foreclosures: Free Buyer's Help = Home Buyers Seminar - Saturday March 5th - 02/23/11 05:24 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
Home Owners Need Help - That is What I Live For!
The Federal Government is going to make it much harder soon - don't have much choice I guess with the poor oversight from Uncle Sam, and the massively irresponsible lending practices of the early decade.
Soon Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be a thing of the past, and with them gone, many will find it difficult to buy their castle.
Currently Fannie and Freddie control about 60% of the market by buying mortgage loans from banks to provide the banks … (0 comments)

foreclosures: Thinking of Buying a Home This Year ? - You Must Read This - 02/19/11 01:20 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
If You Are Even Thinking of Buying a Home This year - You Must Read This
 The current administrations has a new housing report regarding Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's futures.  Will Freddie and Fannie be heading into the sunset?
Together they account for about 60% of the mortgage market, and have cost taxpayers $150 Billion in bailout money over the last three years.
Of course, the big bad banks are happy since the mortgage business will evolve back to them, and consumer and real estate industry groups are very unhappy about … (3 comments)

foreclosures: Can America and Americans Still Manufacture Our Products? - 02/15/11 05:06 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 The movie "Company Men" ponders this idea, as way too many Americans are unaware of our massive losses of manufacturing jobs to other countries.
Many Americans realize this and wonder - how can we survive if we do not make anything, but only consume goods made somewhere else?
A new book, "Make it in America", by Andrew Liveris, incidentially the CEO of Dow Chemical, and a native of Australia, makes the case that with businees government and labor working together we can prevent the loss of manufacturing - especially high tech manufacturing.
It has been … (3 comments)

foreclosures: Maryland on Verge of Becoming Minority Majority State - 02/10/11 08:38 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 According to the 2010 US Census taken this past April, Maryland may very well become another state with minorities as the majority of the population by the next census, and would join California, Texas, Florida and New Mexico in that category. Large growth in black, hispanic, and asian populations ar fueling this trend in Maryland.
As recently as 1990, about 70% of Maryland residents classified themselves as white, compared to 55% in the 2010 Census. In fact, Maryland's white population dropped nearly 130,000 from the last Census.
A majority of the state's young … (0 comments)

foreclosures: Borrow and Spend, or Cut and Grow? - 01/26/11 04:11 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 Two fundamentally opposed theories. The first is Keynesian, based on the theories of John Maynard Keynes, the father of the modern theory of "pump-priming" economics, which says national governments sould lead the way by borrowing and spending to stimulate a nation's economy.
The other theory, much older, is that you make your budget fit the available resources...Isn't that in the Bible?
So it's not going to be easy, Republicans strongly oppose the Democrats and President Obama.
Republicans control the House which is constitutionally in charge of all Federal spending, and can block … (0 comments)

foreclosures: Housing Market - Ex. DC - GLUM! - 01/26/11 03:42 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 DC area home sales were up 3.5% over  last Novermber - year over year, according to S&P/Case Schiller, which measures resales of single family homes on a three month rolling average. So Novermber's figures include September and October.
Delta Assocaites found a 7.5% increase, since they measure all MLS sales by month, which indicates a large increase for November.
Nationally, DC, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, all had increases in home sale prices, while most of the rest of the nation has decreases in pricing.
Portland, OR, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, all … (0 comments)

foreclosures: ALLY(GMAC) to withdraw Robo-Signed Foreclosures in MD - 01/19/11 12:11 PM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 Ally Financial said it will withdraw about 250 active foreclosures in Maryland that were signed by the Robo-Signer, Jeffery Stephen, and resubmit those foreclosures to the courts.
There is no plan to do so in other states. but consumer advocates that sets a precedent for states across the country. Ally said internal audits has failed to find any instance where the borrowers were not in default.
Legal experts think Ally agreed to the dismissal to prevent a legal precedent regarding the review process servicers are required to perform before foreclosing on homeowners.
There are … (0 comments)

foreclosures: Flip That House - It's LEGAL? with FHA - 01/15/11 12:33 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 It sure can be!
Not the flipping horrors stories, where the agents/brokers, appraisers, and lenders, colluded to defraud buyers/borrowers, but the FHA sanctioned practice of rehabbers buying, fixing and reselling homes within the 90 day exclusion period long established by FHA.
This rule was relaxed in January 2010, and plans are to extend it for another year. The plan allows qualifed home buyers to purchase a home that was previously purchsed by rehabbers less than 90 dyas before.
There are safeguards for buyers including home inspections and sometimes even multiple appraisals. The sucess … (7 comments)

foreclosures: Here Comes Tax Time - Hurry Up And WAIT ?!?! - 01/14/11 11:23 PM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 Yes, the Internal Revenue Service needs time to revise some forms specifically for most homeowners since Congress was so late revising the tax code - just a month ago.
The forms must be altered because of the "Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act" of 2010 of December 17th.
 That's a mouthful!
Anyways, since it changed some Federal Income Tax rules, some taxpayers should wait - until mid or late February!!!   to file their Federal Taxes. Of course, since most states borrow information from the Federal Tax Forms, most taxpayers in … (2 comments)

foreclosures: In the Public Arena - Banks Under Attack From All Sides - 01/14/11 04:28 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
Will the Banks ever stop paying for their horrible lending practices?
Besides the recent assaults from state courts, 50 State Attorney Generals, Congress, and homeowners, now the investors who provided funding to the banks for home loans, are taking the banks on in the public forum.
Having difficulty organizing enough members and the banks not releasing information , investors find themselves aligned with borrowers who took out home loans. A very fortunate turn of events for the investors.
Although we may not feel inclined to feel sorry for the investor, and some exposed themselves to unreasonable risks, the group also includes state … (2 comments)

foreclosures: the FED - Economy Building - Beige Book Report - 01/14/11 03:54 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 Housing, which usualy leads US economic recoveries,will not do so this time.
The Fed's monthly Beige Book for January 2011, included anecdotal evidence from the Fed's twelve regions: housing and finance showed continued weakness due mainly to the present glut of housing left over from the foreclosure and short sale crises.
However, Manufacturing(particularly the aoto industry) showed improvement in all twelve sectors; the Service Industry(except finance), especially info tech, advertising and consulting, and law firms, showed signs of strength.
Health care had mixed results.
Housing remained an economic drag for the US ecomony, with … (0 comments)

foreclosures: States to Banks - Foreclosures Need Blocked? - 01/12/11 09:48 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
States enact emergency amendments to state foreclosure laws, or consider them.
Vermont enacted it's amendment to apply to all foreclosures in the legal system, and requires plaintiffs(bank trustees) to "more extensively validate and verify the accuracy of the foreclosure".
In New Jersey, a similar amendment applies to uncontested foreclosures only. New Jersey's chief justice recently asked six lenders; Ally Financial(GMAC), Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, CitiGroup, and One West bank, to "show why foreclosure actions should not be frozen in the wake of reports last year of robo-signing".
Massachusettes had a ruling negating … (0 comments)

foreclosures: US Challenges China on Trade- Finally! - 01/12/11 09:15 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 China has the money(our's and Europe's - almost $3 Trillion) and the goods, and the means to produce them cheaply, but the US Export/Import Bank has finally taken the Chinese on in a big case in Pakistan.
The Ex/Im decided to match a deal for 150 locomotives, made by General Electric(preferred over China's product), which includes below market financing by China.
This case underscores the newer view that America will compete toe-to-toe with the Chinese, who often use below market interest, and easy repayment terms to shut out other countries.
However, China, as … (0 comments)

foreclosures: Will Treasury's $600 Billion Buyback Fail? - 01/12/11 08:29 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 One Federal Reserve Bank President thinks the $600 billion Treasury bond buying program may need to be scaled back, but he seems almost alone at the Federal Reserve.
Charles Plosser, who heads the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, is concerned the program might spark inflation, which would be counter-productive, he said.
Others are not worried, pointing out they the Fed can raise interest rates, now near zero, to counter inflationary pressures. Thay also said that unemployment is still high and is expected to remain so into 2012, and foreclosures and short sales are still at … (0 comments)

foreclosures: Fannie Mae's NEW Mind Boggling Fee Structure - 01/09/11 02:23 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
Direct from Fannie Mae's Headquarters at 3900 Wisconsin Ave. in Washington DC
 
 Found this incredible chart on Fannie's web site - wanted to share with all.
Some fees effective December 1st, 2010, and other fees effective April 1st, 2011
Includes an example home loan at bottom.
Is this Fannie Mae's new secret - you can't buy a home - weapon.
Shows the new Adverse Market Delivery Charge and the Loan Level Price Adjustments
Well, it will make it a bit more difificult, i.e. More expensive!
 https://www.efanniemae.com/sf/refmaterials/llpa/pdf/llpamatrix.pdf
 
Will really cut down on Foreclosures … (2 comments)

foreclosures: Fannie Mae - New Fees a Kick in the Gut? - 01/08/11 03:32 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 Just like Freddie Mac did last fall, Fannie Mae will be adding a new schedule of add-on fees for borrowers to pay, either up front or financed into their mortgage, wether they have great credit and a large down payment or only fair credit and a not so big down payment.
Since foreclosure and short sales have been so costly to Freddie and Fannie, which together continue to fund or guarantee two thirds of new mortgages, they are trying to prevent further losses by initiating a multilayered risk based fee system.
Each risk factor has … (18 comments)

foreclosures: Retail Sales up Early - Then Sag - 01/07/11 12:40 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
Perhaps the sales were too much, too early, as retail sales in December drooped below expectations. 
However the early November sales caused that month's sales to jump 5.6% with December's retail sales rising only 3.2% over 2009.
While some chains, especially teen retailers suffered drops in sales, some other retailers, such as Kohls, Nordstrom, Sachs, and Victoria's Secret showed strong December gains.
However online sales have jumped to $31 billion - up 13% over 2009. Cyber Monday, the day Monday after Thanksgiving, saw online sales or $1 billion
Walmart was not reported, but is … (0 comments)

foreclosures: An Appraisers View - Geesh! - 01/04/11 11:12 PM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
Wanted to pass along this very informative item by a leading appraiser in Frederick County, Maryland. An in-the-trenches opinion. Valuable for helping others understand pricing.
2010 Was a Tough Year
Posted on Jan 03, 2011 in Real Estate by WSix
2010 was not a good year for most real estate related professions. Our appraisal volume was down and the amount of work that needs to be put into each appraisal assignment has dramatically increased. Appraisals now have multiple reviews with each reviewer/underwriter wanting more comps, more explanations and more justification of values.
As … (4 comments)

foreclosures: Construction Spending Increases - Homes! - 01/04/11 05:30 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
 After 7 months of decline overall construction in the US has increased slightly - 0.4%, but that number was led by a larger increase in residential construction - 0.7%. Even though November was the third straight month for construction to increase, it was the first increase in residential since the market disruption of the home buyers tax credit - or seven months.
 A spokesman for High Frequency Economics feels the homebuilding industry has hit bottom and will start to increase, with a recovery still long off - non-residential, private construction fell for the second … (0 comments)

foreclosures: Who Owns YOUR Mortgage? - 01/03/11 05:20 AM
Your Distressed Property and Short Sale Expert in Maryland
Will MERS(Mortgage Electronic Registration System) ever figure out who owns the mortgages supporting the financial securities based on bundled mortgages - probably including yours!
 Proposed to help automate and speed up the process of selling mortgages. MERS was begun in the early 1990s to replace the need to hand carry each mortgage transfer to the county courthouse in which the respective property existed - but also had the effect of bypassing the local authorities AND not paying transfer taxes to localities- who are responsible for recording ownership details in the public record.
(0 comments)

 
Dennis Helmstetter (Real Estate Teams LLC)

Dennis Helmstetter

Frederick, MD

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Real Estate Teams LLC

Address: 50 Citizens Way, Suite 400, Frederick, MD, 21701

Office: (301) 695-3020

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