New Normal in Real Estate Arrives

By Kevin Chiu Like a delivery truck motoring up the driveway the “New Normal” in real estate has arrived packaged as a surprise. You can let it get you down, or make sure that you protect yourself and your family from the financial hand-cuffs that the New Normal may deliver. Real estate economists and analysts… Continue reading New Normal in Real Estate Arrives

Cash Home Sales Hit Record as Sales Decline

By Mike Colpitts Cash home sales hit a new record high in February as sales declined following three consecutive months of rising sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. Existing home sales dropped 9.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.88-million units from 5.4 million in January. Home buyers paying cash made up… Continue reading Cash Home Sales Hit Record as Sales Decline

Flipping Nets Big Profits

By Mike Colpitts Flippers who specialize in buying and repairing homes and then quickly re-selling them for a profit are purchasing them at foreclosure auctions and netting big profits, despite the down real estate market. Thanks to dozens of websites and A&E’s “Flip this House” TV show flippers have attained a serious reputation, and you… Continue reading Flipping Nets Big Profits

Baby Boomers Help Kids Buy Homes

By Kiesha Joseph Baby Boomers, the generation of Americans who are now between 45 and 66, are excited to be helping their children purchase homes. Born between 1946 and 1965, boomers have been a driving force in the U.S. economy for more than 30 years. Boomers are using what they’ve earned over the years to… Continue reading Baby Boomers Help Kids Buy Homes

Drop in Mortgage Rates Felt

By Mike Colpitts Rates on fixed rate home loans dropped this week, falling to near record lows again for 30-year and 15-year mortgages, but budged higher on adjustable rate loans, according to Freddie Mac. The drop on fixed rate loans sends mortgage rates to near all-time record lows, hitting 3.90% just three basis points off… Continue reading Drop in Mortgage Rates Felt

Mortgage Interest Rates Barely Budge Amid Middle East Uprisings

By Kevin Chiu Mortgage rates barely budged rising a single basis point to 4.87% on a fixed rate 30-year mortgage as uprisings in the Middle East disrupted financial markets, but did little to move rates this week, according to Freddie Mac. Concerns over Middle East uprisings, especially in Libya and growing tensions in Saudi Arabia… Continue reading Mortgage Interest Rates Barely Budge Amid Middle East Uprisings

Home Price Index Shows Six Month Drop

By Mike Colpitts Home prices dropped for six straight months in the U.S., declining by 5.7% on average in January compared to a year earlier, despite the federal governments home buyer tax credit, according to Core Logic. The real estate research firm gathers mortgage data for the lending industry. The drop represented a 1% higher… Continue reading Home Price Index Shows Six Month Drop

Mortgage Company President First Sentenced in Financial Crisis

By Mike Colpitts More than three years after the financial crisis erupted on Wall Street, a New Jersey based mortgage company president is the first person to be sentenced to federal prison in the government’s efforts targeting criminals in the financial crisis. The sentence was imposed as a result of a major conspiracy to defraud… Continue reading Mortgage Company President First Sentenced in Financial Crisis

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Foreclosure Preventions Double

By Kevin Chiu The number of foreclosure preventions by mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae doubled in 2010 over a year earlier, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency formed to administer the failed government lenders. But remains drastically under what the White House promised to deliver. Combined preventative measures by both mortgage giants… Continue reading Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Foreclosure Preventions Double