A new program announced by the White House for state and local finance agencies is intended to keep mortgage rates low and expand mortgage lending. The program is part of the Obama administration’s plan to stabilize the housing market. The program would expand lending for low and middle income borrowers through local Housing Finance Agencies… Continue reading White House Plan to Expand Mortgage Lending
Category: Banks
Alternatives to Conventional Mortgages
By Kevin Chiu Everybody needs a rich uncle when it comes to buying a home. The problem is most of us simply aren’t related to the kind of money needed to buy a home so getting a mortgage is the answer. However, in the credit crunch it’s gotten harder for many people to find financing.… Continue reading Alternatives to Conventional Mortgages
Housing Deflation Easing
By Mike Colpitts The rapid decline of housing prices is easing in many of the worst hit markets with slower housing deflation, according to a study of the most severely affected markets by Housing Predictor. The impact may lead to improving conditions and could soon signal a bottom to the market in some areas of… Continue reading Housing Deflation Easing
Foreclosures Rise in Third Quarter
Foreclosure notices were reported on nearly 1-million U.S. residential properties in the third quarter, marking a five percent increase from the second quarter, according to RealtyTrac. One in every 136 residential properties received a foreclosure notice in the last three months. Some 937,840 properties had foreclosure notice filings. However, notices dropped four percent in September… Continue reading Foreclosures Rise in Third Quarter
Foreclosures Could Hit 25 Million
By Mike Colpitts The huge number of homeowners who say they will walk away from mortgages if housing prices keep falling could have long lasting repercussions for the U.S. economy that would take years to emerge from. According to a new survey conducted by Housing Predictor, as many as 25-million homeowners may walk away from… Continue reading Foreclosures Could Hit 25 Million
Finding Your Housing Value System
By Lois A. Vitt Are you stuck trying to make a housing decision? Small wonder. Your housing decisions are about everything in your life, not just the design and location of your home. They involve your inner motivations, desires, and well-being as surely as the objective circumstances of managing your housing-related finances or the logistics… Continue reading Finding Your Housing Value System
Investors Slammed by Housing Crash
By Mike Colpitts Homeowners are facing an economic crunch from the housing crash, but investors often face even more severe repercussions. More than 1 in 3 foreclosures are of investment owned properties, and should the foreclosure epidemic worsen as forecast that number is expected to rise as more investors walk away from mortgages. During the… Continue reading Investors Slammed by Housing Crash
Congress Finally Proposes Homeowners Help
By Kevin Chiu A proposal to halt the record number of foreclosures and force lenders to work with homeowners to modify mortgages was introduced in the Senate Wednesday by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed. Rhode Island is one of the worst 10 states to be affected by the foreclosure epidemic. The bill would establish a… Continue reading Congress Finally Proposes Homeowners Help
Pilot Program Could Help Home Foreclosures
By Mike Colpitts The federal government response has been painstakingly slow to the foreclosure epidemic. But one city councilman is proposing a pilot program that could give mortgage holders of distressed homes a chance to stay in their residences amid the worst economic downturn in a generation. The program, already approved by the Los Angeles… Continue reading Pilot Program Could Help Home Foreclosures
Pop Goes the Housing Market
By John Hines Economist Bankers won’t tell you, but bankers are almost always motivated home sellers. They don’t become bankers to be landlords. The U.S. mortgage market is worth $10-billion in profits each year, and the people who peddle money like a pharmacist dispenses pills can make a lot more money making loans. The direction… Continue reading Pop Goes the Housing Market