A recent analysis of U.S. Census data performed by the Pew Research Center has indicated that the gap in wealth between whites and various minority groups has increased to record levels as a result of our housing crash. This is primarily due to the fact that before the housing crash the accumulated wealth of minorities was primarily attributed to their home equity, while many white households wealth was built on a much more diversified portfolio which in addition to home equity may include stocks, bonds, etc.

According to their analysis, Pew Research found that between 2005 & 2009 the average net assets of the various groups had declined as follows:

Net Assets of African American households declined to an average of $5,677, which represents a 53% decline from 2005.

Hispanic households experienced an average of a 66% decline in net worth and had average net assets equal to $6,325 by 2009.

This is in comparison to the average white household who only experienced and average decline of 16% of their net worth, and in 2009 had average net assets equal to $113,149.

Related Posts:

5 Factors to Housing Recovery
Home Values Continue to Decline

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Source of Information: Realtor Magazine

When purchasing Real Estate with the use of a Power of Attorney, you will want to make sure that the Power of Attorney form is drafted and executed properly in order to ensure that it doesn’t cause the file to become red flagged during the escrow process. The following checklist was provided to me by First American Title Insurance Company.

See Power of Attorney Red Flags

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

When you really break it down, there are 5 main factors that traditionally drive our market and will also be the same factors that will drive our recovery. The first 4 factors are easy to monitor and track: Housing Affordability, Job growth, Demographics and available credit. The 5th factor is more difficult to pin down (though not impossible), this is the “human” factor. Having an understanding of these 5 factors and their trends allow us to make reasonable predictions on how our market will develop in the near future.

For a further explanation of how these 5 factors will drive our recovery, please see my complete blog post on the subject: 5 Factors to Recovery

Related Posts:

National Association of Realtor’s 2011 Outlook
Is it Still a Good Time to Buy?

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

More and more companies are looking for ways to expand their business. As a result, we’ve started to see an increase in Commercial Leaseback transactions. In this type of a transaction, a company sells the real estate it currently occupies and then leases the space from the new owner.

An investor in today’s market can find themselves in a long term leaseback transaction which will be brining a positive annual cash flow of 7% or grater (8% or more in retail leaseback transactions).

View the complete Blog Post: Commercial Leaseback

Related Posts:

Commercial Investors Jumping Back into the Game
Commercial Real Estate sees Improvement
Turn your Vacant Space into a Charitable Write-off

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

At the onset of our current economic recession, the majority of distressed homeowners having difficulty paying their mortgage came from the subprime sector where borrowers were facing adjustable interest rates. As the markets have continued to worsen and unemployment/wage reductions have increased, these defaults have expanded to include all types of mortgages, including FHA. However, one of the benefits of an FHA mortgage is that there are many workout options in place to assist borrowers.

The following are just a few of the workout options that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (federal agency that regulates and insures FHA mortgages – HUD) has in place:

Special Forbearance
Loan Modification
FHA’s Home Affordable Modification
Partial Claim
Pre-Foreclosure Sale Program
Deed-In-Lieu of Foreclosure

For details and eligibility guidelines on these programs, please read the complete post: FHA Workout Options

Related Posts:

Foreclosure Prevention Options
FHA Short Refi for non FHA Borrowers
Hope for Homeowners
Making Home Affordable Q & AHAFA – Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative – Program Guidelines

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Legal disclaimer: I am not an attorney, tax professional, modification specialist or credit counselor. The information contained in this article/blog is intended to provide general information on the subject and not to provide any legal, tax, or credit advice. You should not act upon this or any information without first seeking independent tax and/or legal counsel..

As some of my readers may be aware of, I am currently one of only two real estate agents to be appointed by the Nevada Supreme Court to sit on the Foreclosure Mediation Program’s advisory committee. As a committee member, I believe I can offer a unique insight into the program and its benefits. Should you have any questions about the program, I invite you to contact me. You will find my contact information at the bottom of this post.

The following is brief snapshot of the program:

Made effective In October of 2009, the Nevada Mediation Program gives homeowners facing foreclosure the option to mediate an alternative to foreclosure. Since the program came into existence, it has successfully helped many homeowners find a solution with their lenders, who otherwise would have suffered a foreclosure. The program has seen an increase in applications, however there are still many borrowers who fail to see the value of the program, and therefore do not elect to mediate. Although there is no guarantee the program will provide borrowers with the help they need, I do believe a many of these homeowners would see the value of participating in mediation if they had a better understanding of the program.

To have a better understanding of the program’s benefits, please read my complete post: Nevada Mediation and its Benefits

Related Post:

Foreclosure Timeline
Foreclosure Prevention Options
Consequences of Foreclosure VS. Short Sale

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Legal disclaimer: I am not an attorney, tax professional, or credit counselor. The information contained in this article/blog is intended to provide general information on the subject and not to provide any legal, tax, or credit advice. You should not act upon this or any information without first seeking independent tax and/or legal counsel.

Seller financing can offer many benefits in today’s market for a seller. It offers a way for an equity seller to stand out from the competition. For one, since the majority of buyers who need seller financing can’t qualify for a traditional loan, they are normally willing to accept an interest rate well above conventional rates in order to complete the purchase.

Aside from the obvious investment benefit, a seller can also expect to see tax benefits as well. Because the seller is collecting on the property over time rather than all at once at the time of closing, he/she can typically avoid or minimize the amount capital gains tax that would otherwise be owed.

However, there is always the risk of a buyer default associated with seller financing. Here are some tips to avoid this risk: The Benefits and the risks of Seller Financing

Related Posts:

Tax Advantages of Seller Financing in Today’s Market
How to get up to 34% ROI from Investment Property

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Legal disclaimer: I am not an attorney, tax professional, modification specialist or credit counselor. The information contained in this article/blog is intended to provide general information on the subject and not to provide any legal, tax, or credit advice. You should not act upon this or any information without first seeking independent tax and/or legal counsel.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers qualified borrowers with non-FHA loans the option of refinancing into an FHA-insured mortgage. The current lender must also agree to write of a minimum of 10% of the current unpaid principle balance. In addition, all other lien holders must consent to allow the borrower to participate.

To participate, the following qualifications must be met: FHA Short Refi Qualifications

Related Posts:

Advantages of the FHA 203k Renovation Loan
FHA financing with 500 credit score

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

Over the summer, the Civilian Property Realignment Act was approved which calls for the creations of a commission that will identify excess federal properties that will be put up for sale. The goal of the bill is to help lower the national deficit and reach a total savings of $3 Billion by the end of 2012, by liquidating these unneeded properties. While pushing for this bill, President Obama and the White house released a map containing around 14,000 properties that could be included in this liquidation.

There is no question that we need to address the problem of our growing national deficit. However, I believe the more immediate concern should be how this new flood of commercial inventory is going to affect our already fragile market. Although the commercial market hasn’t been hit as hard as the residential sector, it has still been affected due to high inventory vs. limited demand. Due to this limited demand, any increase to current inventory as a result of this bill may ultimately result in a further reduction of values.

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521

According to the most recent Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller index, housing prices have fallen back to 2002 values nation wide, with some of most heavily hit regions of our country even reaching levels we haven’t seen since the late 1990’s. In addition, it is expected that prices may continue to fall through at least the end of this year. However even with this prediction of further depreciation, there are still many factors that indicate why it is still a good time to buy.

Read the complete blog post: Is it still a good time to buy Real Estate?

Should you have any questions or need further information,
please don't hesitate to contact me, (775) 220-1630
Or visit my website: www.SellingHomesinReno.com

Joshua Talayka
NAR designated: Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource
Chase International
Office: 775 850 5900
Toll Free: 877 922 5900
Cell: 775 220 1630
Fax: 775 850 5901
985 Damonte Ranch Pkwy, Ste. 110
Reno, Nevada (NV) 89521