GMAC Rewards Underwater Homeowners

By Mike Colpitts As one of the U.S. most troubled mortgage lenders, GMAC Mortgage, once ranked as one of the top producing mortgage companies in the nation is offering troubled underwater homeowners cash bonuses in exchange for making mortgage payments on time. The program will be offered to a pilot group of military veterans to… Continue reading GMAC Rewards Underwater Homeowners

Builders Warn Against Home Sales to Banks

By Mike Colpitts Financial giants like Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and private hedge funds should be prevented from purchasing the glut of foreclosed homes held by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and the FHA, the National Association of Homebuilders warns. Testifying before the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development, NAHB… Continue reading Builders Warn Against Home Sales to Banks

Home Sales Slide to 50 Year Low

By Kevin Chiu Hammered by lagging consumer confidence and a tough mortgage lending environment, home sales slid to a 50 year low this summer as the U.S. economy faces the harshest unemployment picture since the Great Depression. Buyers bought fewer new homes from March through August, typically the hottest part of the year for home… Continue reading Home Sales Slide to 50 Year Low

Real Estate Commissions Back to Full 6%

By Kevin Chiu Anyone selling a home these days is some what lucky unless it’s a discounted foreclosure, but it often takes a lot more than luck for real estate agents to sell homes. That’s why commissions on selling homes are moving back up, and may even rise further as more consumers realize the value… Continue reading Real Estate Commissions Back to Full 6%

Home Buyers Making Multiple Offers

By Kevin Chiu Home buyers are making multiple offers to purchase homes that are short sales in rising numbers as they grow impatient with the drawn out short sale process with banks, and mortgage servicing companies. The long waits and other obstacles have taken the excitement out of the home buying experience for first time… Continue reading Home Buyers Making Multiple Offers

Hawaii Condos Go to Auction

Forty new Hawaii condominiums are being auctioned-off to the highest bidder featuring cozy lanais built to capture the cool cross wind breezes of Hawaii. The Kona Island condos are being auctioned with bids starting as low as $99,000, which would be a major steal for a vacation home in the Aloha State. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom… Continue reading Hawaii Condos Go to Auction

Mortgage Defaults Edge Up in August

Mortgage defaults were filed for the first time against the largest number of homeowners in more than four years in August as foreclosures surged higher for the month, according to RealtyTrac. Foreclosure auctions and formal lender repossessions were filed against 228,098 homes during the month. The figure represented a 7% surge in lender takeovers for… Continue reading Mortgage Defaults Edge Up in August

Occupy Wall Street Protests Catch On

By Mike Colpitts In the midst of the toughest economy since at least the Great Depression, most Americans are just trying to hang on – pay their bills, the mortgage, hold on to their jobs or find new employment. The Occupy Wall Street movement that started outside of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall… Continue reading Occupy Wall Street Protests Catch On

Almost 1 in 3 Adults Live With Relatives

By Mike Colpitts A sinking economy and declining home prices are eliminating urgency for most homeowners and renters to buy homes, despite record low the mortgage rates, according to a new study. But doubling up or living with adult children, relatives or parents has increased more than since the days of the Great Depression. Nearly… Continue reading Almost 1 in 3 Adults Live With Relatives