real estate
August 3, 2011
| Featured StoryMore Firms Keeping MSRs: Here’s Why By Paul Muolo One tenet of real estate investing is that you never should sell a home in a down market. And one tenet of mortgage banking has always been that you don’t sell servicing rights in a down market either. |
| Low Rates Boost Apps By Brad Finkelstein Lower mortgage rates, driven by the debt ceiling negotiations and bad economic news, led to a 7.1% increase in application volume the week ended July 29, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But, an economist with the group pointed out, refinance volume is still 30% lower than it was at this time last year. |
| Rates Plunge, Will Loan Volumes Rally? By Paul Muolo The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury fell to 2.57% Wednesday — compared to just under 3% last week – as stocks plunged in both the U.S. and overseas markets. |
| Insurers See Mixed Results on Returns for Commercial Mortgages By Brad Finkelstein Life insurers saw a 68 basis point improvement in returns on their commercial mortgage investments in the first quarter when compared with the fourth quarter, according to the LifeComps Commercial Mortgage Performance Index. But when looked at against the first quarter 2010, returns are 253 basis points down. |
| Community Banks Want a Pass on National Servicing Standards By Kevin Wack Community bankers are pressing for a carve-out as lawmakers weigh whether to create national mortgage servicing standards. SpotlightServicing Portfolios Down
The top ten servicers showed a 5% decline in their portfolios as of June 30, 2011, compared to the year before.
|
Category : Agents & Brokers &Blog &Mortgage &Real Estate Market
August 1, 2011
| Featured StoryWhat We’re Hearing: The Mortgage Interest Deduction is About to Get Whacked By Paul Muolo We have a debt deal, but let’s not kid ourselves: the mortgage and housing finance industries have been forever changed the past three years and one likely victim will be the mortgage interest deduction. President Obama, a Democrat, has no qualms about killing or whittling down the MID. (He’s not too keen on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac either.) |
| Panelists Say Must Adopt Ways to do Short Sales Better By Austin Kilgore DALLAS – As servicers continue to manage the deluge of distressed homeowners and nonperforming mortgages, short sales are becoming an effective loss mitigation strategy. |
| MAC Faces Fine, Settles Charge By Regulators By Brian Collins State regulators fined Mortgage Access Corp., an affiliate of realty giant Weichert, $3 million for using unlicensed mortgage originators. The settlement covers 10 states. |
| The Dentist Diaries – Part 5 By Louise Thaxton Here we are five months into this series, the Dentist Diaries. Time flies when you are having fun, but not when you are having dental work done, nor when you are working on a tough loan file. This month I will share with you about some “unintended consequences” in both cases. |
| What We’re Hearing: The Debt Deal’s Big Winner: Rates By Paul Muolo In the wake of a purported debt deal, rates are falling, which is usually good news for both consumers and mortgage bankers. But how much new business will result from a 2.74% yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury? (Does a debt downgrade even matter?) |
| Fannie Pulls the Plug on RMIC’s MI Unit By Brad Finkelstein Fannie Mae on Friday suspended Republic Mortgage Insurance Co. as an approved MI to the GSE and took the added step of suspending a subsidiary that RMIC planned to write all new business through come September 1. |
Category : Agents & Brokers &Blog &Foreclosure &Home Buying &Home Renting &Home Selling &Mortgage &Real Estate Market
With a host of 150 top notch multinational companies thriving in the city, finding an employment and making yourself a residence in Orlando can be the most beneficial thing in this recession hit scenario of United States. And Orlando foreclosed homes gift you with a wonderful chance to make this a reality.
For first time home buyers, acquiring a secured property is indeed a big challenge. And foreclosures being properties of loan defaulters can end up as a wrong investment if one fails to be responsible. Here are some ways which can help you in fixing a safe deal.
Make an extensive search of the foreclosure listings. These can be availed at the local country office or a skim through the classifieds should make available the available foreclosures to you. But neither of these can be as useful as the online foreclosure listings. Updated regularly, the online foreclosure listings bring you the today’s market value which will help you figure out the lowest price possible. Also the more time the foreclosure stays in the sale list, the more reduction in its sale price is to become. But make sure you do a thorough investigation of these properties before you sign the dotted line.
There are professionals who could help you with the same. The details of professionals can be obtained from the online resources too. Once you zero in on a foreclosure the next step is to hire an authorized agent who could mediate with the owner and get the deal signed for you more professionally. Again online resources come in handy. Any search engine can fetch you contact information of leading real estate agencies. Once acquired, the foreclosure can yield you numerous benefits.
From making a comfortable residence to being a source of income, the advantages that foreclosures present are so many. Commercial foreclosure properties in particular are great income generators. You can buy these at a low cost and with little renovation work, can rent it out to multiple single families thus yielding you regular monthly income. Another advantage of buying these commercial foreclosure properties is that they constitute the most secured purchase.
Category : Top Real Estate Articles
For many years, Mexico Real Estate has been the #1 destination for Canadian retirees looking for retirement homes. Sunny climate, fabulous beaches and good lifestyle are some of the reasons why Canadians come to Mexico. But now, because of one additional factor, Mexico retirement homes are becoming even more attractive.
The factor is a strong Canadian dollar. A strong Canadian dollar means increased buying power while buying real estate in Mexico because, in international real estate market the currency used is US dollars. The continued strengthening of Canadian dollars means that Canadian citizens can buy more luxurious and spacious retirement homes with even more lifestyle amenities and conveniences. Alternatively, a Canadian retiree can buy a Mexican retirement condo a lot cheaper then it was a year back. With Mexico Real Estate prices offered at reduced prices due to worldwide recession, it means at least thousands of dollars of savings.
Retiring in Mexico has always held lure for North Americans. Day to day living costs in Mexico is way lower than in Canada or US. The lifestyle quality is also improving every day with development of new world class amenities and infrastructure. Mexico offers everything to everybody. If your idea of life is relaxing then Mexico provides plenty of opportunities to do that. At the same time for people looking for more action, Mexico has a bustling lifestyle with many social and cultural events, travel destinations, adventure sports, historical monuments, restaurants, pubs and discs. For shopaholics, Mexico has well stocked and hi-end shopping malls. For golf fans, Mexico has some of world’s most beautiful and best gold courses. Same goes for tennis aficionados also.
For people with refined tastes in art and cultural, Mexico is a treasure trove. Mexico has a very vibrant and thriving local culture which is many hundred years old. World famous Ancient Mayan and Aztec ruins dot Mexico. If you like art galleries and museums then the city favored by expats is Puerto Vallarta which hosts many artists and intellectuals.
Puerto Vallarta is known as Art Mecca of Mexico with over 30 art galleries, open-air amphitheatre, library and many festivals.
Due to a large expat population consisting of Americans and Canadian, there are some very active local expat groups and clubs. These clubs provide a great opportunity for expats and retirees to bond, network and share their problems. These clubs regularly organize cultural events.
Since, Mexico is close to USA and Canada and very well connected through road and air, getting back to home is never a problem. International airports in Mexico offer flights to all major destinations and cities in USA and Canada. This means that expats and retirees as well as their relatives can travel to and from for festivals & holidays cheaply and quickly.
So a retiring in Mexico is not only within budget but also a very affordable option, considering luxurious lifestyle offered by it.
Category : Top Real Estate Articles
With the diverse variety of options available in the realty market looking for a suitable home can be a daunting task. In order to avoid missing out on a great deal of prime property at a very good discount getting the help of a foreclosure agent or a real estate broker could be wisest decision you can take while property searching.
Benefits of foreclosure agents
- Fast results – One of the best advantages of buying a foreclosed property through real estate agents is the quick and efficient process through which they can filter their data to find properties that suit your requirements as well as budget.
- Best deals – As most banks and financial houses advertise about their foreclosed properties through real estate brokers, they have the latest information on the best deals available in the market.
- Professional inspection – Due to their years of expertise, foreclosure agents usually know all the available properties thoroughly and can help you do a better inspection on the property so as to make a safe and secure purchase.
- Latest developments – Foreclosure agents are upfront with all the latest developments and changes in the field of foreclosed properties.
- Better negotiation – As real estate agents have a close working relationship with financial houses all the time, they are able to negotiate for better asking prices on the property as well as make easy loan arrangements.
The following sources can be helpful in finding genuine and reliable realty brokers who can get you the best possible foreclosure deals:
Web search – The internet is one of the easiest tools to look for professional real estate agents in your locality. It is always a good idea to search through a good number of property websites so that you can make a thorough comparison before deciding on suitable foreclosure agents.
Articles and reviews – Articles in business journals regularly recommend various realty brokers which make it advisable to look through business and economic related magazines and journals.
Advertisements – Most real estate agents advertise through local and major newspapers classifieds which are also a good source of getting in touch with the latest deals.
References – It is always a good idea to ask around amongst your acquaintances for real estate brokers, as a personal recommendation always makes for a reliable source.
Category : Top Real Estate Articles
