Home Prices Fall Almost 5% in 2011

By Mike Colpitts Home prices fell nearly an average of 5% last year as a result of a troubled U.S. economy, decaying consumer sentiment, high unemployment and a foreclosure crisis that is running out of control, according to real estate research firm Core Logic. The company’s December Home Price Index showed an average 4.7% decline… Continue reading Home Prices Fall Almost 5% in 2011

Real Estate Investment Concentrated in 30 Cities

By Mike Colpitts More than half of all real estate investments are concentrated in 30 major cities across the world, according to a new study. Twenty-five percent of property investments are in five metropolitan areas, including New York. The study, conducted by commercial real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle, found that major cities house most… Continue reading Real Estate Investment Concentrated in 30 Cities

Private Equity Firms Purchase Fannie Mae Foreclosures

By Kevin Chiu The bulk sale of foreclosed Fannie Mae homes to private equity firms will place foreclosures right back into the very hands of some of the banks and investors which triggered the foreclosure crisis by manipulating financial markets. Fannie Mae is inviting investors to become joint venture partners in the biggest bulk sale… Continue reading Private Equity Firms Purchase Fannie Mae Foreclosures

Feds Launch Mortgage Task Force Investigation

By Mike Colpitts More than three years after announcing he would launch a federal task force to investigate the mortgage crisis, President Barack Obama has finally launched a federal probe into the U.S. largest financial institutions. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who pulled his state out of the 50 state robo-signing investigation, sent subpoenas… Continue reading Feds Launch Mortgage Task Force Investigation

Home Prices Tumbled Less in 2011

By Mike Colpitts Home prices tumbled an average of 4.3% on a year-over-year basis through last November, according to real estate analytics firm CoreLogic. The company’s Home Price Index, released Monday, confirmed what other real estate research companies reported – that home prices fell less in 2011 than 2010. The Santa Ana, California based firm… Continue reading Home Prices Tumbled Less in 2011

Shadow Inventory Slides to 2009 Levels

By Mike Colpitts The inventory of homes not yet foreclosed but regarded as unsellable as they are held back from the market known as the shadow inventory has dropped to January 2009 levels, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic. California, Florida and Illinois, where foreclosures are at some of the highest levels in the… Continue reading Shadow Inventory Slides to 2009 Levels

Homeowner Insurance Guide

By Erika Stewart Home insurance is important to insure that property is protected in the event of emergencies like natural disasters, fires, and even over liability issues like a friend or visitor falling and hurting themselves. Having homeowner insurance protects not only the home but its occupants and their possessions. However, not all home insurance… Continue reading Homeowner Insurance Guide

Foreclosures Show Positive Fall

By Kevin Chiu Foreclosure filings dropped 14% in November experiencing a positive fall as default notices, scheduled bank auctions and bank repossessions hit their lowest level in a year, according to RealtyTrac. However, some of the hardest hit states, including California, Arizona and Massachusetts posted year-over-year increases in November. Foreclosure auctions, the final step in… Continue reading Foreclosures Show Positive Fall

Foreclosures Fall 12 Straight Months

By Kevin Chiu Foreclosures fell for 12 straight months in September marking possibly the end of the robo-signing slowdown, according to RealtyTrac. Filings were down 6% from August and 38% from a year ago, which may signal a speed-up in the formal repossession process affecting millions of homeowners at risk of losing their homes to… Continue reading Foreclosures Fall 12 Straight Months