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It Is Time for Palmer Lake to Lead the Pack of Foreclosure

Monday, December 8th, 2008

It Is Time for Palmer Lake to Lead the Pack of Foreclosure

 
Palmer Lake real estate area has been reported to have the highest number of foreclosures. Previously it was El Paso that was leading. Now, it is the time for Tri-Lakes area and the Palmer Lake to be ahead of El Paso. Out of the total number of 240 houses in Palmer Lake, nearly 15 homes have already started experiencing the process of foreclosure. This accounts for 6.7 percent density in comparison to the national average that stands at 1.4 percent. Thomas Mowle, El Paso County public trustee said that it is tough to say the exact reason behind such high rate of foreclosure in this area.

He further said, “This will sound more shocking than perhaps it should be, but actually this year the greatest density of foreclosures are in Palmer Lake,” The high rate of foreclosures can be attributed to the lower number of houses in the city. A year back there was foreclosure process on about 3,556 homes in the El Paso County. This year it has come to 3,849. Still there are about two months left for the year to be over. A number of economic factors together with this real estate crisis have made it impossible for the people to make their mortgage payments.

It has been said by Mowle that other communities of the Tri Lake area has got a higher than average rate of foreclosure due to the new mortgages taken by the buyers who had a feeling that the home value is going to go up. He has also said, “People would stretch maybe further than was smart in buying property. They were taking a chance and making the assumption that things would get better and the market would stay good. But with the lack of liquidity, they are finding themselves stuck and going into foreclosure. They weren’t worried about the money because they could sell if they weren’t making the money.”

The areas that are facing the maximum rate of foreclosures are Jackson Creek, Flying Horse, and Pine Creek. However, with a number of old homes and old mortgages, the area called Gleneagle are having lesser number of foreclosure problems. This is because of the fact the people there have an increasing income and therefore can make steady payments. Mowle said, “Until the economy gets better in general, I don’t see things getting a whole lot better.” So people have to just wait for the economy to take a positive turn.

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Austin Foreclosure Gone Up

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Austin Foreclosure Gone Up

The foreclosure posting in November in the area of Austin has increased by 31 percent as compared to the figure last year. Apart from that, it has increased year-to-date by 26 percent. It is envisioned by the real estate experts that the number of posting is further going to go up. However, it has also been predicted that the extent will be not be as high as is the case for other regions of the country. Some of the places where foreclosures have really hit hard are Florida, Nevada, and California. A total of about 884 properties have been posted for the foreclosure auction of November 4 in Austin. In the foreclosure auction that took place in last year’s November month, nearly 673 properties were posted.

The counties that have contributed to the increase in foreclosure in the area of Austin are Williamson, Bastrop, Hays, and Travis. A total of 8,225 properties throughout the month of November have been posted as compared to 6,543 properties from January to November of 2007. It has been seen that the posting of foreclosure in the Travis County was 457. This indicates an increase of nearly 44 percent from what it was in November a year ago. There has also been a 31 percent increase in the year-to-date postings.

The rate of foreclosure although have gone up in Austin, but it is expected that the ongoing crisis is going to improve by 2009. About 4 years back, the average loans for postings in November was made. The problem loans were made through earlier part of 2007. The local and national real estate market is suffering heavily due to foreclosure. A number of factors have been responsible for this situation. The homebuyers in a bid to purchase home fast took mortgage that they are unable to afford now. According to an Austin-based property brokerage, Robert Grunnah, the rate of foreclosure is likely to increase in Central Texas by the next 1 year. The foreclosure activity is highly visible in suburban areas like Manor, Buda, Kyle, and Elgin.

In these areas, the homes were sold out to people who cannot afford to make their mortgage payments. It has been put forward by Robert Grunnah that because a particular home has been posted for foreclosure does not necessarily mean that it will remain in foreclosure forever. Therefore, it has been advised to the distressed homeowners to speak to the lenders directly to help them out with this real estate problem.

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Foreclosed Homes Hit Hidalgo County

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Foreclosures Hit Hidalgo County

The number of foreclosed homes in Hidalgo County of Rio Grande Valley is going up due to the slow rate in US economy. This county has been reported with 286 foreclosed homes in the month of August or one filing per 839 residents. This is an increase from the July figure that stood at 129. It has been found that there has been an increase of 12 percent in foreclosed homes numbers nationally in August. However, the number dipped down by 35 percent statewide. A researcher at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, Jim Gaines said, “The data indicates the market is pretty weak,”

The fall in the residential building permits and average home sales price clearly gives an indication that the Rio Grande Valley economy that used to be strong at a time is passing through a very bad phase. According to some real estate experts, this decline is due to a number of factors, one being the strict mortgage loan lending standard.

A large number of people are unable to buy homes due to strict mortgage. Many homes were built by the real estate developers during the booming years of the US housing market. However, the situation is such worse now that it would take a long period of time to get the homes sold at the prevailing home value. The subprime loan crisis has led many mortgage companies and banks to get strict with their lending options. This is why the homes are not selling in this tight market of foreclosed homes.

The average value of single-family homes located at Hidalgo County has increased to $150,800 in July. Steve Radle, who is an appraiser for local home said

“We have a surplus of lower-income homes. Everybody’s a little afraid to lend money, which just kind of compounds the problem.”

In the month of May, the Hidalgo County listed only 180 single-family homes building permits. According to the US Census Bureau, the county listing increased to 243 single-family homes building permits in July. A large number of people go to the Rio Grande Valley for jobs despite the foreclosure situation prevailing there. Apart from that, some construction works are still under operation.

Deborah Martin, who is the owner of the Edinburg-based Realty World Valley Properties said:

“We’re not perfect down here, but I would say that we’re better than most. We still have people coming from out of state that are looking for deals and bargains.”

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Dallas Foreclosed Homes - Investment Opportunities

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

You can most certainly plan to buy your new house or a new vacation home in any of the Dallas foreclosed homes as the place offers wonderful natural surroundings with complete leisure and comfort. Dallas foreclosed homes are basically those repossessed homes which have been acquired by the banks, government agencies or other major financial institutions, mainly due to the fact that the owners of these homes have failed to pay back the mortgage amount or loan taken up at the time of buying the house. These foreclosed homes are then put up for resale in the foreclosure auctions being frequently held by the banks in order to collect the amount that has gone unpaid by the owners.

Dallas foreclosed homes are much in demand among the prospective home buyers for the fact that these are beautiful homes situated in locations, comfortable for living. If you can get such wonderful houses for half their actual price then the choice is worth made. The Dallas foreclosed homes are readily available for cheap for the reason that as these foreclosed properties are in possession of the banks, they are liable to pay the taxes on these houses and in order to escape the burden of paying undue taxes, the banks usually sell off these foreclosed houses at prices much below the normal market value. The incredible low rates of the Dallas foreclosed homes make them popular and greatly in demand.

If you are planning to buy your dream house in any of the Dallas foreclosed homes then you can be assured of having made a smart choice. Buying a foreclosed home in Dallas would definitely make for a smart investment as you can get it on half its actual market value and thereby save your capital on the initial purchase. Another significant benefit of buying Dallas foreclosed homes would be that you can secure good profits for the future as you can buy these foreclosed homes for cheap now and sell them off on much higher prices later. This makes purchasing of Dallas foreclosed homes, one of the most lucrative investment schemes drawing a large number of bidders at the foreclosure auctions towards it. This is the main reason as to why the Dallas foreclosed homes are so much in demand among invests savvy people as also for the real estate agents.

The Dallas foreclosed homes offer amazing investment opportunities but, while making the deal of a foreclosure property, you may want to keep certain things in mind. First and foremost, before finalizing the deal you must check out whether the owners of the house are still residing therein. Another important thing to be kept in mind is that you must have an adequate inspection of the foreclosed house you have decided to buy as there may be some maintenance or reparation work needed for which you might have to pay from your own pocket. The actual cost of the foreclosed house in addition with the reparation costs can be negotiated before the deal is closed. It would be in your interest if you seek professional help and go through the list of Dallas foreclosed homes online before making the deal.

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Foreclosures Rising in Brown County

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

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A sharp rise is noticeable in the Brown County foreclosure homes. It has been observed that from January 1 to July 31 of 2008, a total of 255 homes in the Brown County have faced foreclosure filings. The economy of this place is really at stake which is having a bad effect on the real estate of the county. The number of foreclosure homes filed this year shows a 30 percent hike from what it was in the last year during the same period. Moreover, this year’s rise is a 60 percent jump from what it was two years ago. The situation in the Brown County is really getting worse.

The rate of home foreclosures in the Brown County topped in the months of February, June, and July this year. Over 40 homes in a month have faced a foreclosure filing. The homeowners are undergoing a difficult situation today. The Brown County supervisor Adam Warpinski is very concerned about this tough condition. Envisioning that the number of foreclosures is going to rise, Warpinski is willing to help the builders, lenders, and borrowers to avoid home foreclosures.

Warpinski has said, “During the Depression, the New Deal, the government helped reinforce banking with the FDIC and insuring bank deposits, and I think Brown County might be able to play a small role in making people feel more comfortable about their local community,” He is looking forward to see the Brown County come out of this situation.

Warpinski is also thinking about a community education program in order to impart lesson on how to make a better choice while buying homes. This will surely be a great boost to the real estate industry of the region and would also help people in avoiding foreclosures in the long run. Since the Brown County officials are not empowered to pass any legislation on saving the people from foreclosures, Warpinski is thinking of doing something for the people of this county. He is thinking of newer ideas of how to keep the people away from bank foreclosures. He is hoping for a great community effort and an encouragement from the county to bring back a stable condition in the Brown County real estate.

A meeting will be held on foreclosures on Monday amongst Warpinski and members of the Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee of the Brown County. He is eagerly looking forward to something that can be done to help the distressed homeowners.

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Wise Family in Foreclosure Trap

Monday, August 11th, 2008

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A family in Grand Rapids, Michigan is facing foreclosure again due to their secret dealing. It is Jason and Tricia Wise who at the time of losing their home suddenly received a mail from a company named Canal Street Financial that wrote about saving their home on Grand Rapids’ northwest side. They called this to be a foreclosure rescue scheme. But instead of doing what they actually said, they simply got a mortgage from the Wise and took all their equity on home. Also, they did not make the payments and instead waited for the home to be foreclosed.

Jason and Tricia Wise signed a deed with a company called Wells Financial that was owned by an employee of Canal Street Financial which was in turn deeded to the owner of Canal Street Financial named Norman Long. Under a separate identity of NTW Investments, Norman Long sold this house back to Jason on the basis of a contract that included a monthly payment of $719 from them till the total amount was paid off; the time at which they are supposed to get the deed to the house. Norman got a new mortgage and sold off the old one and took the difference right into his pocket. Besides, he was also enjoying the monthly payments on the land contract.

As Norman never made the payments on his mortgage, the lender foreclosed, which put Jason and Tricia Wise in deep soup as they had to make a much bigger payment than before to get their home saved. Teresa Long, wife of Norman reported that her husband expended the whole money for his own pleasure activities. It has been discovered by the Target 8 Investigators that about 24 properties that were being managed by Norman were already foreclosed. It was early in 2005 that the Target 8 Investigators tracked Canal Street Financial on another foreclosure rescue issue. In 2006, the Canal Street Financial operated from an industrial building on North Monroe, Grand Rapids.

Norman Long’s home has been foreclosed and he has been expelled from his office on 28th Street from where he last operated. Teresa Long is afraid of being a target of an IRS investigation. She does not have money by which she can afford a lawyer for herself. The Target 8 Investigators are in search of Norman and, the Grand Rapids police detective as well as a US Postal Inspector is trying to charge him with a criminal offense. Jason and Tricia Wise are trying hard to get back their home.

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Increase in US Foreclosures Continues Unabated

Monday, August 4th, 2008

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There has been a marked 121 percent increase in the nationwide real estate foreclosures from the second quarter of the last year. It has almost doubled. The tight lending standard, soft housing sales, dropping US economy together with declining home value has been instrumental in making the situation worse for homeowners. Many have failed to refinance into an affordable loan and many are unable to get prospective buyers. It has been reported by Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac Inc. that about 739,714 homes throughout the nation received one foreclosure notice during the quarter. Or it can be put this way that one in every 171 US households received a foreclosure notice.

The foreclosure rates have been the highest in Florida, California, Nevada, and Alaska during the quarter. Among them, Nevada accounts for one foreclosure filing for every 43 households. North Dakota and Alaska has faced a continual increase in real estate foreclosures. Besides, Florida and California cities have reported 16 of the 20 worst metro foreclosure rates. The situation in Stockton, California, is that the foreclosure rate is nearly seven times as compared to the national average. It has reported about one foreclosure filing per 25 households. The chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com named Mark Zandi figures that about 2.8 million households in US by the next year end will be either facing foreclosures, or sell their home at a price lower than the value of mortgage, or place it into the lender’s hands.

According to RealtyTrac, which keeps a track of auction sale notices, default notices, and bank repossessions, over 222,000 properties in the second quarter across the nation were taken over by banks. This made for 30 percent of total foreclosures that means a hike of 24 percent from the last quarter. A housing rescue bill has been prepared by the Senate to keep away 400,000 homeowners from real estate foreclosures. It has also been designed to provide support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two troubled mortgage finance companies.

The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee named Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. has ordered to have a thorough regulation of the loan servicing companies if they do not make modifications to keep away foreclosures. It has been reported by the Congress that a large number of homeowners have complained about not getting help from their lenders to keep away foreclosures. According to James Barber of the American Bankers Association, they try their level best to avoid real estate foreclosures.

One can only hope for better news in the future!

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Two Ways to Avoid Foreclosures

Monday, August 4th, 2008

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Some 500,000 broke homeowners may be able to avoid foreclosures with the real estate housing legislation, which can soon become a law and help them refinance into government-backed mortgages that are more affordable. As several borrowers may not be able to qualify, those facing foreclosure should acquaint themselves with two alternatives – transactions related to ‘deed in lieu of foreclosure’ and ‘short sales’. None of the choices can help you from losing your home, but they can be less painful than foreclosure in the legal process of banks involved to repossess a homeowner’s property.

In case of a short sale, the borrower tries to sell the home at a reasonable real estate market value, which is less than the sum owed on the mortgage. The lender generally contends to forgive the remaining part of the debt. In case of the other option, the borrower passes the home to the lender with his permission ‘in lieu of’ waiting for the foreclosure. It is the lender’s duty to sell the house and he forgives the figure by which the mortgage balance surpasses the home’s current value.

According to an associate vice president of the Mortgage Bankers Association, Vicki Vidal, both strategies offer a legal and psychological relief as most people can move from their home without the burden of mortgage debt. Compared to this lenders can demand the differential figure owed to them in foreclosure proceedings. Although many lenders do not go after this debt, but it has happened especially in certain cases in which the borrower destroyed the property while leaving. Deeds in lieu of foreclosure and short sales have another benefit, which is borrowers have to face a briefer waiting period, prior to obtaining another mortgage.

These two options minimize the impact, which a borrower’s credit score receives. The spokesperson for Fair Isaac Corp, Mr. Craig Watts said that all the proceedings related to foreclosure, short sale and deed in lieu of foreclosure have a more or less similar negative impact on a person’s credit score. According to him, there has not been much analysis to distinguish the credit risk associated with people who finished a short sale and those who were involved in a foreclosure. As a result, “the model ends up treating them all the same.”

For both deeds in lieu of foreclosure and short sales, borrowers need to produce a ‘hardship letter’ to the lender, providing a detail of the reasons for which they were not able to make the mortgage payments. In the real estate market, lenders prefer short sales to the other options.

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Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Accelerate Foreclosure Aid Plan

Friday, July 25th, 2008

The Bush Administration is trying to save mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in order to prevent the nation’s economy crashing in mortgage defaults. The President and the Senators are eagerly waiting to pass a foreclosure aid plan. It would help 400,000 real estate owners in getting affordable fixed-rate loans. The White House approved its May version. However, disputes between the president and the lawmakers over the matter were the primary reason that slowed down the process. Modernization of the Federal Housing Administration along with better control over Fannie and Freddie are the main aspects of this bill, and that has been clear to all.

It is expected that Senate would have no more objection on the matter this time round. The criticizers are now ready to make the mortgage markets sound after the Treasury President’s announcement of his plan to help the mortgage giants.

Still, GOP conservatives are not fully agreeable to it, and they are not taking the matter of helping private companies lightly. As Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas puts it, this decision would be harmful for every Americans and they may have to suffer for decades. He wanted congress to give the matter a second thought before finalizing the issue.

Republicans have constantly been questioning this “government bailout”. They are against the policy, which is for the rescue of irresponsible real estate owners who have borrowed above their capacity, resulting in huge numbers of foreclosure homes in the market. The lenders who have utilized these people and preyed on them should also be liable.

This mortgage rescue plan considers the FHA to back and invest $300 billion more for new home loans. This amount is for those real estate borrowers who are not in a condition to repay their loans. It would help them to refinance into cheaper, fixed-rate loans. The plan would also help lenders to recover more than their expenses involved in the costly process of foreclosure.

The package has now gained approval of those critics who were earlier against it, but after they got confirmation from the Fed Reserve and Treasury that they would help the mortgage giants, the similar way they did for Bear Stearns.

The plan will not only make more credit available in the market but will also restrict this situation from going further.

The biggest gripe with this bill is that the White House will probably drop a sum of $3.9 billion from the Senate passed bill in order to help those foreclosed homes, and rehabilitate those real estate owners, who have lost their home equities.

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Foreclosure Problem: Fire and Robbery on Empty Houses

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Atlanta’s urban centre has very green neighborhoods which are thick with trees and filled with chirping insects and animals. From here to Charlotte, there are about 2.2 million homes that are about to be foreclosed. These houses are going to remain empty till the time the mortgage melts down.

In Mesa, Arizona, officials are attempting to decide on what to do with boarded-up McMansions that are now mostly abandoned properties. In Atlanta, the problem of robbery occurring in abandoned houses is increasing by the day. There have been many homes that have been pilfered and entirely emptied homes are found as well. The police even caught a man building a new home altogether from all these pilfered materials.

In Atlanta, thieves have created such great mayhem that there have been many instances of fires breaking out from these areas set by robbers or gangs of teenagers lodging in these emptied houses. Flint in Michigan is one of those areas where firefighters and ladders have been added by security officials, even though the total population has declined significantly. Statistics show that about 90% of the fires start from homes that have been abandoned.

Global Insight, an economic research oriented firm, has confirmed that the housing clusters fall far from Wall Street. These urban, abandoned towns are resulting in a large amount of growing weeds and trash in that area. Dereliction is being seen occurring at a rapid rate. A sight such as this has previously not been seen in the major American cities since the Great Depression. The economic situation is more than scary at the moment.

A $4 billion project is on the cards, which is helping tackle fire related damage. US mayors have met the previous weekend to air their opinions about the damages that have taken place in the last few months. The meet took place in Miami. These cash-strapped cities are now waking up to the fact that they need to do something about the damage already occurring in their midst.

Suddenly, there seems to be a vulnerability to crime, and there seem to be losses of millions of dollars in real estate and equity that have largely been the result of a loose credit opportunity. There has also been a lot of predatory lending. Economists have taken a lot of approaches to make market corrections on this front. It does not adequately describe the problems, but the urban affairs professor, Joseph Shilling, of Virginia Tech’s Metropolitan in Blacksburg, says that the problem is not just restricted to the urban core but is also prevalent in new suburban communities.

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