Archive for the ‘real estate investing online’ Category

REOs rise in spite of foreclosure decline

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

According to Foreclosure marketer RealtyTrac properties in all stages of foreclosure from default notices to auctions and repossessions were down 9 percent in April compared with March. They fell 2 percent compared with April 2009. RealtyTrac also reported that default notices were down 27 percent year over year.

The foreclosures are plateauing, but won’t drop off dramatically any time soon, predicts RealtyTrac CEO James J. Saccacio. He pointed out that although default notices have dropped, repossessions are at a record level, indicating that banks are working through their backlogs.

California, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, and Nevada are the five states that account for 52 percent of the total number of foreclosures. The states rounding out the top 10 are Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, and Virginia.

Record contract price for mansion

Monday, May 17th, 2010

A buyer from Indonesia has put a 48,000-square-foot mansion under contract for $50 million in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. It would be the biggest residential sale in the United States this year, if the deal closes.

The 10-bedroom, 14-bathroom property was listed originally for $85 million, and then reduced to $72 million. The seller is Los Angeles developer Mohamed Hadid, who built Ritz-Carlton hotels in the 1980s. He specializes in constructing supersized homes in the United States and Mexico.

Joyce Rey and Stacy Gottula of Coldwell Banker Previews International listed the property. The buyer hasn’t been identified.

We need to make FHA stronger, says David H. Stevens

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

The Federal Housing Administration has played a fundamental role in helping stabilize the nation’s housing market, and recovery appears to be on track. However for keeping the momentum going, FHA reform is critical.

This statement is from David H. Stevens, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and FHA commissioner. He was speaking to several thousand REALTORS® at a special three-day real estate summit named REALTORS® on the Rise: Stabilizing the U.S. Mortgage Finance Delivery System.

The event is being held May 11-13 as part of the REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington. D.C.

Federal Reserve favors low interest rates

Friday, May 7th, 2010

According to Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the low interest rates are still needed in the U.S. to help the economy overcome difficulties in the real estate market.

The Federal Reserve has been holding rates at or near zero since December 2008. Moreover the Federal Reserve has also promised last month to continue to do so for an “extended period”.

Rosengren had said that serious fiscal problems loom for state and local governments, the U.S. government, and governments around the world, particularly those that have expended large sums of money to recover from this financial crisis and recession.

Purchase of troubled properties on the rise

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

An increasing number are joining together to buy up troubled properties as more neighbors face the problem of a vacant house on the block. Housing research group PolicyLink said that such purchases are happening”a fair amount” and are usually good for a community. However they couldn’t find any solid numbers.
According to Kate Wilson of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp, the cooperating neighbors can have trouble getting a mortgage because these consortiums of private investors usually don’t have enough money for a substantial down payment.

“Buyers need to be clear about what they’re committing themselves to,” says Kris Nelson, director of neighborhood programs for the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He added that it takes more than good intentions to make a cooperative purchase work. “What happens when the property needs a new roof or expensive repairs?” he asked.

Tax credit deadline hurries buyers

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Home buyers everywhere are hurrying to get in under the wire as the federal tax credits come to an end.
In California the rush has turned into something of a stampede. Some buyers were trying to qualify for both the federal credit and a $10,000 state credit that kicks in Saturday.

“I am looking at properties almost constantly, and it is just kind of a feeding frenzy right now”, says one home shopper tells the Los Angeles Times. According to Rick Hoffman, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in San Diego and Temecula Valley, the stimulus had worked and buyers are confident that we have seen the bottom of the real estate market and that we are on the way back up.