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November 2011 - Posts

Friday, November 18, 2011 10:57 AM

Selling During the Holidays

Talking Points Traditionally, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is the slowest time of the year for home shopping. However, homeowners who must sell in the winter can use staging, the reduced competition and some seasonal opportunities
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:56 AM

Beware of firms charging a fee for mortgage help

The Los Angeles Times Plenty of companies are eager to exploit the uncertain economy and housing market by trying to separate property owners from their money. But services seeking high fees for foreclosure assistance seldom prove beneficial, housing
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:54 AM

Applications for purchase mortgages declined in October

The Wall Street Journal Applications for home purchase loans dropped by 20 percent in October from September, even though mortgage rates in October held close to their lowest levels of the year. Compared with one year ago, applications for home purchases
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:52 AM

FHA could need taxpayer bailout next year, report says

The Los Angeles Times The Federal Housing Administration faces a nearly 50 percent chance that it could need a taxpayer bailout next year, according to a government report released Tuesday. Read the full story
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:50 AM

Foreclosures on the rise again

CNNMoney Foreclosure Filings were reported on 230,678 properties nationwide in October, a 7 percent increase from September, reported RealtyTrac. Read the full story
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:46 AM

How to figure the fuzzy math of Internet home values

The Wall Street Journal After years of real-estate pros holding all the informational cards in the home-sale game, Web-driven companies are reshuffling the deck, giving home shoppers and owners estimates of what almost any home is worth. Accuracy is still
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:43 AM

Home Sales and Mortgage Facts

Calif. median home price : October 2011: $278,060 (Source: C.A.R.) Calif. highest median home price by region/county October 2011: Marin: $781,250 (Source: C.A.R.) Calif. lowest median home price by region/county October 2011: Lake County: $96,500 (Source:
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:42 AM

Fraud Alert: Beware of “click-jacking”

Federal authorities have charged seven men with infecting millions of computers with a virus-like program that tricked users’ Web browsers into navigating to phony pages stocked with ads, earning the defendants as much as $14 million.This type of
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:40 AM

Foreclosure activity increases in October

Foreclosure filings increased 7 percent compared with September, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac. Including notices of default, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions – of which all increased month-over-month – filings were
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:39 AM

Significant difference in inventories, timelines between judicial and non-judicial states

The September Mortgage Monitor report released by Lender Processing Services, Inc. continues to show significant differences between states that process foreclosures following a judicial vs. non-judicial foreclosure process. Ranked by the percentage of
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:37 AM

Home Price Index shows decline in August

The average home price nationwide has declined 28.3 percent since the market peaked in June 2006, according to the most-recent Home Price Index by Lender Processing Services. The LPS HPI summarizes national home prices by tracking monthly prices in more
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Friday, November 18, 2011 10:27 AM

California housing affordability improves in Q3

The percentage of home buyers who could afford to purchase a median-priced, existing single-family home in California rose to 52 percent in the third quarter of 2011, up from 51 percent in second-quarter 2011 and was up from 46 percent in the third quarter
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Sunday, November 13, 2011 9:49 AM

PUC Halts Power Line Project in Chino Hills!

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin CHINO HILLS - The California Public Utilities Commission has ordered Southern California Edison to stop construction on its expanded power line project and ordered it to present "feasibility, cost and timing" for
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Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:40 AM

Remodeling Magazine Report 2011

Many homeowners considering a renovation think they will retrieve the costs when they sell. However, unless homeowners keep these projects practical, it is unlikely they will recoup the costs later on. Some renovations are more likely to increase the
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Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:38 AM

Real estate prices continue slide in September

Inman News... CoreLogic's price index fell 4.1 percent year over year and dropped 1.1 percent on a month-to-month basis in September. Read the full story
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Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:35 AM

Where are the priciest homes in California?

Orange County Register Realtor.com’s monthly housing report — based on information posted on brokers listing services — found the priciest big housing markets in California in September. Read the full story
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Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:33 AM

Home appraisals are derailing home sales

SmartMoney REALTORS® and housing experts say new appraisal requirements and a difficult housing market are disrupting home sales. Read the full story
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Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:31 AM

Picking the right mortgage option

The Mercury News Consumers currently home shopping or planning to refinance, need to decide on a specific mortgage program and do research to decide which will be the best fit for their situation. Read the full story
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Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:28 AM

Triggers of lender scrutiny

The New York Times In recent years, lenders have stepped up fraud-prevention investigations and checks on mortgage applications. For borrowers, this may mean facing questions on actions like accepting cash gifts from relatives for the down payment or
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Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:21 AM

Mortgage aid open to more Calif. borrowers

San Diego Union-Tribune The state-run program, “Keep Your Home California,” which helps homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages now has broader eligibility guidelines. Borrowers who did “cash-out” refinances and own multiple
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Friday, November 04, 2011 7:06 AM

House Hunting Tips for Buyers

Talking Points Before starting the house hunt, there are a few things buyers need to consider. Credit score: Lenders are generally looking for buyers to have credit scores of at least 620 nowadays. Although the Federal Housing Administration will extend
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Friday, November 04, 2011 7:03 AM

Making sense of home price data

SmartMoney Experts say that home buyers and sellers are more baffled than ever about home price data. Read the full story
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Friday, November 04, 2011 6:58 AM

Victims of improper foreclosure practices can submit claims

The Los Angeles Times Fourteen mortgage servicers have begun mailing out letters to potential victims of robo-signing, inviting borrowers to submit their cases for a free review by independent consultants. Read the full story
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Friday, November 04, 2011 6:55 AM

Banks, regulators start massive review of foreclosures

The Los Angeles Times . A large-scale review of foreclosures that occurred in 2009 and 2010 began on Tuesday with federal regulators mailing letters to potential victims. Read the full story
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Friday, November 04, 2011 6:53 AM

Why you can’t get the lowest mortgage rates

MarketWatch Mortgage rates are near historical lows, but the rates lenders are quoting aren’t as eye-popping as those seen in the news. Read the full story
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Friday, November 04, 2011 6:50 AM

Home prices heading for triple-dip

CNNMoney According to Fiserve, home values are expected to fall another 3.6 percent by next June, pushing them to a new low of 35 percent below the peak reached in early 2006. Read the full story
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Friday, November 04, 2011 6:49 AM

Factoring energy efficiency into a home’s value

The Los Angeles Times Under the Sensible Accounting to Value Energy (SAVE) Act, estimated energy-consumption expenses for a home would be included as a mandatory new underwriting factor. Read the full story
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Friday, November 04, 2011 6:47 AM

Mortgage probe may open new path for housing

Reuters Five major banks could be required to commit roughly $15 billion to reduce principal balances for struggling homeowners and modify loans in other ways under a proposed deal to settle allegations linked to the “robo-signing” scandal.
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Friday, November 04, 2011 6:42 AM

Handling high closing costs

The New York Times Closing costs can increase the price of a home by as much as $10,000, sometimes more. Borrowers who are “cash-poor” can ask for assistance, or talk to their lender about a lender credit toward closing costs. Making sense
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Thursday, November 03, 2011 4:21 AM

Fast Facts From C.A.R.

Calif. median home price : September 2011: $287,440 (Source: C.A.R.) Calif. highest median home price by region/county September 2011: Marin: $786,590 (Source: C.A.R.) Calif. lowest median home price by region/county September 2011: Siskiyou County: $113,330
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Thursday, November 03, 2011 4:18 AM

Fraud Alert: Fannie Mae mortgage fraud report

Fannie Mae’s September mortgage fraud report, which is based on Fannie Mae loan reviews through the end of August, shows the following misrepresentations by type: Occupancy: 18% Income: 24% Assets: 6% Property: 14% Value: 1% Liabilities: 27% SNN:
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Thursday, November 03, 2011 4:14 AM

Foreclosure review under way

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve Board announced Tuesday that the independent foreclosure reviews of 14 large servicers issued in April now are underway. Approximately 4.5 million borrowers could have their loans
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