Is Uncle Sam Helping The Housing Market, Or Merely Finishing It Off?



Government Now Holds A Monopoly On US Housing

According to the May 2012 Issue of FHA Watch, Uncle Sam is now a totally dominant force in home mortgage financing, along with other major sectors of the U.S. economy. But the question is, is this a help or a hindrance?

Georgia – No Plans To Help Homeowners



Dismissal

The National Mortgage Settlement has been finalized and the $2.5 billion dollar bank payout is being allocated among the 49 participating states. But among those states that were hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis, only Georgia has no plans to allocate any of their $99 million dollar share of the settlement to help homeowners who are struggling to avoid foreclosure.

Foreclosure Activity Up In Judicial States, Down In Non-Judicial States



Realty Trac released their latest report on foreclosure activity. They use the term “mixed” to describe the results. While that is generally true, the real story is found in the states where the cities in the report are located. Those cities showing increases in foreclosure activity are located in “Judicial Foreclosure” states

Time To Buy Houses – 3 Reasons Why 2012 Is THE Bottom



It's official - Now is the time to buy! © Patryk Kosmider - Fotolia.com

It’s time to officially declare a real estate price bottom. And yes, prices could erode further in the hardest hit markets – At least statistically – but remember, the lower they’ve gone, the more likely they are to rebound with gusto.

Diary Of A (Stressed Out) Wells Fargo Borrower In Default



I’ve been working with a family member to help them avoid a foreclosure on their home. This person has owned their home since 2000, and had never been late with a mortgage payment until after the market collapse ended up forcing his employer out of business.

Mortgage Secrets That They Hope You Don’t Know



Grunge Stempel rot CONFIDENTIAL

When the typical home buyer buys their first home, they take out a loan. This loan is commonly referred to as a “mortgage”. First time home buyers don’t usually give much thought to what is actually happening when they borrow money from a lender to purchase their home

Lagging Home Sales And Poor Jobs Report Play On Each Other



The jobs report released on April 6th, posted much lower than expected numbers. After February numbers had managed to reach the 200,000 mark, it was assumed (there’s that word again), that the March report would indicate a job market that was beginning to show signs of life. But instead, the report was a disappointing 120,000 new jobs.

As Wall Street Stampedes Into Rentals – Will It Really Help The Housing Market?



© rabbit75_fot - Fotolia.com

It’s a “Twilight Zone”  kind of plot twist that even Rod Sterling could not have imagined. Wall Street’s biggest names are rushing to jump into the single family rental market in a big way. They believe that there are “fat profits” to be made in the rental property business, and many of the same firms [...]

Sales Data + Case-Schiller Composite Shows Impact Of Cash Buyers



Cash buyers are running the show © HitToon.com - Fotolia.com

Previously, I pointed out that the uptick in home sales in many areas is being driven by all cash buyers, many of whom are real estate investors. Well, actually let me say right here that anyone smart enough to be buying in the current market at today’s prices IS a real estate investor, and a darn good one at that.

Latest Foreclosure Report – The Glass Is Half-Full And Half-Empty



Image by waferboard

Realty Trac has released their foreclosure report for February 2012. While there are some spots of encouragement, the over all consensus is that foreclosure activity is again trending upward, now that the “robo-signing” scandal has been settled.