The economy is rebounding, but the foreclosure sickness is still amongst us. Unfortunately, last July showed that the foreclosure numbers are still prevalent in the real estate market with more homes succumbing to the financial problems in the marketplace. If you are among many of the americans who thinksing how can I sell my house to stop foreclosure, then get in contact with a local home buyer in your area.
More than 360,000 properties filed foreclosures last month, which is an increase of 7 percent from June and a more than 32 percent increase from July of 2008. Companies like RealtyTrac are stating that Julys numbers demonstrate the third time in the last five months where there has been a new record set for foreclosures. The government is setting up programs to help individuals and distressed homeowners alike, but they are not able to save this trend towards more foreclosures to stabilize the real estate marketplace. Bank repossessions and notices of default are continuing to pour in.
Some of the foreclosed homes were a result of the end of state issued foreclosure prevention plans that had been rolled out in certain areas. For many homeowners, these plans offered too little protection too late and the modification programs have done little to help save the homes that so desperately need it. Homeowners are trying to get their loans refinanced or modified in order to protect their financial investment, but the plans are not working out as well as initial projections had speculated.
Through the end of July, RealtyTrac is reporting that there have been a total of more than 464,000 repossessions this year alone, data has been accumulated until the end of July. Delayed option ARM mortgages have been reset, which is causing more homes to default as the interest rates skyrocket on unprepared homeowners. For this reason, repossessions have increased among homes with a higher market value than other REOs in the past. The reason behind this market trend is that option ARMs have been used historically with borrowers who had better credit and were going to purchase more expensive properties.
It is no surprise that the areas still reporting the highest levels of foreclosure are those that were considered the most offensive, bubble states in the past. The home prices soared in these areas and banks financed mortgages for many individuals who would not have typically qualified for the financial backing. These states, including Arizona, California, Nevada and particular, Las Vegas, and Florida, are still recovering from the time of highest appreciation and worst lending practices during the real estate boom years. California is reporting the highest number of foreclosure filings, but Nevada, with Las Vegas as its core, is showing the highest rate of foreclosures with one in every 56 homes going under.
As news of the recovering economy trickles in the media, it is important to note that these foreclosure filings give us a stronger indication of the real estate market and how it is truly performing.
If you are in a situation where you need to sell your house becuase of the possibility of foreclosure, I suggest you get in contact with a we buy houses or real estate professinal. These real esate professionals help home owners who are needing to sell their house fast for any reason.
Okay, the real estate market has gone down and a quick rebound is not likely, or possible. Homeowners are finding viable options to continue to make money in the real estate market despite the recent changes. By adapting to the environment, savvy real estate investors are still flipping home properties with a twist. They are purchasing lower cost single family houses in areas of great potential and updating them. However, rather than putting them on the market for sale right away, these flippers are becoming landlords, renting the property to keep building equity and pay the mortgages.
How long are these new landlords renting their flipped houses for? On average, the versatile businesses are renting as long as five years or as short as only two until they can find a home buyer. They are keeping the cash from the rented properties in the short term, but are banking on the idea that an improved real estate market in the future will help them get the profits they are aiming for years down the road. Of course, this type of stalled profitability attracts a limited number of former flippers, but it is an increasing option for real estate investors.
One of the keys to success with the flip and rent strategy is to avoiding subdivisions. Typically, the targeted houses are no more than $80,000 to $90,000 and will be victims of a crashing real estate market whose values were vastly higher even a year ago. These homes need upgrades and improvements that many future homeowners shy away from. By improving these houses and then renting them, these flipping real estate investors are actually playing a role in improving the market by rescuing and improving homes whose needed changes might have been outside the scope of many property owners. Neighborhoods might have suffered with these eyesores in the past, but they are now able to enjoy an improved property in their surroundings, thanks to the flippers.
Many of the houses that are chosen for these investment and rental properties are selected if they fit a particular set of requirements. For example, many of these homes are victim of the boom and bust cycle of the recent real estate market. Their overestimated home value has wrecked havoc on the market and neighborhood in general, so this financial investment can be a great choice for both the individual investor and neighborhood alike. Also, there are specific location, price and physical criteria that many investing business will choose before they will purchase the soon to be rental property.
To find many of the houses these real estate investors purchase they use companies who privide real estate leads. The real estate leads consist of contact information from how owners who want or need to sell their house. Many of the home owners who ask to be contacted by a real estate professional are motivated to sell their home quickly.
This smart investment plan can be a great way to improve neighborhoods and allow individual real estate investors to gain capital and long term equity in a stalled and shaky real estate market. Although typically known as risk takers, these particular flipping companies are making long term, calculated investments that should pay off in the future.
If you are a home owner and are in a financial situation and thinking how can I sell my house fast, a good place to receive an offer on your house is your local home buyer or investor. There are real estate investors in every major real estate market who purchase homes quickly from home owners who need to sell. Many of the homes are in foreclosure, the owners are transferring out of the area, or the owners just need to move quickly.
As use of the internet has increased, so to, has its value in connecting service providers with home owners. One of the best ways to grow a real estate business is to connect with more clients by using real estate leads.
If you operate a fast pace business and do not enjoy cold calling or stuffing envelopes for new business, I would suggest internet leads. There are many real estate lead providers on the internet but just like any business only a few are worth dealing with.
Internet real estate leads have been around since the beginning of the internet. At the beginning of the internet most real estate leads were generated through mass email campaigns. Now most are generated through search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
If you would like to grow your real estate business then get started with an internet lead generation company. Just make sure you pick the right company for your needs. Over the years many real estate professionals have been taken advantage of by unethical real estate lead generation companies, so choose carefully.
Here are some tips when selecting a lead generation company. Make sure the real estate leads are only delivered to one real estate professional, meaning they are only sold once. Many lead providers sell their leads multiple times to real estate professions is the same area which makes it harder for an agent for investors to close the lead.
Make sure the leads are delivered to you within seconds after the lead has been generated. Professionals who follow up with real estate leads within 2 hours after the lead has been generated dramatically increase the chances of closing a deal.
Make sure you are only charged for leads you receive and do not pay any monthly fee or sign up fee. If a company really wants to work with you and become a long term part of your marketing they should not charge any set up fees or monthly fees.
If you can not get in contact with the home seller or home buyer because of in correct lead data the company should credit you the cost of the lead. All too often realtors and investors sign up with a lead generation company and they start receiving leads that are not quality leads. They either can not get in contact with the person or the person does not want to talk with them. Make sure you can get a refund for faulty lead information.
One way to determine if the state of our economy is improving is by monitoring foreclosure rates. Foreclosure rates across the country vary in different regions.
Foreclosures can signal a huge change in the real estate market. While they can be hot deals for buyers looking to purchase large properties at a fraction of their valued cost, the impact foreclosures have on the market overall can be a highly negative one. Foreclosed homes are typically in disrepair and a crumbling mess long before the bank steps in to take over. In addition, selling a home that is highly undervalued will undercut overall price comparisons in the neighborhood, which devalues numerous homes in its wake.
As the economy continues to decline, the number of foreclosed homes continues to grow. While some analysts will tell you that the foreclosed homes and sluggish real estate market are signs that the real estate bubble is simply righting itself after years of a bubble inflated industry, homeowners with nearby foreclosed homes in their neighborhood and the victims themselves will often feel at a loss on how to control the negative spin.
Overall, 1.9 million homes have recently gone into foreclosure across the county. The average sale on these foreclosed homes is roughly $172,000. Of course, this number reflects both large and small properties alike, as well as homes whose owners had been paying their mortgages on time for years before the economic downturn made paying their mortgage payments more difficult.
What are the biggest markets for foreclosures across the nation? Is your state one of the areas experiencing the highest rates of foreclosure? Consult this list of states that experience high foreclosures to see if your state is one of the most affected areas:
California tops the list at over 92,000 foreclosures. Meanwhile, Florida runs in second place with nearly 59,000 foreclosures. Nevada, Arizona and Michigan each have roughly 15,000 foreclosures, while Ohio, Illinois, Georgia and Texas has approximately 10,000 foreclosures. Virginia ends the list with just over 5,000 foreclosed homes.
Foreclosed homes aren't limited to a specific economic bracket, either. Every neighborhood has become vulnerable, including high end homes in desirable neighborhoods. Many analysts blame adjustable rate mortgages or no doc loans as a major cause of the increased foreclosures. Since these no doc loans don't require verification of the borrowers' income, they pose a much higher risk than other traditional forms of home loans.
The top five states California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan constitute the greatest percentage of the nations foreclosures in June. As the market restructures and the economy continues to adjust to financial changes, expect the rate of foreclosed homes to decease slowly over time.
After all, foreclosed homes put pressure on financial institutions to stop lending to anyone with a potentially risky financial profile. For this reason, even secure homeowners cannot sell their homes as new buyers are unable to obtain the funds they need to purchase new property on the market.
If you need are in a situation where you are thinking how can I sell my house fast, I suggest contacting a local home buying expert in your area. Local home buying experts exist in every major city in the United States. Many times these home buyers can purchase homes quickly so you can move on with your life.
With the existing home inventory index still hovering around 10 months of supply for the nation, every home owner who needs to sell their house should be ready for buyers. In an effort to get you ready for the buyers who will be walking through your doors I suggest you do some research and follow some key tips to get your home sold.
Pricing your home right is a key factor is selling your home in a buyers market, which we are in. The days of posting a sign in your front yard and receiving multiple offers in a few days are over. Home sellers need to recognize that home buyers are shopping and comparing houses to find the best deal.
Take your time in doing some research and find the best reasonable sale price for your home. You should go walk through other houses close to yours that are similar and compare the finished to yours. Make sure to check look at the price per square foot and the overall asking price.
Another great way to get a value for your house is to ask a real estate agent or a local real estate investor in your area. These professionals are following the local real estate market on a daily basis and have great insight to how much a house is worth in todays market. You know you priced your home right if you would consider looking at the home based just on the price, quantity of bedrooms, and square footage, when comparing to other homes in your neighborhood.
Your home should be in excellent condition to sell in this buyer market. If you truly want to sell your home time the time to fix all the miscellaneous repairs that you know need to be fixed. Take a tour through your attic and crawl space to double check for moisture damage and fallen insulation. Take color photos of your crawl space and attic to you can show potential home buyers the great quality of home they are getting. This goes above and beyond what other home owners are doing.
If you can not afford to fix up your home for sale then you will have to price your house accordingly. In todays real estate marketing home buyers have many choices of homes, even brand new ones that home builders are selling at a discount. It is possible to sell your home as a fixer upper but you will not net as much money at the closing table.
Marketing your home for sale is one of the key pieces in selling your home. After all you could have all the other things perfect and if no one new your home was for sale then it would never sell. Make sure to put a sign on the property and on close streets to the property. Make sure to list your property on classified websites like Craiglist, and Backpage. Make sure to put your home in for sale by owner magazines or newspapers where home buyers will be looking.
Many of the homes that are selling right now are to first time home buyers. In fact over 53 percent of the homes sold in May were sold to first time home buyers. The federal government is giving an $8,000 tax credit to first time home buyers or people who have not owned a home in that last 3 years. This is having a great affect on the homes that are selling. If your home is in the first time home buyer range you have a much better chance of selling your house.
If you are thinking how can I sell my house fast then contact your local home buyer in your area. They will give you a quick fair offer and you have no obligation to accept.
The Federal Housing administration (FHA) operates a program that guarantees reverse mortgage loans. Reverse mortgage loans allow home owners over the age of 62 to borrow against the equity in their home. Borrowers are allowed to obtain payment for approximately 60 percent of the equity in their home and allowed to received payments for the rest of their life.
The FHA makes guarantees to the lenders who give revers mortgages to elderly home owners. If the home owner lives longer than expected and home prices continue to decline the home will not have enough equity to cover the cost of the loan.
The government recently ask Congress for almost $800 million dollars of taxpayer money to provide money to the program. It should be noted that reverse mortgages are a small number of the total mortgages made each year but with the stock market taking a deep decline more and more home owners will be looking to use the equity left in their home for retirement. There will be an estimated 150,000 reverse mortgage loans made this year, up 30 percent from last year.
Another way home owners can cash out of their home is to sell their home to a local home buyer in their area. There are real estate professionals in all major areas of the nation that will buy your house quickly for a fair price. These real estate professionals are always increasing their real estate portfollio and buying homes. If you need to sell your house I suggest contacting a Buy My House real estate professional and getting a quick no-obligation offer.
To solve the housing crisis and try to get Americans to believe in the American dream of home ownership president Obama has implemented a $75 billion dollar Mortgage Loan Modification program. This program is estimated to help some 7 to 9 million Americans save their house from foreclosure.
Since the peak of the real estate market in the summer of 2005 thousands of Americans have lost their home. Even more are struggling to make their mortgage payments each and every month. The two basic reasons are that their mortgage is now more than is used to be or that home owners are now making less income each month.
If you are finding it hard to make your mortgage payments, now is the time to take advantage of this new loan modification opportunity. The president has set up this program for regular Americans to act and stop from loosing their home. Even if you are not behind on your mortgage payment this program can help to lower your mortgage.
Whats more is the mortgage loan modification program is free. You do not have to pay anyone to take advantage of this government backed service. So how is this program being paid for, with tax dollars from every American. The Presidents plan is to subsidize mortgage payment for home owners struggling to make their montage. This in affect with stabilize the housing market and stop the real estate down spiral.
There are a couple way's the program works to lower your mortgage payments. The first option is for the government to lower the interest on your home loan so you are not paying more than 31 percent of your gross monthly income. If lowering the interest rates does not lower the mortgage payment enough then the government will actually reduce the principal on your loan or extend the length of your loan which will lower the payment.
The main reason people need to act fast and try to get their mortgage loan modified is because there is only $75 billion dollars in this government program. The total housing decrease is estimate at over $1 trillion dollars. Simple math will tell you the money in this program will go quick as many people need it.
Because the loan modification program is free, americans have nothing to loose by trying. The best situation is that you get your monthly house payment lowered to a more reasonable amount. The worst that can happen is that you don't qualify to get your mortgage lowered.
"ok", so most Americans, not all voted for our new president and wanted major change. Well major change we are getting. President Obama is make very fundamental changes in every aspect of the American life. He is changing taxes, health care, social security, banking, and almost everything else that affects our life.
I with most folks who are happy to see a change, but also not too sure large government and major change is just what the doctor ordered. I think we can all agree that change from the last president for 8 years is well do. I just have questions that too much change too fast can be too much to manage.
Now I read that Obamas new tax plan will affect the amount of money you can itemize deduct from mortgage principal on your taxes. This change comes very close to my heart and very close to all home owners.
As a real estate professional and real estate investor we all know that paying interest and leveraging properties is the name of the game. Well, if there are new tax procedures put into law that affect real estate, the game will change.
When most of us voted for a change we never signed up to pay more taxes to support a larger government. We did not sign up to have to get a loan from a bank who is operated by the government. Nothing against government but they are just not efficient. Anyone who has dealt with government knows there is a better way.
So while I am happy to see change come to our soil and bring in new vision for our wonderful nation. I can never seem to get the the answer to my lingering question.......Is too much change too fast, just too much for our government to manage?
If you have been holding your breath until you see real action by the government to halt the real estate crisis and turn back time, you may be able to breath once again. The current stimulus bill proposed by the Senate raises the $7,500 tax credit to $15,000. Unlike the House proposal, that all the tax credit taken would need to be repaid via a interest free loan, this time the money is not required to be paid back.
Another great thing is this time the tax credit can be spread over two years of taxes. So if you did not receive the full benefits of the $15,000 credit the first year you can have your accountant account for the rest the next year.
This is great news for home buyers waiting to see a reason to buy in this turbulent real estate market. Many home buyers in all areas across the nation have been reluctant to purchase a home when they are confident home prices will continue to drop. This could be the change the real estate market has been waiting for.
This tax credit is proposed to reduce the inventory of homes for sale on the market and try to get supply and demand back in line with one another. The government has tried other avenues to try to spur home buyers to purchase homes but none of the plans thus far have had a noticeable affect.
It should be noted the bill has few restrictions on receiving the tax credit. Some economists are skeptical because it is possible two separate home owners could sell each other homes for $1 each, and receive the $15,000 tax credit. We should all home the details for receiving the tax credit will be more stringent so people will not take advantage of our tax dollars at work.
We should also hope this is the moment real estate professionals, home owners and home buyers looking for a new home have been waiting for. Any decrease in supply will stabilize home prices. Once home prices stabilize we may once again see our homes value increase. It is a fact that when home values increase, the regular economy is more vibrant because people spend more money.
If you need to sell your house fast we suggest receiving a free, confidential, no-obligation offer from a local home buyer in your area. It is free and you have no obligation to accept.
According to the Treasury Department over 420,000 home owners mortgages are going to adjust this year. These are home owners who purchased homes with adjustable rate mortgages, some of whom tried to make a quick buck off the real estate boom. Others purchased their home using a hybrid mortgage so they could afford a larger home in hopes they would be able to refinance in a couple years to a lower rate.
Well, their time has come and this year their rates will adjust. The good news for many is that interest rates are at an all time low. So low in fact they have not been here for more than 37 years. This is good news for these home owners who have these adjustable rates, it is also good news for the real estate economy os a whole. A large part of the homes that hit the foreclosure auctions over the last couple of years have been due to adjustable rate mortgages.
Mortgage rates what were at 8 percent were due to adjust to almost 12 percent this year. Now with the low mortgage rates they will increase up to 9 percent. This adjustment will still increase the monthly mortgage payment for the home owner but this is a much more manageable increase than a 12 percent interest rate would create.
The larger issue is that home values have decrease dramatically over the last couple of years. This mean home owners are not able to refinance their homes because they owe more on their mortgage than what their house is worth. This is a very large issue that we will continue to see in the real estate arena for quite some time.
The only current fix for home owners in this situation is to sell their house through a short sale. A short sale is a bank approved home selling option that lets you sell your home for less than your mortgage. Banks are willing to allow a short sale on homes that have negative equity, the home owner has some sort of hard ship, and the end buyer is able to purchase the home.
Selling real estate in this economy is directly related to interest rates. It is possible the new government that took office in february will have some sort of plan for home owners needing to sell their house with negative equity, but there is no guarantee any plan will work. If you need to sell your house and have no equity I suggest selling your house as a short sale. It is better than a foreclosure and can get you out of your house and on with your life.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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