Category: Housing Market

Investing in Real Estate When the Majority Doesn’t

By Lois A. Vitt, Ph.D. Anyone who knows how to pick stocks well will tell you that successful investments start with understanding the business of the companies you choose. The same is true investing in real estate, whether it’s a single family home, town house or apartment complex. If you are thinking of buying a… Continue reading Investing in Real Estate When the Majority Doesn’t

Government Launches Ad Campaign on Home Rescue

By Mike Colpitts In government efforts to make it look like it’s taking a more active roll in the housing crisis, HUD has announced a major national advertising campaign to urge homeowners at risk of foreclosure to learn more about the White House’s Making Home Affordable program. More than 1.5-million homeowners have received assistance through… Continue reading Government Launches Ad Campaign on Home Rescue

Housing Resale Fees Next Wall Street Rip-Off

A coalition of real estate related companies have launched an effort to stop a 1% home resale fee added to some new home developments being offered by a Manhattan based financial firm by sending a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. The effort was revealed during a news conference with reporters, which included the… Continue reading Housing Resale Fees Next Wall Street Rip-Off

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Reform Conference Set

By Kevin Chiu In a major effort to heal its tarnished reputation in relationship to the real estate crash, the White House will stage a conference on the future of housing finance in the U.S. as it tries to repair troubled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the nation’s giant mortgage lenders. The White House conference… Continue reading Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Reform Conference Set

Mortgages Applications Decline as Refinances Slow

Despite record low interest rates, mortgage applications declined for the first time in weeks last week, including an unexpected slow down in applications for home refinances, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. Applications declined 4.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis from a week ago, and a whopping 5.9% on refinancing alone. The decline marks a slowdown… Continue reading Mortgages Applications Decline as Refinances Slow

Gulf Oil Spill to Drop Homes Only 10%

By Mike Colpitts Gulf coast homes and condos on the immediate coastline in the path of the BP oil spill in Alabama and Florida will suffer only a 10% drop in average values as a result of the oil disaster, according to a new Housing Predictor forecast compiled after more than three months of research.… Continue reading Gulf Oil Spill to Drop Homes Only 10%

Mortgage Loan Fraud Declines

By Kevin Chiu Mortgage loan fraud has declined 25% since its peak in 2007, according to a survey conducted by Core Logic, a real estate research firm that monitors more than 3,000 local U.S. housing markets. The study was released on the heels of the largest Justice Department crackdown in history on perpetrators of mortgage… Continue reading Mortgage Loan Fraud Declines

Home Builder Sales Boom with $99 Down

By Mike Colpitts While most home builders are struggling to survive or have already gone out of business, one company is flourishing as it sells homes for just $99 down, taking advantage of a government program that provides the financing. Homebuilder Highland Homes sales are booming as it helps home buyers move into new Central… Continue reading Home Builder Sales Boom with $99 Down