Scott Skinner's (scottskinner) Blog

  Unfortunately, many, if not most "short sale"  listed in the MLS are not approved "short sale" The real estate agents, just take a listing, and market and advertise the home at a price that would net the seller less than the amount owed. Then, when an offer is received the listing broker submit...

AWC-C - this is a home for sale, under contract, however, the purchase is contingent upon the sale of the buyer's property. In this market, I generally advise my clients from taking these type of offers. However, in some cases , this can make sense. The AWC-I is very common these days , as REO/ b...

you are interested you can check out the Home Price Comparison Index (HPCI) study, evaluated affordability in 77 international markets, in addition to the 317 U.S. markets the List of Top 20 World's Most Expensive Luxury Real Estate Markets  or The World's Most Affordable Housing Markets  I just ...

Make sure you are sitting down. This was a shock to me. and I am from AZ. The foreclosure capital of the world. Nationwide, (across the whoe US of A) the Realtors group estimates that sales of distressed properties made up 45 percent of all property sales in October. There were 4.23 million unsol...

We need help . Can the government insure mortgages  with smaller down payments ?? Can the government subsidize lower mortgagerates ?? Can new legislation mandate lending by the banks if they want money from the $700 Billion bailout ?? Nationwide sales of existing homes fell more than expected las...

Negotiation is on the buyers side - the glut and over Supply of homes is a major hurdle. In fact, I know many sellers who have no showings , less any offers in the last 6 months. If you present a competitive offer most sellers will be very ready, eager and willing to negotiate price, time frames ...

Do we need further interest rate cuts?? FED Chairman seems to be on a cutting spree and likely continue to cut rates and probably keep cutting. However, it is a tricky game of allowing people to borrow (take on debt) to spend more to help an ailing economy. In terms of real estate, we need furthe...

Here are 3 thoughts to consider when evaluating risk before deciding whether or not your next real estate buying opportunity really is as good as it looks. 1) Comfort level - too much stress, fear , and unhappiness, are lingering effects of taking a risk larger than you may want to handle 2) Can ...

This month, the S&P 500 skidded more than 25 percent in the 12 trading days after the election ... before todays surge of 500 points. The Friday afternoon news that Obama is likely to choose Timothy Geithner, the president of the New York Federal Reserve, to be the next Treasury secretary helped ...

This slight variation of Shakespeare's famous line from Hamlet is the question I am hearing from as they buyers ponder and weigh-in on when it comes to that big decision to purchase real estate. Here are 4 things to consider whether now is the right time for you to buy a home here in Greater Phoe...