Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
January 4, 2012 By
In 1981, English punk rock band The Clash wrote “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” about the rocky personal relationships between members of the band when facing the dilemma of sticking together or breaking up. The lyrics could not be more appropriate for homeowners buried in a mountain of negative equity and wondering what [...]
FHA Keeps Funding Flips, Investors and Buyers Rejoice
December 28, 2011 By
In a move that will undoubtedly make investors stand up and cheer, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that the Federal Housing Administration is extending a temporary waiver of its “anti-flipping” rule. The waiver is a boon for investors who rely on rehabbing and selling properties in a short timeframe, and [...]
Looking Back: 2011 Analyzed, and My 2012 Real Estate Market Prediction
December 21, 2011 By
Last year I attempted to make some predictions for the coming year. I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to take a look back at 2011 and see how I did, and then share my thoughts on what should happen in the new year. At this time last year, I predicted the following: My [...]
The Foreclosure Report – November 2011
December 12, 2011 By
Foreclosure Sales Slow for the Holidays, While Lenders Prepare for 2012 It is not unusual to see foreclosures slow for the holidays, and the this year is no exception. Foreclosure starts were up slightly in Nevada and Washington, but the increases were insignificant given the recent declines in those states due to legislative changes and [...]
Occupy Wall Street Targets the Banks – Who Wins?
December 6, 2011 By
Today Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is having its National Day of Action to Stop and Reverse Foreclosures. The idea being that they can hurt the banks by forcing them to stop foreclosing. Only problem with this plan is that foreclosure delays help the banks as we introduced with our Foreclosure Roulette blog post, and demonstrated [...]
Big news on Robo-Signing and MERS today!
November 17, 2011 By
Two big pieces of news today on the foreclosure front: 1. Michigan Supreme Court Reverses Ruling on MERS’ Right to Foreclose 2. Nevada Grand Jury Indicts Two in Alleged Robo-Signing Scheme Before I share my thoughts on each of these cases, let’s start with some background: When the whole robo-signing scandal first erupted, we predicted [...]
The Foreclosure Report – October 2011
November 15, 2011 By
Little Change in California, as Nevada and Washington Foreclosure Starts Plummet Foreclosure Starts in California were little changed this month, after a dramatic increase in August and subsequent fall in September. Other California foreclosure activity was also little changed in October. California foreclosure investors gained traction with 9.9 percent more properties sold to third parties [...]
Vultures – An Essential Part of the Real Estate Ecosystem
November 7, 2011 By
In the animal kingdom it’s ironic that we glorify predators, like the lion, while we vilify scavengers, like the vulture, that clean up the mess left behind. Even the great Benjamin Franklin was unable to fight this prejudice in his preference of the turkey over the eagle (a predator) as a national symbol. If you [...]
Protecting Our Protectors: Mortgages and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
October 27, 2011 By
Active military service can be very difficult financially for the men and women who serve, and the family members they leave behind. The stress of knowing your loved one is potentially in harms way is enough of a burden, without having to worry about loss of income and unpaid debts that sometimes are a part [...]
The HOME Act: Taking from Your Nest Egg to Save the Nest?
October 13, 2011 By
Under a bill proposed last week in Congress, those far behind on their mortgage can withdraw from their 401(k) to save their home – without any penalties. According to the language in the HOME Act, the proposed bill allows a taxpayer to withdraw money from a qualified retirement plan penalty free – but not tax [...]
