Posts Tagged ‘housing news’
Sales of Existing Homes Increases. Bottom in Sight
Sales for existing homes increased nearly 3 percent, on average, in April, slightly exceeding forecasts and expectations. The report offered hope that home sales were stabilizing and we may be at the bottom of the housing recession. Watch the short 1 minute video for more information about your local and national housing market.
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New Programs Help Homeowner’s Avoid Foreclosure
On Thursday, the government announced two programs that may help thousands of homeowners that are sinking in debt avoid foreclosure.
Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, said “Today we are announcing a new program component to help homeowners obtain modifications in areas suffering from price declines. If a modification is not possible, we are announcing steps to encourage the quick private sale or voluntary transfer of property, which will save homeowners money and protect their financial future.” Geithner went on to say that, “These are critical steps in stemming the foreclosure crisis and stabilizing the housing market, both of which are critical to your economic recovery”
The Program in a Nutshell:
- Foreclosure Alternatives: The program increases the odds of closing a short sale by streamlining the process and offering incentives to lenders for participation. The program is designed for homeowners who are eligible for a loan modification, but can not qualify for one. Under the new program, lenders may receive compensation up to $1000 for completing a short sale. Borrower’s may receive up to $1500 for relocation expenses. Holders of 2nd mortgages will receive up to $1000, if they agree to the terms of a short sale.
Why This New Program May Help:
- A short sale is the last step before foreclosure, and is far less costly for lenders and borrowers. Selling short is less damaging to the homeowners credit and they are less costly for banks and lenders. Survey results show that losses from short sales average 19 percent versus losses of 40 percent in the case of foreclosure.
- Currently, more than 75 percent of short sale contracts fall apart, despite sometimes heroic efforts on the part of the borrower. Lenders have for the most part been uncooperative when responding to offers on short sales, which means the properties sit vacant and pull down values in the entire area.
- The new program may provide a much needed boost to the current Making a Home Affordable program. Despite good intentions, the program has only helped 55,000 homeowner’s modify their loans. In comparison, there were 342,000 foreclosure filings in the month of April, alone.
Stop The Sinking Feeling. If you are struggling to pay your mortgage or you are falling behind on your payments…CALL YOUR LENDER TODAY!! Don’t procrastinate, the problem will only become larger if you wait. You may also waste valuable time in stopping a foreclosure on your property, which is the worst case scenario for borrower and lender alike.
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Warren Buffett Says Inflation is Coming.
In the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder’s meeting, Warren Buffett, the oracle of Omaha, predicted that inflation will hit the US economy due to the financial crisis. Buffett told shareholders, “I haven’t had my taxes raised. My guess is the ultimate price will be paid by a shrinkage of the value of the dollar”.
If Warren is right, and he usually is, the average person can use his wisdom to profit with a smart real estate investment.
- To invest safely, a home buyer should put 20 percent down and take out a 30 year fixed rate mortgage, locking in an interest rate around 4.5 percent. If you haven’t owned a home over the past 3 years, you can cash in immediately with the $8000 tax credit. When inflation hits, your mortgage costs will remain the same, as your salary increases. This means that you have even more money to save and invest later on.
- If you are currently renting, there is another compelling reason to invest. During periods of inflation, rents will rise. If you don’t own a home, your monthly rent obiligations will soar.
- Another reason to invest in real estate is that during times of inflation, home prices appreciate, if even at a slower pace. History shows that during inflationary periods, real estate appreciation tends to beat inflation by 2-3 percentage points.
- Leveraged assets, such as real estate, outperform other asset classes. Leverage magnifies gains because as your income rises, your debt payments will not. You’ll be able to pay off the mortgage with money that is worth less than it was when you borrowed it.
- With home prices and interest rates hovering at historic lows, now may be the perfect time for investor’s to withdraw the cash they have sitting in savings accounts that is paying only a 2-3percent and buy a piece of property. If you buy a property where the tenant covers the expenses and costs of ownership, then the investor can relax and wait for inflation to move up rents and home prices.
InfoTube.net and Warren Buffett agree that inflation, over the next 5 years, is a sure bet. And, when we get rampant inflation, real estate is the perfect hedge. Throw in low prices, cheap money, ridiculously low returns on cash investments and thousands of dollars in tax savings, and you have a powerful case for buying a home now.
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Sales of Second Homes Drop, but Find Out Who Bought and Where
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the number of people who purchased a vacation or investment home fell by 30 percent last year. And, more than 40 percent of those who did purchase a second home paid cash.
“We expected vacation home sales to fall given the impact of a declining economy”, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the NAR. “A steady share of investment-home sales results from buyers taking advantage of deeply discounted prices in many areas, with a smaller portion of new homes in the sales mix”, state Yun.
Vacation and second home sales mirrored the sales for primary residences in terms of price declines. The median price of a vacation home dropped to $150,000 in 2008, down from $195,000 (or, 23 percent) from 2007 levels.
Other Findings from the March Survey are:
- Who was the “Average Buyer” of Vacation Property in 2008? The average age of a vacation home buyer was 46 years old. They purchased a property that was generally 316 miles from their primary residence. Their median household income was $97,200.
- Who was the “Average Investment Home Buyer in 2008? The average age of an investment buyer was 47. They earned a median income of about $85,000 and purchased investment property nearby their primary residence. The median distance for an investment purchase was 19 miles from their home.
- What type of Property was purchased for a Vacation Home? 70 percent were detached, single family residences; 18 percent were condo’s; 5 percent town or row houses; 7 percent other.
- Types of Property Purchased for Investment: 64 percent were detached single family homes; 22 percent condos; 8 percent town or row houses; 6 percent other.
- Where did Vacation Home Buyers Shop? 26 percent bought in small towns; 23 percent rural areas; 23 percent resorts; 20 percent suburbs; 8 percent cities or urban areas.
- Where did Investment Buyers Shop? 28 percent purchased in the suburbs; 20 percent in a city or urban area; 23 percent rural area; 8 percent in a small town; 6 percent in resort areas.
Hopefully, the survey results will help home sellers picture who the likely buyer of their vacation or investment property may be. Picturing who the customer is likely to be is important when target marketing to their needs.
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More Home Buyer’s Find Property via the Internet
According to a report by the National Association of Realtors, 32 percent (1/3 of all buyers) of home buyers first saw the home they purchased on the internet. Buyer’s who found their home through a real estate agent dropped 14 percentage points to 34 percent, during the same time period.
Despite the slowdown in the housing market, buyers and sellers have increased their use of the internet when buying or selling a home. “The internet is a very important tool in today’s real estate market”, said Tommi Crow, CEO of Crow Erickson, Inc., the company that manufactures the InfoTubes and InfoBoxes found on real estate signs from coast-to-coast. “Home sellers know that they can use the power of the internet to reach millions of home shoppers as effectively as a real estate agent would”, said Crow, and, they can save themselves thousands of dollars in the process”, said Ms Crow. “Americans are successfully buying and selling real estate without using agents, and that trend continues to grow”.
Home seller’s who want to maximize their online exposure use InfoTube.net, combined with the services of Why 6 Percent. The combination of the two marketing programs provide home seller’s with a home listing on their local MLS, Realtor.com, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, Infotube, Homes for Sale Live and other major web portals, which attract millions of home buyers each month.
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Where a Home Buyer Found the Home Purchased* |
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2001 vs. 2008 |
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Source |
2001 | 2008 | ||
| Real Estate Agent | 48% | 34% | ||
| Internet | 8% | 32% | ||
| Yard Sign | 15% | 15% | ||
| Friend, Relative or Neighbor | 8% | 7% | ||
| Home Builder or their Agent | 3% | 7% | ||
| Print Newspaper Ad | 7% | 3% | ||
| Directly from Sellers / Knew the Sellers | 4% | 2% | ||
| Home Book or Magazine | 2% | 1% | ||
| Other | 3% | N/A | ||
* Source: National Association of Realtors
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First-Time Buyers Dominate Housing Market
Mega real estate website, Realtor.com (owned by Move Inc), released survey results which showed that 54 percent of the people planning to purchase a home this year are first-time home buyers. This is good news for home sellers because first-time buyers do not have another property they have to sell.
In a press release statement, Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Move, Inc had more encouraging news. “It’s not all doom and gloom” said Berkowitz. “We found Americans are optimistic about homeownership despite concerns.” He blamed the surge in first time buyer interest on the housing crash…”has created significant demand for homeownership especially among first-time buyers,” Berkowitz continued.
Home seller’s, builders and real estate agents can use this information to their advantage when marketing property. For example, half (50%) of the first time buyer’s polled had not heard about the $8000 tax credit, so be sure to make them aware of it. Every little bit of information helps, as most first timers are scared about timing.
Some more interesting facts about marketing to First-Time Buyer is:
- Most prefer more space, or more house for the dollar, over all other amenities. Be sure to price your home to be the best house for the money.
- Other options that appeal to first time homeowners are energy saving features, such as energy star appliances, insulation, home improvements and upgrades; a bigger yard or outdoor entertaining area; updated amenities. Emphasize the features in your home that address these popular “wish list” items.
- A better location was also on the wish list for first timers. If your property is located in a convenient, safe and social area of the city, be sure to let them know what is nearby. You may want to visit walkscore.com and post your walkscore rating on your advertising.
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Good news for Sellers. Housing Sales Increase.
Sales of existing homes rose to their highest levels since 2003. Watch the short video from CNBC for a synopsis of the latest housing numbers from across the nation.
Loan Modification Loophole Leaves Taxpayers on the Hook
While I am sure that all Americans appreciate the efforts being made in Washington to save us from ourselves… they have again overlooked a simple requirement for loan modifications which could cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Much like the “overlooked” loopholes that allowed bonus payments, in excess of $160 million, to be paid to employee’s of Goldman Sach’s and AIG, the Obama loan modification program sets up the same windfall profit situation, without regulation, for the financial institutions who modify loans.
Under the guidelines for the loan modification program, lenders are being offered taxpayer incentives (money) to modify loans. These cash incentives provide a huge Boom to the mortgage lending business, but unfortunately for taxpayers, some crucial regulations are missing. Does this sound familiar?
One immediate loophole that needs to be closed is the issue of how the borrower will qualify for their new, reduced loan. The Obama plan gives lenders incentives (ie: taxpayer money) to bring a borrower’s monthly payments down to 31 percent of their gross income. However, the plan totally ignores the amount of other debt that the borrower can have.
Why is a borrower’s debt important? If a homeowner has excessive credit cards, car notes, college loans or other debt, with substantial monthly payments, they may not be able to afford even 31 percent of their income for a modified mortgage payment. Under the present program guidelines, lender’s would be still be paid to modify a loans for borrower’s who would not qualify for a loan, if their debt was considered.
In order for the Obama housing plan to work, changes must be made. If not, taxpayers should expect another fiasco, like the ones we a discovered after AIG, Goldman Sachs and the automakers used their taxpayer bailout money for bonuses, trips, jets and office remodeling.
To date, over 50 percent of all modified loans have fallen back into default and the foreclosed homes are showing up on the market. Before the taxpayer’s pay out billions of dollars to unregulated lenders, as an “incentive” to modify loans to keep people in their homes, let’s make darn sure the borrower doesn’t have so much debt that they can’t repay their loan, again. After all, how much debt a borrower has is a standard measure used to qualify for a typical loan. Why is the borrower’s debt ratio being overlooked, when taxpayer’s are on the hook?
If you agree, write to your congressional representative. There is still time to “modify” our guidelines for lenders. Hopefully, with a little public outcry, this loophole will be eliminated before we hear that billions have been paid for modified loans that fall back into default in record time.
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Obama Foreclosure Plan Pits Renters and Homeowners
The Obama foreclosure plan has caused a lot of division among the people of this country. Of, course, there is the giant split between conservatives and liberals. But, the bigger divide, and the more interesting one, is the one it causes between the needs of renters (prospective buyers) and homeowners
I have a “hunch” that nearly all the people in favor of the mortgage support plan are homeowners and lenders. Why? From what I understand, Obama’s plan is to use taxpayer dollars to prop home prices. The logic is that this action will keep banks and people from having to sell their homes for huge losses. Or, in other words, the government is stacking the deck against homebuyers, hoping that they will quickly, rush out to buy an overpriced home, thereby “saving” us all.
Unfortunately, Obama’s plan is likely to fail because it does nothing to correct the overbuilding (supply) and lack of demand that cause prices to drop. It also does little to help the banks, who have discovered that they can only sell property for what they can get, not what they are owed. In other words, if the current owner can’t afford their house at anything close what they originally paid, chances are slim that anyone else can either.
The “housing” bailout hinges on keeping prices high or keeping people in homes they can not afford. It does nothing to erase the over supply of homes, increase demand, nor does it put more qualified buyer’s in the market. The bottom line is that the foreclosure plan pits renter against homeowner, in the hope of keeping lenders in business.
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$8000 Tax Credit for First Time Buyers
Home seller’s and real estate agent’s are waking up to the fact that nearly half of all buyer’s shopping for a home are first time home buyers.
Sellers should realize the timely opportunities that are available to this group, and they should be aware of all the benefits today’s first time home buyer will receive, in order to successfully do business with them.
One unique opportunity that provides immediate benefits for home sellers and first time buyers is an $8000 tax credit incentive from the US government. The purpose of the program is to encourage home sales and provide a much needed boost to the US economy.
Outline of the $8000 Tax Credit Program is as follows:
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The Tax Credit is available for First Time Home Buyers Only. (First Time Buyers are defined as anyone who has not owned real property in the past 3 years.)
- The home must be used as the buyer’s primary residence.
- The home must close January 1, 2009-December 1, 2009.
- The buyer claims the $8000 on their tax returns, which greatly reduces their tax liability.
- The $8000 does not need to be repaid, unless the buyer resells the home within 3 years of purchase.
The National Association of Realtors, who backed the plan, estimates that the tax credit will stimulate up to 300,000 home sales. The NAR also feels that the bill will help stablize home values and could possibly help some distressed seller’s avoid foreclosure.
To read more about working with first time buyers, click here.
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Move Those Home Buyers Off the Fence
We hear the questions on the news everyday… What will it take to get buyers off the fence and into a home? Is it lower interest rates? Tax Credits? Freebies, giveaways or bonuses to buyer agents?
The National Association of Home Builders released results from a poll which ask home buyer’s why they had not committed to a home purchase. The results: 44 percent of respondents said they are holding out for lower rates. 41 percent said they were uncertain that they could qualify for financing. 38 percent reported that they were waiting for lower prices.
Based on the poll, it looks as if free upgrades, “green” features and granite counter-tops are not budging these fence sitters. If you want to know the secret to moving buyers off the fence, take a moment to read a short article about the #1 Secret to Selling Any Property.
Tip: Remember that internet marketing, with a listing on the MLS, is essential in helping buyer’s find your property. Even if your property is priced to sell, without these powerful tools, you are simply left waiting and hoping someone drives past your home and spots your for sale sign.
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Hope for Homeowners & FHASecure Help Homeowners Refinance Risky Loans
Hope for Homeowners is a new program, created by congress, to assist homeowners in refinancing their “at risk” loans into more affordable FHA, insured mortgages.
It is estimated that over 400,000 homeowners could avoid foreclosure through participation in the voluntary program, by enrolling before September 30, 2011.
In order to qualify for the special refinancing, the original loan must have been originated on or before January 1, 2008. In addition, the existing mortgage payment must exceed 31 percent of the borrower’s gross monthly income.
FHASecure is another program designed to help homeowners refinance and avoid foreclosure. The program, which went into effect on July 14th, offers borrowers with ARM’s, the option to refinance with an FHA insured mortgage designed to lower the monthly mortgage payment. Under the FHASecure program, lenders can not disqualify borrowers based on loan payment deliquency and the lender may actually offer a second mortgage to make up the difference between the appraised value of the property and the outstanding balance due.
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