Archive for May, 2008

Foreclosure Bargains: What You Need to Know

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

For the last couple of years, foreclosure properties have received more than their usual share of interest. In fact, a survey conducted by Trulia.com revealed that foreclosure searches conducted online has triples for the first quarter of this year alone.

Unfortunately, most of these foreclosure searches remain as searches. About 70 percent of the consumers who participated in the survey were worried about the negative side of buying foreclosures. In most instances, interested buyers become hesitant because they lack the information that will help them make an informed decision.

If you are among these consumers, then it is about time that you learn about foreclosure facts. Just like any other investment, these foreclosure properties come with significant risks. In order to make a smart decision, consider these approaches:

  1. Obtain Solid Information – it is important for you to know what foreclosures are and the process involved as well as the current foreclosure situation in the country. By finding out how and why these foreclosures are considered as golden opportunities, you will be able to determine if you are in the position to make an investment.
  2. Get Expert Assistance – if you are still unsure of some areas of foreclosure, do not hesitate to ask for expert help. There are actually many foreclosure experts such as Mostly Foreclosures who can provide you with accurate and reliable information about foreclosure investment.
  3. Study the Market – for you to make the right decision when it comes to buying foreclosures, it is wise that you learn about the market. You must make sure that you make your decision to buy when market conditions are favoring buyers. this way, you get all the perks and extra incentives that buyers receive from a market where sellers are anxious to sell.
  4. Conduct Inspections – if you are worried about buying foreclosures because of the hidden costs, you should have the property inspected first before closing any deals. Knowing exactly what you are getting for your money is what savvy buyers do.

After all the hard work, you will be able to buy these foreclosure homes confidently.

April Foreclosure Filings Reach Record High

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

For the month of April, foreclosure filings increased by 65 percent from last year. With 243,000 new foreclosure listings for last month, local governments are being put into a compromising position because of the negative impact to the property tax collection.

In their monthly survey of foreclosure filings, RealtyTrac reported that the record of 239,851 foreclosure filings last August 2007 was surpassed by last month’s results. This is considered to be the most number of foreclosure filings in a month since January 2005. The said report included data for default notices, bank repossessions and auction sales. For the month of April, 54,574 properties were actually repossessed.

Such high number of foreclosure filings also has a great impact on home prices. With the already-saturated market of foreclosure homes for sale, most communities are worried about the dwindling tax collection. After all, declining home values effectively reduce the amount of taxes needed to be paid.

Troubled states like California, Florida and Arizona will be hit most likely by this bad news. Having the highest foreclosures rate in the nation has certainly caused home prices to plummet in these regions.

Nationwide, home values have declined by 7.7 percent, the greatest since 1982 based on data from the National Association of Realtors. Also, the inventory of homes on the market has increased by 3.5 percent for April.

As legislators struggle to find a long-term solution to the foreclosure crisis, there is still a great possibility that the next months will continue to bring in more foreclosure properties. Considering that delinquent payments are on the rise, this is not at all surprising.

Buyers who consider these foreclosed homes as great investment opportunities will somehow consider this news a blessing in disguise. With foreclosure filings increasing, getting gorgeous properties at a fraction of their current market value is certainly a possibility. The best news is that the large inventory of foreclosed houses will mean more choices.

For the hottest foreclosure deals, visit Mostly Foreclosures.

Democrats Successfully Defended Mortgage Bill

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

A mortgage bill, designed to help distressed homeowners, was approved by the House Financial Services Committee after the Democrats successfully fended off all sorts of challenges from the Republicans.

The said bill authorizes the Federal Housing Administration or FHA to guarantee new mortgages in the amount of $300 billion, offered by private lenders approved by the government.

The Committee strongly believes that the bill could probably help over 1.5 million troubled homeowners. These citizens really need help especially during this difficult time, even though most of them took out loans that they can never really afford in the first place. There are also those homeowners who were taken advantaged of by really aggressive mortgage brokers and lenders.

For the Committee, letting these mortgages go all to foreclosure will certainly make the economy suffer. In fact, the last couple of years have already showed the negative impact of rising foreclosures rate in the country.

On the other hand, the Bush Administration believes that the bill is actually just a bailout program that will basically utilize taxpayers’ money.

The said legislation is designed in such a way that the government will not be lending money directly. Instead, new mortgages from private lenders will be guaranteed. These mortgages can equal to at most 90 percent of the property’s current market value.

As a requirement, only homeowners whose debt-to-income-ratio is 35 percent or higher are eligible for the program. Also, the mortgage should have been taken out before January of this year to qualify.

As for the government, they will enjoy a share of the profits once the homeowner managed to sell the property. The government is only required to pay the lender in the event of a default. According to the committee, they are estimating about 1 to 2 percent of defaults, which can be roughly translated to $3 - $6 billion.

Mostly Foreclosures is one of the most reliable foreclosure resources. Please feel free to browse our site for foreclosure listings, tips and other information.

Bad Loans affect Countrywide Financial Corp.

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Countrywide Financial Corp. is one of the leading lenders in the real estate business and now they are finding themselves once again in red ink. They reported a loss of almost $900 million in various housing-related issues including bank foreclosures. The year 2007 has not been any great for many homeowners who defaulted on their mortgages causing a rise in the number of government foreclosures. The year 2008 has also started on a bad note with rising pre-foreclosures and this has put big lenders like Countrywide Financial Corp. on the back foot.

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American Taxpayers: Not Willing to Fund Housing Bailout

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Amidst the chaos to find the solution for the enduring housing crisis, many Americans are not agreeing to the proposal of the Congress to bailout these reckless borrowers and lenders. At Angryrenter.com, a petition is being signed by visitors who believe that taxpayers’ money should not be used to pay for the bailout program.
Launched just […]

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The Future of the Foreclosure Market

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Over the next five years, one out of every 8 American homeowners will end up in foreclosure, and estimate of approximately 6.5 million families – is the grim prediction of investment bank Credit Suisse.
Released in a report last week, “Foreclosure Trends: A sobering reality.” Credit Suisse predicts the price of homes will continue to fall […]

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Fraudulent Mortgage Rescue Scams Plague Strapped Homeowners

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

If it isn’t bad enough to be facing foreclosure, homeowners with distressed properties desperate to stop foreclosures are being made scammed by persons toting to be “assistance”. In reality, what is taking place is that these con artists are, for a fee, promising to get the homeowners property off of foreclosure listings and out of pre-foreclosure. Bank foreclosures and government foreclosures and their homeowners are being made empty promises, and what is happening is more and more persons are finding themselves with foreclosed homes.

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