such a big part of the market. "In some metro areas they're 50% to 60% of sales," she said.
They're expected to remain so for a long time. The run rate for bank repossessions so far this year indicates more than a million homes will be lost to foreclosure and put back on the market by the banks.
That will extend the overhang on inventory, which along with the end of the tax credit will probably keep prices down for at least the summer months, according to Maitland.
It may be autumn, if then, before improvement in the economy puts housing markets back on a firm footing, according to Dye.
"Housing has firmed up since the dark days of 2008 and 2009, but it's still wobbly," he said.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home prices rose slightly in May compared with a month earlier, appearing to have stablized at the lower levels that followed the end of the residential real estate bubble, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index of 20 major housing markets released Tuesday.
Prices were up 1.3% from April, and 4.6% from 12 months earlier.
The price rise might have reflected one of the last gasps of the government's incentive program, which paid tax refunds of as much as $8,000 to homebuyers if they signed a sales contract before May 1.
"It does look like the market was boosted by the tax credit," said Robert Dye, senior economist for PNC Financial Services. "It seems to have pulled some of the demand forward."
Although the increase was welcome news for the beleaguered housing market, S&P spokesman David Blitzer downplayed the gain.
"While May's report on its own looks somewhat positive, a broader look at home price levels over the past year still do not indicate that the housing market is in any form of sustained recovery," he said. "Since reaching its recent trough in April 2009, the housing market has really only stabilized at this lower level. The last seven months have basically been flat."
Home prices peaked back in July 2006 and fell for 33 straight months before bottoming out in April 2009. The peak-to-trough decline came to more than 32%.
The index went on a short upswing for five months, regaining 5.3% of its loss before turning tail again, declining 2.2% before a modest rebound in April.
Winners and one loser
Only one of the 20 metro areas, Las Vegas, reported a price decline for May, with a 0.5% loss. Minneapolis had the largest spike: prices jumped 2.8% and were up 11.6% over the prior 12 months.
San Francisco had the largest year-over-year gain, 18.3% higher than May 2009. San Diego, at 12.4%, and Los Angeles, at 9.7%, have also posted healthy year-over-year gains.
In a way, the index may understate its positive results. It counts all sales, including distressed properties. Those have become a major component of the market, with short sales and bank repossessions accounting for close to a third of all sales.
Repossessions sell, on average, for 27% less than conventional sales, according to a recent report from MIT economist Parag Pathak and two Harvard researchers, John Campbell and Stefano Giglio.
"It's not surprising that there is a discount due to foreclosure," said Pathak in a release. "But it is surprising that it's so large."
The repossession discount comes from a couple of factors. Borrowers who lose their homes to foreclosure may not have had the funds or the incentive to maintain their homes well. The homes often come onto the market in poor condition, lowering their values.
In addition, lenders often want to sell the homes very quickly to avoid all the expenses of home ownership - taxes, utilities, insurance and maintenance - so they're willing to sell at far below comparable homes.
Maureen Maitland, vice president for index services at S&P, said foreclosure and short sale data is included in the index because they represent such a big part of the market. "In some metro areas they're 50% to 60% of sales," she said.
They're expected to remain so for a long time. The run rate for bank repossessions so far this year indicates more than a million homes will be lost to foreclosure and put back on the market by the banks.
That will extend the overhang on inventory, which along with the end of the tax credit will probably keep prices down for at least the summer months, according to Maitland.
It may be autumn, if then, before improvement in the economy puts housing markets back on a firm footing, according to Dye.
"Housing has firmed up since the dark days of 2008 and 2009, but it's still wobbly," he said.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Exhaust all options prior to foreclosure, or should I just let it go?
We speak to people every day that have it embedded in their mind to just let their property go to foreclosure. One of the main reasons for this, is they don’t know the options in order to avoid foreclosure in the first place.
The biggest item of consideration with this decision is the impact on credit. A foreclosure has a very aggressive impact on credit, both immediately, and in the future. Most importantly, every time a loan application is filled out, you will always need to inform the potential lender that you have a foreclosure in your past. This is a huge red flag for lenders when attempting to get a loan in the future.
Each of the alternatives to foreclosure can help you avoid both the short term and the long term stress. Whether it be an attempt to modify the mortgage, sell the property prior to the foreclosure date through a Short Sale, each will have a less damaging impact on your credit. Depending on the terms of the negotiation, it can show on credit as a settlement or as paid in full. The ramifications of this are less damaging.
Lenders are speeding up their processes for successful short sales of properties, so it is possible that your lender will move swiftly to get your property sold. Whether it is through the Foreclosure process or the short sale process, there is one guarantee. You will have to move.
Ultimately, the question that needs to be asked is are you willing to deal with the long term stress of future inability to obtain a loan, or will you exhaust all options prior to moving? There is plenty of help available to restore credit, and according to most of the information given, you can obtain a loan after a short sale as soon 2 years, whereas through the foreclosure process, not for 7-10 years.
Exhaust all options, you deserve it.
The biggest item of consideration with this decision is the impact on credit. A foreclosure has a very aggressive impact on credit, both immediately, and in the future. Most importantly, every time a loan application is filled out, you will always need to inform the potential lender that you have a foreclosure in your past. This is a huge red flag for lenders when attempting to get a loan in the future.
Each of the alternatives to foreclosure can help you avoid both the short term and the long term stress. Whether it be an attempt to modify the mortgage, sell the property prior to the foreclosure date through a Short Sale, each will have a less damaging impact on your credit. Depending on the terms of the negotiation, it can show on credit as a settlement or as paid in full. The ramifications of this are less damaging.
Lenders are speeding up their processes for successful short sales of properties, so it is possible that your lender will move swiftly to get your property sold. Whether it is through the Foreclosure process or the short sale process, there is one guarantee. You will have to move.
Ultimately, the question that needs to be asked is are you willing to deal with the long term stress of future inability to obtain a loan, or will you exhaust all options prior to moving? There is plenty of help available to restore credit, and according to most of the information given, you can obtain a loan after a short sale as soon 2 years, whereas through the foreclosure process, not for 7-10 years.
Exhaust all options, you deserve it.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Mortgage Rates Fall to 4.59%, Enough To Move Demand
By Nick Timiraos
Finally.
Record low mortgage rates spurred an uptick in new-purchase mortgage applications last week for just the second time in the past two months, while more Americans also applied to refinance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Rates fell last week to 4.59% on an average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which is down from 4.69% one week ago and the lowest ever recorded by the trade group since its survey began in 1972. Other measures show that rates continued to fall this week: Zillow’s Mortgage Marketplace quoted an average of 4.37% on Tuesday.
Those low rates haven’t done much to drive up demand for new home loans in recent weeks. Purchase activity is still more than 40% down from its highs of April, though it ticked up by 3.4% last week. That’s largely because home-buyer tax credits pulled demand forward. But the recent drop in applications to 14-year lows “smacks of more than a temporary, one-off fall in activity,” says Paul Dales, chief economist at Capital Economics.
Refinance activity has held up better because it’s driven much more by low rates than other economic factors that go into buying a house. Refinance applications were up by 9% last week and are up by almost 30% over the past four weeks, though activity is still below the near-term May 2009 peak. Around 80% of mortgage activity last week was for refinances, the highest refinance share since April 2009.
Still, refinancing activity isn’t as high as would be expected at current rates, in part because it’s harder to get a loan today. Also, many borrowers have lost equity or taken a hit to their incomes or credit and either can’t qualify or aren’t willing to pay extra fees that come with being a bigger credit risk.
Of course, it doesn’t make sense for everyone to refinance. Borrowers who plan to sell in the next few years will want to think twice about paying closing costs to get a low rate. Also, borrowers who’ve had their loans for a long time—and are therefore paying a greater share of their payment towards their loan principal, as opposed to interest—may not want to refinance.
Finally.
Record low mortgage rates spurred an uptick in new-purchase mortgage applications last week for just the second time in the past two months, while more Americans also applied to refinance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Rates fell last week to 4.59% on an average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which is down from 4.69% one week ago and the lowest ever recorded by the trade group since its survey began in 1972. Other measures show that rates continued to fall this week: Zillow’s Mortgage Marketplace quoted an average of 4.37% on Tuesday.
Those low rates haven’t done much to drive up demand for new home loans in recent weeks. Purchase activity is still more than 40% down from its highs of April, though it ticked up by 3.4% last week. That’s largely because home-buyer tax credits pulled demand forward. But the recent drop in applications to 14-year lows “smacks of more than a temporary, one-off fall in activity,” says Paul Dales, chief economist at Capital Economics.
Refinance activity has held up better because it’s driven much more by low rates than other economic factors that go into buying a house. Refinance applications were up by 9% last week and are up by almost 30% over the past four weeks, though activity is still below the near-term May 2009 peak. Around 80% of mortgage activity last week was for refinances, the highest refinance share since April 2009.
Still, refinancing activity isn’t as high as would be expected at current rates, in part because it’s harder to get a loan today. Also, many borrowers have lost equity or taken a hit to their incomes or credit and either can’t qualify or aren’t willing to pay extra fees that come with being a bigger credit risk.
Of course, it doesn’t make sense for everyone to refinance. Borrowers who plan to sell in the next few years will want to think twice about paying closing costs to get a low rate. Also, borrowers who’ve had their loans for a long time—and are therefore paying a greater share of their payment towards their loan principal, as opposed to interest—may not want to refinance.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Banks Repossess US homes at a record pace
Compliments of Green Street Realty
Banks Repossess US homes at a record pacePosted on 19 Jul, 2010 by admin If you were running the US Government, and had the choice on how to resuscitate the Real Estate housing economy, how would you do it? Would your answer be 1) to have the lenders repossess homes, that will eventually go back on the market at a slashed price in order to sell them fast, or 2) would you force the lenders to take a reasonable offer at or near current market value, get a new homeowner into the home at a fixed interest rate for 30 years?
An ideal situation would be option number 2, but there are so many investor backed loans that lenders are being forced to gamble by refusing these reasonable offers. The investor will take a hit, no matter the circumstance, but why take more of a hit by seeking the alternative?
We feel, that it’s time for the economy to rebound, but putting houses back on the market at a slashed price, after they’ve been foreclosed on, only continues to drive the value of the rest of the properties in the subdivision much lower than is necessary.
At some point, someone will do the math and understand when the time is right to stop the foreclosure process and start following the rules of the short sale. Take less of a hit now, get the property off the lenders’ books, and move on. At face value, it’s a win-win-win situation for everyone involved. There has to be something much deeper than what is seen at face value. Maybe it’s a bonus on the back end for the investor by taking it to auction. When doe the greater good for the economy outweigh the individual outcome of this foreclosure process?
As the market continues to tumble, we may look to the repossession of these homes by lenders as a reason for the continued struggle.
Banks Repossess US homes at a record pacePosted on 19 Jul, 2010 by admin If you were running the US Government, and had the choice on how to resuscitate the Real Estate housing economy, how would you do it? Would your answer be 1) to have the lenders repossess homes, that will eventually go back on the market at a slashed price in order to sell them fast, or 2) would you force the lenders to take a reasonable offer at or near current market value, get a new homeowner into the home at a fixed interest rate for 30 years?
An ideal situation would be option number 2, but there are so many investor backed loans that lenders are being forced to gamble by refusing these reasonable offers. The investor will take a hit, no matter the circumstance, but why take more of a hit by seeking the alternative?
We feel, that it’s time for the economy to rebound, but putting houses back on the market at a slashed price, after they’ve been foreclosed on, only continues to drive the value of the rest of the properties in the subdivision much lower than is necessary.
At some point, someone will do the math and understand when the time is right to stop the foreclosure process and start following the rules of the short sale. Take less of a hit now, get the property off the lenders’ books, and move on. At face value, it’s a win-win-win situation for everyone involved. There has to be something much deeper than what is seen at face value. Maybe it’s a bonus on the back end for the investor by taking it to auction. When doe the greater good for the economy outweigh the individual outcome of this foreclosure process?
As the market continues to tumble, we may look to the repossession of these homes by lenders as a reason for the continued struggle.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Realtors: Phoenix home prices, sales on the rise
The National Association of Realtors reports year-to-year increases in median prices and home sales in the Phoenix area.
Prices in March came in at $144,500, up from $127,500 in March 2009, a 13.3 percent increase. The number of home resales was up 10.1 percent, according to the association’s monthly report issued Thursday.
NAR’s prices are derived from estimates on a sample of Multiple Listing Service sales, unlike Arizona State University’s index, which measures prices of the same homes being resold at a later date and offers a different take on the local market.
Nationally, the number of single-family, townhome, condominium and co-op resales rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units in March from 5.01 million in February, and 16.1 percent in March 2009. NAR attributes the rise to increased affordability, the homebuyer tax credit and the annual “spring surge.”
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says it is encouraing to see a broad home sales recovery in nearly every part of the country. Still foreclosures are feeding into the pipeline at a fairly steady pace, he adds. “In fact, foreclosures are selling quickly, especially in the lower price ranges that are attractive to first-time home buyers.”
Of the 20 major metros surveyed by NAR, 14 showed gains in median price, led by San Diego at 20.4 percent. The Southern California city also had the highest median price at $393,600. At $113,600, Atlanta had the lowest median.
Sales were up in all markets but New Orleans, which saw a 2.3 percent decline. Portland experienced the highest year-to-year increase in sales at 45.6 percent, according to the report.
Read more: Realtors: Phoenix home prices, sales on the rise - Phoenix Business Journal:
Prices in March came in at $144,500, up from $127,500 in March 2009, a 13.3 percent increase. The number of home resales was up 10.1 percent, according to the association’s monthly report issued Thursday.
NAR’s prices are derived from estimates on a sample of Multiple Listing Service sales, unlike Arizona State University’s index, which measures prices of the same homes being resold at a later date and offers a different take on the local market.
Nationally, the number of single-family, townhome, condominium and co-op resales rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units in March from 5.01 million in February, and 16.1 percent in March 2009. NAR attributes the rise to increased affordability, the homebuyer tax credit and the annual “spring surge.”
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says it is encouraing to see a broad home sales recovery in nearly every part of the country. Still foreclosures are feeding into the pipeline at a fairly steady pace, he adds. “In fact, foreclosures are selling quickly, especially in the lower price ranges that are attractive to first-time home buyers.”
Of the 20 major metros surveyed by NAR, 14 showed gains in median price, led by San Diego at 20.4 percent. The Southern California city also had the highest median price at $393,600. At $113,600, Atlanta had the lowest median.
Sales were up in all markets but New Orleans, which saw a 2.3 percent decline. Portland experienced the highest year-to-year increase in sales at 45.6 percent, according to the report.
Read more: Realtors: Phoenix home prices, sales on the rise - Phoenix Business Journal:
Monday, April 19, 2010
Real Estate Outlook: Faster Recovery?
Real Estate Outlook: Faster Recovery?
by Kenneth R. Harney
What a great article...... thanks to Kenneth Harney and Realty Times.com
It's been a long time since we've seen the Wall Street Journal run a front-page article suggesting that the national economy appears to be rebounding faster than most analysts forecast. But that happened last week.
And over the past couple of years, we haven't seen retail sales -- a key barometer of consumer confidence -- jump by almost two percent in a single month. But we saw that last week as well.
And then there's real estate: The latest Federal Reserve "beige book" on economic conditions nationwide, issued last week, said something we haven't heard in a long, long time. Housing activity is up in 11 of the 12 bank districts.
All of this, of course, sounds like promising news for home sales in the coming months. In fact, Freddie Mac's economists see total sales this year at least 10 percent higher than last year, even with the possibility of higher mortgage interest rates.
But there are complications in the mix: The Fed's "beige book" report essentially said, yes, housing is on an upward path at the moment, but what happens to sales after the home purchase tax credits expire mid-year?
Will expansion elsewhere in the economy be able to sustain sales and prices?
Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, has similar concerns. In his latest commentary, Yun says steadily rising employment will be essential to keeping housing positive once the credits disappear.
The employment report for March was encouraging: 162,000 net new jobs, Yun noted, even in hard hit sectors like manufacturing. Yun's forecast model projects one million additional new jobs this year, plus another two million next year.
But even that sort of rebound in employment won't be enough to replace the 8.2 million jobs lost in the recession years. So the unemployment challenge is likely to be with us for a few years -- at best.
Meanwhile, though foreclosures remain troublingly high, the rate of delinquencies on existing mortgages may have actually peaked and could be headed downward. Equifax and Moody's Economy.com report that the percentage of home loans thirty days late dropped in the first quarter - the first decline in four years.
And in major housing markets that took hard hits during the bust, signs of recovery continue to multiply. For example, in the six counties of Southern California, home sales were up 33 percent in March over February, and were up five percent over 2009 levels, according to MDA Data Quick.
Even median prices were on the rise -- by 14 percent over year-earlier levels.
Published: April 19, 2010
by Kenneth R. Harney
What a great article...... thanks to Kenneth Harney and Realty Times.com
It's been a long time since we've seen the Wall Street Journal run a front-page article suggesting that the national economy appears to be rebounding faster than most analysts forecast. But that happened last week.
And over the past couple of years, we haven't seen retail sales -- a key barometer of consumer confidence -- jump by almost two percent in a single month. But we saw that last week as well.
And then there's real estate: The latest Federal Reserve "beige book" on economic conditions nationwide, issued last week, said something we haven't heard in a long, long time. Housing activity is up in 11 of the 12 bank districts.
All of this, of course, sounds like promising news for home sales in the coming months. In fact, Freddie Mac's economists see total sales this year at least 10 percent higher than last year, even with the possibility of higher mortgage interest rates.
But there are complications in the mix: The Fed's "beige book" report essentially said, yes, housing is on an upward path at the moment, but what happens to sales after the home purchase tax credits expire mid-year?
Will expansion elsewhere in the economy be able to sustain sales and prices?
Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, has similar concerns. In his latest commentary, Yun says steadily rising employment will be essential to keeping housing positive once the credits disappear.
The employment report for March was encouraging: 162,000 net new jobs, Yun noted, even in hard hit sectors like manufacturing. Yun's forecast model projects one million additional new jobs this year, plus another two million next year.
But even that sort of rebound in employment won't be enough to replace the 8.2 million jobs lost in the recession years. So the unemployment challenge is likely to be with us for a few years -- at best.
Meanwhile, though foreclosures remain troublingly high, the rate of delinquencies on existing mortgages may have actually peaked and could be headed downward. Equifax and Moody's Economy.com report that the percentage of home loans thirty days late dropped in the first quarter - the first decline in four years.
And in major housing markets that took hard hits during the bust, signs of recovery continue to multiply. For example, in the six counties of Southern California, home sales were up 33 percent in March over February, and were up five percent over 2009 levels, according to MDA Data Quick.
Even median prices were on the rise -- by 14 percent over year-earlier levels.
Published: April 19, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Fed: Low Rates Likely Through 2010
Fed: Low Rates Likely Through 2010
Interest rates are likely to remain low into 2011, Federal Reserve policymakers hinted this week in at least two presentations. These indications came one week after the Fed shut down its program to buy mortgage-backed securities, which had kept rates at or near record lows in recent months.
In a speech Thursday, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo said, "The relatively modest pace of recovery, the continued high rate of unemployment, subdued inflation trends, and well-anchored inflation expectations together suggest that the need for highly accommodative monetary policies will not diminish soon.”
Likewise, Donald Kohn, Fed vice chairman in a speech in San Francisco, said the Fed would raise rates, “in due course,” but he also noted that low rates "help offset the lingering restraining effects on economic activity and prices."
So far, rates have risen modestly, but analysts speculate they will likely become much more volatile down the road.
“It’s an uncertain type of market,” says Keith Gumbinger of HSH.com.
Michael Fratantoni, vice president of research and economics for the Mortgage Bankers Association, predicts that the Fed will have created a situation where there are days or weeks of low-rate opportunities, and other days and weeks when rates rise significantly.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Nick Timiraos (04/08/2010), and The Wall Street Journal, Jon Hilsenrath (04/09/2010)
Interest rates are likely to remain low into 2011, Federal Reserve policymakers hinted this week in at least two presentations. These indications came one week after the Fed shut down its program to buy mortgage-backed securities, which had kept rates at or near record lows in recent months.
In a speech Thursday, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo said, "The relatively modest pace of recovery, the continued high rate of unemployment, subdued inflation trends, and well-anchored inflation expectations together suggest that the need for highly accommodative monetary policies will not diminish soon.”
Likewise, Donald Kohn, Fed vice chairman in a speech in San Francisco, said the Fed would raise rates, “in due course,” but he also noted that low rates "help offset the lingering restraining effects on economic activity and prices."
So far, rates have risen modestly, but analysts speculate they will likely become much more volatile down the road.
“It’s an uncertain type of market,” says Keith Gumbinger of HSH.com.
Michael Fratantoni, vice president of research and economics for the Mortgage Bankers Association, predicts that the Fed will have created a situation where there are days or weeks of low-rate opportunities, and other days and weeks when rates rise significantly.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Nick Timiraos (04/08/2010), and The Wall Street Journal, Jon Hilsenrath (04/09/2010)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Don't foreclose! Do a short sale
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Short sales are the hottest thing going in the distressed-property market, and the trend is expected to get even hotter in coming weeks, when the government starts handing out cash to encourage lenders to close these deals.
"Banks have ramped up short sale approvals," said Duane Legate of House Buyer Network, which connects short sellers with buyers. "They're hiring a lot of the people who once worked in the mortgage-lending industry and moved them over to short sales."
These transactions, where lenders allow homeowners to sell their houses for less than they owe, accounted for 17% of all residential real estate sales in February, up from nearly 13% in November, according to a monthly real estate market survey by Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance.
And Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), the country's largest mortgage servicer, has more than doubled the number of short sales it processed in recent months.
Elizabeth Weintraub, a Sacramento, Calif.-area real estate agent who handles many short sales, was amazed at how quickly a recent deal went through. "Bank of America approved it in 24 days," she said. "That flipped me out."
This is a huge change from even just six months ago when the short-sale market was stalled and most people would describe the process has real estate hell. Because lenders stand to lose so much on these transactions, they have been reluctant to make short sales happen, often waiting months before getting back to potential buyers.
Beware: You lost your house but still have to pay
"In the past, many short sales would never come to fruition and the ones that did averaged over half a year to complete," said Chris Saitta, CEO of Equator, which produces short sale software.
"Things would just fall into a black hole and not come out again," added Weintraub.
And even when banks did agree to the sale, the process could be further complicated if the original owner had a second mortgage.
In most cases, the first lender is repaid in full before any money flows to a second-lein holder. And because most distressed borrowers are severely underwater, there's usually nothing left to send on. As a result, second-lein holders are left holding the bag and have been killing many deals.
But that has been changing. For one thing, banks realize that they make out far better financially with a short sale than a foreclosure. "The lenders lose 50% on a foreclosure and only 30% on a short sale," said Glenn Kelman, founder of the real estate Web site Redfin. "And short sales offer a way to get distressed properties off their books quickly."
And on April 5, lenders and mortgage investors will have even more incentives to offer troubled borrowers short sales instead of foreclosing.
Under the new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program, borrowers will earn a $3,000 "relocation incentive" and servicers will get $1,500 for handling a short sale.
The investors who actually own the mortgage notes will get $2,000 in exchange for sharing proceeds of the short sales with any second-lien holders. And, finally, those second lien holders will receive up to $6,000 for releasing their claims.
Lenders participating in the program must also determine the market values of properties early on and inform the owners of just what price they're willing to accept. Then, if owners come back to the lenders with bonafide offers, they have to be accepted within 10 days.
Equator's Saiita anticipates a short sale explosion in response to the new program. "The challenge will be handling all the volume," he said.
The company has already tweaked its software, which 58 servicers use, to handle the new HAFA rules. And that should help reduce the time it takes to execute a sale, which currently averages 88 days.
The boom in short sales may accelerate the end to the foreclosure crisis by cleaning out the overhang of borrowers in distress and replacing them with more stable homeowners.
Plus, these sales are better for distressed borrowers because their credit scores suffer less. Going through a foreclosure can knock 200 points off a FICO score, twice as much as the penalty for a short sale.
"Banks have ramped up short sale approvals," said Duane Legate of House Buyer Network, which connects short sellers with buyers. "They're hiring a lot of the people who once worked in the mortgage-lending industry and moved them over to short sales."
These transactions, where lenders allow homeowners to sell their houses for less than they owe, accounted for 17% of all residential real estate sales in February, up from nearly 13% in November, according to a monthly real estate market survey by Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance.
And Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), the country's largest mortgage servicer, has more than doubled the number of short sales it processed in recent months.
Elizabeth Weintraub, a Sacramento, Calif.-area real estate agent who handles many short sales, was amazed at how quickly a recent deal went through. "Bank of America approved it in 24 days," she said. "That flipped me out."
This is a huge change from even just six months ago when the short-sale market was stalled and most people would describe the process has real estate hell. Because lenders stand to lose so much on these transactions, they have been reluctant to make short sales happen, often waiting months before getting back to potential buyers.
Beware: You lost your house but still have to pay
"In the past, many short sales would never come to fruition and the ones that did averaged over half a year to complete," said Chris Saitta, CEO of Equator, which produces short sale software.
"Things would just fall into a black hole and not come out again," added Weintraub.
And even when banks did agree to the sale, the process could be further complicated if the original owner had a second mortgage.
In most cases, the first lender is repaid in full before any money flows to a second-lein holder. And because most distressed borrowers are severely underwater, there's usually nothing left to send on. As a result, second-lein holders are left holding the bag and have been killing many deals.
But that has been changing. For one thing, banks realize that they make out far better financially with a short sale than a foreclosure. "The lenders lose 50% on a foreclosure and only 30% on a short sale," said Glenn Kelman, founder of the real estate Web site Redfin. "And short sales offer a way to get distressed properties off their books quickly."
And on April 5, lenders and mortgage investors will have even more incentives to offer troubled borrowers short sales instead of foreclosing.
Under the new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program, borrowers will earn a $3,000 "relocation incentive" and servicers will get $1,500 for handling a short sale.
The investors who actually own the mortgage notes will get $2,000 in exchange for sharing proceeds of the short sales with any second-lien holders. And, finally, those second lien holders will receive up to $6,000 for releasing their claims.
Lenders participating in the program must also determine the market values of properties early on and inform the owners of just what price they're willing to accept. Then, if owners come back to the lenders with bonafide offers, they have to be accepted within 10 days.
Equator's Saiita anticipates a short sale explosion in response to the new program. "The challenge will be handling all the volume," he said.
The company has already tweaked its software, which 58 servicers use, to handle the new HAFA rules. And that should help reduce the time it takes to execute a sale, which currently averages 88 days.
The boom in short sales may accelerate the end to the foreclosure crisis by cleaning out the overhang of borrowers in distress and replacing them with more stable homeowners.
Plus, these sales are better for distressed borrowers because their credit scores suffer less. Going through a foreclosure can knock 200 points off a FICO score, twice as much as the penalty for a short sale.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Short-Sale Incentives Start April 5th
Short-Sale Incentives Start April 5th
Potential buyers of short-sale homes might consider waiting until April 5th before making a formal offer.
That’s the date the federal government will begin offering lenders financial incentives to hasten the process. Under the new rules, banks will seek a BPO before the property is listed for sale and let the sellers know a minimum number they are willing to accept. If the sellers bring a buyer with a good offer, the lender must accept it within 10 days.
Not all sellers are eligible for the program, dubbed the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA), but enough are that it is probably worth waiting.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (03/19/2010)
Potential buyers of short-sale homes might consider waiting until April 5th before making a formal offer.
That’s the date the federal government will begin offering lenders financial incentives to hasten the process. Under the new rules, banks will seek a BPO before the property is listed for sale and let the sellers know a minimum number they are willing to accept. If the sellers bring a buyer with a good offer, the lender must accept it within 10 days.
Not all sellers are eligible for the program, dubbed the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA), but enough are that it is probably worth waiting.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (03/19/2010)
Friday, March 19, 2010
Analysts Say Rates Should Remain Low
This is fantastic NEWS!!!!!
Projections about where credit rates will go in the next year vary widely, but most mortgage analysts think the effect of the Federal Reserve’s move away from the market won’t be dramatic.
Analysts at Credit Suisse and FTN Financial Capital Markets predict that mortgage rates will stay between 5 percent and 5.25 percent for the rest of the year. Moody's Economy.com projects about 5.7 percent, and Barclays Capital says 6 percent.
“There is a lot of private money on the sidelines waiting to buy mortgage securities once the Fed stops gobbling most of them up,” says Laurie Goodman, senior managing director at mortgage-bond trader Amherst Securities Group.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty (03/13/2010)
Projections about where credit rates will go in the next year vary widely, but most mortgage analysts think the effect of the Federal Reserve’s move away from the market won’t be dramatic.
Analysts at Credit Suisse and FTN Financial Capital Markets predict that mortgage rates will stay between 5 percent and 5.25 percent for the rest of the year. Moody's Economy.com projects about 5.7 percent, and Barclays Capital says 6 percent.
“There is a lot of private money on the sidelines waiting to buy mortgage securities once the Fed stops gobbling most of them up,” says Laurie Goodman, senior managing director at mortgage-bond trader Amherst Securities Group.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, James R. Hagerty (03/13/2010)
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Foreclosures slowing, but still drive marketPhoenix Business Journal
Foreclosures slowing, but still drive marketPhoenix Business Journal
The number of foreclosures may be down in the Phoenix area, but home losses are still driving the region’s housing market, according to the latest Realty Studies report from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
Foreclosure-related activity represented 65 percent of February sales, says associate professor of real estate Jay Butler, author of the report. That includes both foreclosure sales and the resale of previously foreclosed properties.
More than 3,300 homes were foreclosed on in the Phoenix area in February, however, the number is down from January’s 3,500 foreclosures, and from last February’s 4,300 foreclosures. The overall number of resales increased with more than 4,600 single-family homes sold in February compared with about 4,200 in January. However, the number is about the same as in February of 2009.
The median price of single-family homes also increased. In February, the median was $140,000, up from $136,500 in January and $133,000 last February. Condos resales remain stable at $95,000, the same as in January, but down from $121,000 a year ago.
“The fundamental problem remains that a weak recovery is restricting job growth that could impact the ability of property owners to maintain their homes, and a large number of adjustable rate mortgages are expected to reset in the coming months,” Butler said. “Further, owners, confronted with declining neighborhood values and restrictive debt amounts, could decide to walk away from their homes.”
The number of foreclosures may be down in the Phoenix area, but home losses are still driving the region’s housing market, according to the latest Realty Studies report from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
Foreclosure-related activity represented 65 percent of February sales, says associate professor of real estate Jay Butler, author of the report. That includes both foreclosure sales and the resale of previously foreclosed properties.
More than 3,300 homes were foreclosed on in the Phoenix area in February, however, the number is down from January’s 3,500 foreclosures, and from last February’s 4,300 foreclosures. The overall number of resales increased with more than 4,600 single-family homes sold in February compared with about 4,200 in January. However, the number is about the same as in February of 2009.
The median price of single-family homes also increased. In February, the median was $140,000, up from $136,500 in January and $133,000 last February. Condos resales remain stable at $95,000, the same as in January, but down from $121,000 a year ago.
“The fundamental problem remains that a weak recovery is restricting job growth that could impact the ability of property owners to maintain their homes, and a large number of adjustable rate mortgages are expected to reset in the coming months,” Butler said. “Further, owners, confronted with declining neighborhood values and restrictive debt amounts, could decide to walk away from their homes.”
Monday, March 1, 2010
Warren Buffett sees housing market bouncing back by 2011
HMMMM Interesting GREAT ARTICLE!
Warren Buffett sees housing market bouncing back by 2011
By Andrew Frye, Bloomberg News
Billionaire Warren Buffett said the U.S. will recover from the residential real estate slump by 2011 as demand for houses catches up with the supply that accumulated during the bubble.
"Within a year or so, residential housing problems should largely be behind us," Buffett wrote Saturday in his annual letter to the shareholders of his Berkshire Hathaway. "Prices will remain far below 'bubble' levels, of course, but for every seller or lender hurt by this there will be a buyer who benefits. Indeed, many families that couldn't afford to buy an appropriate home a few years ago now find it well within their means."
Record foreclosures flooded a U.S. real estate market already glutted with unsold property, causing housing starts to fall.
"People thought it was good news a few years back when housing starts — the supply side of the picture — were running about 2 million annually," wrote Buffett, 79, chairman and CEO of Omaha-based Berkshire. "But household formations — the demand side — only amounted to about 1.2 million."
Buffett built Berkshire into a $198 billion company through takeovers and investments in companies he believes have lasting competitive advantages and superior management.
Berkshire, which has a real estate brokerage, a business that constructs prefabricated houses and units making products used in home building, has suffered in the downturn. Profit at carpet maker Shaw Industries fell 30% last year to $144 million.
He's very deeply invested in this, said Tom Russo, partner at Gardner Russo & Gardner, which holds Berkshire stock. Across his industrial companies, he's massively poised to gain from a housing recovery, Russo said.
Buffett wrote that his company should have bought more corporate and municipal bonds last year because they were cheap compared with U.S. Treasuries. When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble, he said.
Buffett has used past letters to discuss plans for his successor, praise Berkshire managers and confess his failings. Last year he said the U.S. economy was in shambles after reckless lending.
Buffett said this year that the CEOs and boards of companies that failed during the credit crisis shouldn't be able to pass blame to those below them. Boards should insist on CEOs taking responsibility for risk, he said.
Shareholders weren't the ones who botched the operations of some of the largest financial institutions, Buffett said, yet they have borne the burden, with 90% or more of their holdings wiped out in cases of failure.
Buffett agreed to his largest deal last year when he arranged the $27 billion takeover of railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Berkshire completed the acquisition, which Buffett described as an all-in wager on the U.S. economy, on Feb. 12.
Shares of Berkshire traded at about $15 when Buffett took control in 1965. The class A stock closed yesterday at $119,800, its highest since October 2008. Buffett added class B shares in 1996, and agreed to split them this year to help pay Burlington Northern shareholders.
Warren Buffett sees housing market bouncing back by 2011
By Andrew Frye, Bloomberg News
Billionaire Warren Buffett said the U.S. will recover from the residential real estate slump by 2011 as demand for houses catches up with the supply that accumulated during the bubble.
"Within a year or so, residential housing problems should largely be behind us," Buffett wrote Saturday in his annual letter to the shareholders of his Berkshire Hathaway. "Prices will remain far below 'bubble' levels, of course, but for every seller or lender hurt by this there will be a buyer who benefits. Indeed, many families that couldn't afford to buy an appropriate home a few years ago now find it well within their means."
Record foreclosures flooded a U.S. real estate market already glutted with unsold property, causing housing starts to fall.
"People thought it was good news a few years back when housing starts — the supply side of the picture — were running about 2 million annually," wrote Buffett, 79, chairman and CEO of Omaha-based Berkshire. "But household formations — the demand side — only amounted to about 1.2 million."
Buffett built Berkshire into a $198 billion company through takeovers and investments in companies he believes have lasting competitive advantages and superior management.
Berkshire, which has a real estate brokerage, a business that constructs prefabricated houses and units making products used in home building, has suffered in the downturn. Profit at carpet maker Shaw Industries fell 30% last year to $144 million.
He's very deeply invested in this, said Tom Russo, partner at Gardner Russo & Gardner, which holds Berkshire stock. Across his industrial companies, he's massively poised to gain from a housing recovery, Russo said.
Buffett wrote that his company should have bought more corporate and municipal bonds last year because they were cheap compared with U.S. Treasuries. When it's raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble, he said.
Buffett has used past letters to discuss plans for his successor, praise Berkshire managers and confess his failings. Last year he said the U.S. economy was in shambles after reckless lending.
Buffett said this year that the CEOs and boards of companies that failed during the credit crisis shouldn't be able to pass blame to those below them. Boards should insist on CEOs taking responsibility for risk, he said.
Shareholders weren't the ones who botched the operations of some of the largest financial institutions, Buffett said, yet they have borne the burden, with 90% or more of their holdings wiped out in cases of failure.
Buffett agreed to his largest deal last year when he arranged the $27 billion takeover of railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Berkshire completed the acquisition, which Buffett described as an all-in wager on the U.S. economy, on Feb. 12.
Shares of Berkshire traded at about $15 when Buffett took control in 1965. The class A stock closed yesterday at $119,800, its highest since October 2008. Buffett added class B shares in 1996, and agreed to split them this year to help pay Burlington Northern shareholders.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Foreclosure data: Prices are close to the bottom
. Craig Anderson - Jan. 28, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
For the first time since the foreclosure crisis began, the price of a Phoenix-area foreclosed home is roughly the same as it was a year ago.
Arizona State University professor Karl Guntermann, who publishes the monthly ASU Repeat Sales Index housing report, said preliminary data for December show the median price for a foreclosed home was down just 2 percent from December 2008.
"If the preliminary numbers hold up, the foreclosure segment of the housing market will have reached bottom," Guntermann said. "A leveling out of the foreclosure RSI (Repeat Sales Index) would reflect both the substantial decline in prices that has occurred over the past two years and increased demand from first-time buyers and investors for those homes."
Guntermann said he was "a little surprised" that the index showed foreclosures so close to bottoming out.
In October, foreclosed homes still were selling at about 15 percent less than they had a year earlier, and by November that change had decreased to 8 percent, Guntermann said.
Then, in December, the annual drop shrank to a mere 2 percent, based on early numbers.
The December median sale price for the homes that Guntermann tracks was $127,000, up from November's median price of $120,000.
The index for non-foreclosed homes showed a very different trend in December, indicating that the Valley housing market continues to follow two distinct paths: one for bank-owned home sales and the other for more traditional sales.
The median sale price for non-foreclosures continued on a steady decline that barely has budged in more than a year.
"By October 2008, non-foreclosures were declining at an annual rate of 20 percent, and they still are," Guntermann said.
December's median price for traditional sales was $158,000, compared with $166,000 in November.
The index does not correlate exactly with year-over-year price changes, he said, because there is a sort of reverse momentum built into the calculation that lowers the index slightly if it's on the rise, and raises it slightly if it's on the decline.
It has been dropping for a record 32 months since home prices peaked in mid-2006.
Still, Guntermann said that is likely to change within the next few months.
The overall index, including foreclosed-home and traditional sales, was down 12 percent from a year earlier.
That's a sizeable improvement over November, when it was down 17 percent.
The overall median price in December was $133,000, down from $135,000 in November, early data show.
The Arizona Republic
For the first time since the foreclosure crisis began, the price of a Phoenix-area foreclosed home is roughly the same as it was a year ago.
Arizona State University professor Karl Guntermann, who publishes the monthly ASU Repeat Sales Index housing report, said preliminary data for December show the median price for a foreclosed home was down just 2 percent from December 2008.
"If the preliminary numbers hold up, the foreclosure segment of the housing market will have reached bottom," Guntermann said. "A leveling out of the foreclosure RSI (Repeat Sales Index) would reflect both the substantial decline in prices that has occurred over the past two years and increased demand from first-time buyers and investors for those homes."
Guntermann said he was "a little surprised" that the index showed foreclosures so close to bottoming out.
In October, foreclosed homes still were selling at about 15 percent less than they had a year earlier, and by November that change had decreased to 8 percent, Guntermann said.
Then, in December, the annual drop shrank to a mere 2 percent, based on early numbers.
The December median sale price for the homes that Guntermann tracks was $127,000, up from November's median price of $120,000.
The index for non-foreclosed homes showed a very different trend in December, indicating that the Valley housing market continues to follow two distinct paths: one for bank-owned home sales and the other for more traditional sales.
The median sale price for non-foreclosures continued on a steady decline that barely has budged in more than a year.
"By October 2008, non-foreclosures were declining at an annual rate of 20 percent, and they still are," Guntermann said.
December's median price for traditional sales was $158,000, compared with $166,000 in November.
The index does not correlate exactly with year-over-year price changes, he said, because there is a sort of reverse momentum built into the calculation that lowers the index slightly if it's on the rise, and raises it slightly if it's on the decline.
It has been dropping for a record 32 months since home prices peaked in mid-2006.
Still, Guntermann said that is likely to change within the next few months.
The overall index, including foreclosed-home and traditional sales, was down 12 percent from a year earlier.
That's a sizeable improvement over November, when it was down 17 percent.
The overall median price in December was $133,000, down from $135,000 in November, early data show.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Pending home sales, prices on the rise
January’s rise in pending home sales is a critical recovery indicator for Arizona’s real estate market, says Mesa analyst Michael Orr.
While that indicates prices are likely to increase, the recovery is expected to be shallow and slow, said the author of the Cromford Report, an online subscription-based resource on the metro Phoenix residential resale market.
The latest report shows pending sales hit a record 9,883 in the first week of January 2010 — a 79 percent increase over the 5,530 tally a year ago.
The Arizona real estate market peaked in June 2006, with the bottom hitting in April 2009 and maximum inventory of homes on the market in late April 2008, according to the report and Fidelity National Title.
“Like a supertanker, once the real estate market gathers momentum, it is very slow to turn around,” Orr said. “2010 won’t see a dramatic shift, but we can expect to see a shallow upward trend across the market. The number of homes under contract is more than double what it was last January, and sale price increases are likely to follow.”
While demand has cooled at the bottom of the market, activity is warming for homes in the $250,000-$400,000 range, but individual neighborhoods may vary, according to the report.
And short sales are on the rise.
“The last three months of 2009 saw a 60 percent increase in short sale closings,” says Fidelity Senior Vice President Steve de Laveaga. “In 2010, you will see a number of lenders move to aggressive short sale programs and cash for keys for sellers.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2010/01/25/daily26.html?s=industry&i=resi_real_estate
While that indicates prices are likely to increase, the recovery is expected to be shallow and slow, said the author of the Cromford Report, an online subscription-based resource on the metro Phoenix residential resale market.
The latest report shows pending sales hit a record 9,883 in the first week of January 2010 — a 79 percent increase over the 5,530 tally a year ago.
The Arizona real estate market peaked in June 2006, with the bottom hitting in April 2009 and maximum inventory of homes on the market in late April 2008, according to the report and Fidelity National Title.
“Like a supertanker, once the real estate market gathers momentum, it is very slow to turn around,” Orr said. “2010 won’t see a dramatic shift, but we can expect to see a shallow upward trend across the market. The number of homes under contract is more than double what it was last January, and sale price increases are likely to follow.”
While demand has cooled at the bottom of the market, activity is warming for homes in the $250,000-$400,000 range, but individual neighborhoods may vary, according to the report.
And short sales are on the rise.
“The last three months of 2009 saw a 60 percent increase in short sale closings,” says Fidelity Senior Vice President Steve de Laveaga. “In 2010, you will see a number of lenders move to aggressive short sale programs and cash for keys for sellers.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2010/01/25/daily26.html?s=industry&i=resi_real_estate
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
GREAT NEWS 90 Day Flip Rule LIFTED!!!
Here it is!!!! What great news for ALL buyers and investors!
FHA To Waive 90 Day Flip Rule
In the current marketplace home buyers are prevented from obtaining an FHA loan for the purchase of a home that had been acquired in the past 90 days buy the seller. In essence, a buyer was unable to purchase a flipped property, or one that was bought and sold quickly. However, come February 1, 2010 this rule will change to allow for home buyers, with certain restrictions, to buy these type of properties. The new 90 day flip waiver complete information has already been released by the FHA and will be in place for the next 12 months. Below is an excerpt from the official release of this new program waiver. Of Course as always we will provide additional updates on this program, including when lenders will officially start allowing this type of financing again as well.
"In today's market, FHA research finds that acquiring, rehabilitating and the reselling these properties to prospective homeowners often takes less than 90 days. Prohibiting the use of FHA mortgage insurance for a subsequent resale within 90 days of acquisition adversely impacts the willingness of sellers to allow contracts from potential FHA buyers because they must consider holding costs and the risk of vandalism associated with allowing a property to sit vacant over a 90-day period of time.
The policy change will permit buyers to use FHA-insured financing to purchase HUD-owned properties, bank-owned properties, or properties resold through private sales. This will allow homes to resell as quickly as possible, helping to stabilize real estate prices and to revitalize neighborhoods and communities.
The waiver will take effect on February 1, 2010 and is effective for one year, unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by the FHA Commissioner. To protect FHA borrowers against predatory practices of "flipping" where properties are quickly resold at inflated prices to unsuspecting borrowers, this waiver is limited to those sales meeting the following general conditions:
•All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties participating in the sales transaction.
•In cases in which the sales price of the property is 20 percent or more above the seller's acquisition cost, the waiver will only apply if the lender meets specific conditions."
FHA To Waive 90 Day Flip Rule
In the current marketplace home buyers are prevented from obtaining an FHA loan for the purchase of a home that had been acquired in the past 90 days buy the seller. In essence, a buyer was unable to purchase a flipped property, or one that was bought and sold quickly. However, come February 1, 2010 this rule will change to allow for home buyers, with certain restrictions, to buy these type of properties. The new 90 day flip waiver complete information has already been released by the FHA and will be in place for the next 12 months. Below is an excerpt from the official release of this new program waiver. Of Course as always we will provide additional updates on this program, including when lenders will officially start allowing this type of financing again as well.
"In today's market, FHA research finds that acquiring, rehabilitating and the reselling these properties to prospective homeowners often takes less than 90 days. Prohibiting the use of FHA mortgage insurance for a subsequent resale within 90 days of acquisition adversely impacts the willingness of sellers to allow contracts from potential FHA buyers because they must consider holding costs and the risk of vandalism associated with allowing a property to sit vacant over a 90-day period of time.
The policy change will permit buyers to use FHA-insured financing to purchase HUD-owned properties, bank-owned properties, or properties resold through private sales. This will allow homes to resell as quickly as possible, helping to stabilize real estate prices and to revitalize neighborhoods and communities.
The waiver will take effect on February 1, 2010 and is effective for one year, unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by the FHA Commissioner. To protect FHA borrowers against predatory practices of "flipping" where properties are quickly resold at inflated prices to unsuspecting borrowers, this waiver is limited to those sales meeting the following general conditions:
•All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties participating in the sales transaction.
•In cases in which the sales price of the property is 20 percent or more above the seller's acquisition cost, the waiver will only apply if the lender meets specific conditions."
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