Short sale fraud rampant, investigators say - 07/20/11 03:34 PM
WASHINGTON - July 20, 2011 - Lenders are losing out on thousands of dollars - sometimes within just mere hours - due to short sale fraud, which is skyrocketing and plaguing the housing market, investigators say.In one of the most common short sale scams, an investor submits a low offer on a home that is underwater, in which the borrower owes more on the mortgage than the home is currently worth. Scam artists, working with the investor, present the lowball offer to the lender, asking for a short sale to be completed. Appraisals or broker price opinions may be manipulated to … (0 comments)

Fla.’s existing condo sales, median price up in June - 07/20/11 03:32 PM
ORLANDO, Fla., - July 20, 2011 - Florida's existing condo sales rose 8 percent in June with a total of 7,941 units sold statewide compared to 7,330 sold in June 2010, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $93,900; a year earlier, it was $92,300 for a 2 percent increase. The national median existing condo sales price was $165,400 in May 2011, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).
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If you are looking to buy, sell or rent properties in Aventura, … (0 comments)

ACQUALINA OCEANFRONT RESIDENCES, 3BD UNIT FOR SALE - 07/14/11 09:29 PM
ACQUALINA OCEANFRONT RESIDENCES, ACQUALINA SUNNY ISLES BEACH, ACQUALINA SUNNY ISLES, ACQUALINA OCEANFRONT RESIDENCES, ACQUALINA SUNNY ISLES BEACH, ACQUALINA SUNNY ISLES, 3BD UNIT FOR SALE IN ACQUALINA, UNITS FOR SALE IN ACQUALINA, SUNNY ISLES BEACH REALTORS, FIDAN NORIEGA, SUNNY ISLES BEACH CONDOS, SUNNY ISLES CONDOS If you are looking to buy, sell or rent properties in Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood Beach, South Beach, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale call Fidan Noriega @ 305-336-5423, email mfidan@hotmail.com www.floridafuturehome.com aventura condos, sunny isles beach condos, miami beach condos, south beach condos, fidan noriega, hallandale beach condo, fort lauderdale condos for sale … (1 comments)

1BD UNIT FOR SALE AT THE JADE BEACH CONDO, SUNNY ISLES BEACH- FOR SALE $649,000 - 07/14/11 09:23 PM
Jade Beach Condo, Jade Beach Sunny Isles, Jade Beach Sunny Isles Beach, Sunny Isles beach condos, Sunny Isles Beach realtors, Jade Beach Condo, Jade Beach Sunny Isles, Jade Beach Sunny Isles Beach, Sunny Isles beach condos, Sunny Isles Beach realtors, Fidan Noriega, 1bd unit at Jade Beach, 1bd unit at Jade Ocean, Jade Ocean Sunny Isles Beach If you are looking to buy, sell or rent properties in Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood Beach, South Beach, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale call Fidan Noriega @ 305-336-5423, email mfidan@hotmail.com www.floridafuturehome.com aventura condos, sunny isles beach condos, miami beach condos, south beach … (3 comments)

ST. REGIS RESORT AND RESIDENCES, ST REGIS BAL HARBOUR - 07/14/11 09:17 PM
ST. REGIS HOTEL AND RESIDENCES, ST REGIS BAL HARBOUR, BAL HARBOUR CONDOS, ST REGIS CONDOS, BAL HARBOUR CONDOS If you are looking to buy, sell or rent properties in Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood Beach, South Beach, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale call Fidan Noriega @ 305-336-5423, email mfidan@hotmail.com www.floridafuturehome.com aventura condos, sunny isles beach condos, miami beach condos, south beach condos, fidan noriega, hallandale beach condo, fort lauderdale condos for sale … (2 comments)

Singles dive into the real estate market - 07/14/11 02:57 PM
WASHINGTON - July 14, 2011 - Unmarried women accounted for 20 percent of homebuyers in 2010, and single guys made up 12 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors®.The Joint Center for Housing Studies says most single women make home purchases because of a desire to nest, a need for more space, and to move closer to a job or family. Builders recognize the buying power of single women and responding with security features, gourmet kitchens and low-maintenance landscaping.Experts say favorable interest rates are encouraging singles to buy homes, and Northern California Realtor Jan Gray says women are savvy clients … (3 comments)

Foreclosure activity slowed in first half of 2011 - 07/14/11 02:55 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) - July 14, 2011 - The number of homes taken back by lenders in the first half of this year fell 30 percent compared with the same 2010 period, the result of delays in foreclosure processing that threatens to stall a U.S. housing recovery.Banks seized 421,212 homes in the first six months of the year, down from 529,633 between January and June last year, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.The decline reflects lenders taking longer to move against homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments. The banks are working through foreclosure documentation problems that first … (0 comments)

May 2011 Dade EHS: Miami Market Exceeds Expectations - 07/13/11 10:03 PM
Miami, FL - Sales of existing condominiums in the Miami Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) increased 46 percent, from 972 to 1,420, compared to May 2010 and 1.1 percent compared to the previous month, according to the 24,000-member MIAMI Association of REALTORS and the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) systems.  Sales of existing single-family homes rose 20 percent in May, from 727 to 875, and 5.4 percent compared to the previous month. 
In May, 60 percent of closed sales were cash transactions.  International sales, which are mostly cash transactions, represent approximately 60 percent of closed resales and 90 percent of new construction … (0 comments)

May 2011 Broward EHS: Broward Housing Inventory Drops below 6 Months of Supply - 07/13/11 10:00 PM
Miami, FL - In Broward County, condominium sales increased 14 percent from 1,348 in May 2010 to 1,537 in May of this year, according to the 24,000-member MIAMI Association of REALTORS and the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) systems. Single-family home sales increased by six percent in May, from 1,078 to 1,142.  Cash transactions accounted for 60 percent of all closed residential sales in May.  International sales, most of which are cash transactions, represent approximately 60 percent of closed sales in South Florida.Statewide sales increased 17 percent to 8,338 for condominiums and three percent for single-family homes to 17,228.  Nationally, sales … (0 comments)

June 2011 Dade PHS: Pending Home Sales in Miami-Dade Continue Upwards Trend - 07/13/11 09:56 PM
Miami, FL - Total current cumulative pending home sales - including single-family homes and condominiums - in Miami-Dade County increased 15 percent compared to a year ago, from 10,366 to 11,936, and .23 percent, up from 11,860, compared to the previous month according to the 24,000-member MIAMI Association of REALTORS and the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) systems. 
May Contract ActivityThe total number of listings, including single-family homes and condominiums, that pended during the month of May increased by 29 percent, from 2,718 to 3,508, compared to the previous year.
"International buyers increasingly are having a positive effect on the Miami … (0 comments)

June 2011 Broward PHS: Broward County Pending Sales Reflect Demand - 07/13/11 09:54 PM
Miami, FL - Total current cumulative pending home sales - including single-family homes and condominiums - in Broward County are 4.8 percent above what they were a year ago, up from 8,031 to 8,413, and were down a negligible 1.2 percent month-over-month from 8,513, according to the 24,000-MIAMI Association of REALTORS and the local MLS systems. 
Contract Activity in MayThe total number of listings - including single-family homes and condominiums - that pended during the month of May in Broward County increased 20 percent, up from 2,735 to 3,275, compared to a year earlier. 
"The continued increase of closed sales compared … (0 comments)

New Foreclosure Study Finds the More That’s Owed, the Longer the Defaulter Can Stay - 07/13/11 09:08 PM
RISMEDIA, July 13, 2011-  By Steve Cook  -  Homeowners living in houses worth over $417,000 can live in their homes mortgage-free without fear of foreclosure for more than a year, but those in the less valuable homes are getting thrown out in 300 days or less.
Moreover, those with a second mortgage can stay in their home, on average, longer than those with just one mortgage. Those with a second mortgage currently are staying mortgage-free an average of 393 days compared to those with just one mortgage, who are losing their homes after 291 days.
According to an analysis of more … (0 comments)

Wealthy Americans upgrade to pricier primary homes - 07/13/11 09:00 PM
NEW YORK - July 13, 2011 - Amid still-depressed housing numbers that dominate headlines, a new survey by the independent New York City-based Luxury Institute and the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing finds that high net-worth U.S. homeowners are taking advantage of the downturn and trading up into higher-priced primary residences.Lured by lower prices, one in four U.S. consumers with an annual income of $150,000 or more have bought a residential property since 2008 at a median purchase price of $509,000 - an increase of 3.2 percent from the 2005 to 2007 period.Most new residences (83 percent) are single-family homes and … (0 comments)

Now You Can Substitute a New Buyer for One Who Walked Without Restart - 07/13/11 08:54 PM
Great news for agents from Bank of America, hopefully it will save time for agents.
 
Now You Can Substitute a New Buyer for One Who Walked Without Restart

If you are looking to buy, sell or rent properties in Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood Beach, South Beach, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale call Fidan Noriega @ 305-336-5423, email mfidan@hotmail.com
www.floridafuturehome.com 
… (1 comments)

Hundreds in Hollywood wait in line for help to save their homes - 07/13/11 03:50 PM
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - July 13, 2011 - Some homeowners emerged jubilant from the Westin Diplomat Resort on Monday, snagging instant mortgage modifications during a daylong event in Hollywood.Others weren't as lucky.In the first two hours, 612 people applied for help from the Help for Homeowners Community Event that was sponsored by the federal government's Making Home Affordable Program. Struggling homeowners formed lines to register and then to meet with loan officers or counselors at the resort."It goes to show you that a lot of South Florida homeowners are struggling," said Andrea Risotto, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Treasury that was helping … (2 comments)

Second chance for owners who lost homes - 07/13/11 02:42 PM
WASHINGTON - July 11, 2011 - More than 2 million homeowners who were foreclosed on or were in the process of a foreclosure during 2009 or 2010 can now ask for a review of their case, banking regulators announced this week. Banking regulators say ex-homeowners who might be eligible will receive a letter from their lender explaining their rights.The move is to help identify homeowners who may have been improperly foreclosed upon, Julie Williams, chief counsel of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, said at a congressional hearing.Homeowners who ask for the review will receive a letter explaining their … (4 comments)

Fastest way to sell a home? Underprice by 10% - 07/13/11 02:36 PM
NEW YORK - July 11, 2011 - Home sellers probably won't be too happy, but housing experts in an article at CNNMoney say that underpricing a home by 10 percent may help it sell faster. And while sellers may lose out on thousands from the sale, they likely will avoid months of carrying costs from the home lingering on the market to offset that loss.The high inventory of foreclosures makes it difficult for sellers to compete against these ultra-low prices. Therefore, "listing your home for less than comparable ones in your neighborhood is the best way of unloading it as quickly … (2 comments)

Low vacancies, rising rents for apartments - 07/13/11 02:31 PM
WASHINGTON - July 11, 2011 - Reis Inc. reports that the average effective rent - the amount paid after discounting - was $997 in the second quarter of the year - an increase from $974 a year ago. Second-quarter rents, meanwhile, climbed in 80 out of 82 markets surveyed.According to Reis, monthly rent levels rose fastest in San Jose, Calif., to $1,501.Apartment vacancies dipped in 72 of the 82 markets Reis tracked during the April-through-June period, dropping the U.S. vacancy rate to 6 percent. That is the lowest since 2008 and down from 7.8 percent in 2010's second quarter, notes Reis.
… (1 comments)

Free foreclosure prevention workshops planned in Florida - 07/06/11 03:13 PM
ORLANDO, Fla. – July 1, 2011 – Two free foreclosure prevention workshops to help homeowners in financial distress are scheduled in the next two weeks in Florida: in Hollywood on July 11, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, and in Jacksonville on July 13, from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. The workshops are sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as part of the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable Program, along with the HOPE NOW Alliance and … (0 comments)

Borrowers sue over apparent loan mod mishaps - 07/06/11 03:04 PM
 
LOS ANGELES – July 5, 2011 – It seemed Maria Campusano’s financial problems were behind her when the mortgage on her Victorian home in a Massachusetts mill town was chopped by hundreds of dollars a month. She soon learned that her troubles had just begun. Weeks after making her first payment under the new rate, the school district staffer began receiving past-due notices, documents showing wildly inaccurate loan balances and letters threatening foreclosure. She now fears she’ll lose her home. “How can they take away what I have worked so hard for?” Campusano said. Campusano is one of two named … (1 comments)