Late last year Thomas and Anita Radcliff of Copperopolis, CA lost their home to foreclosure on their delinquent homeowners association dues. They failed to pay $120 in dues, so the association filed a foreclosure action. The home, valued at $280,000, had an opening bid for $120 (which was bid up) and sold at auction to [...]
Category Archives: The Front Line
What’s Hot and What’s Not in Housing
November 1, 2003 – 1:50 pm
What’s hot in new homes? Fewer walls, more toys.
Buyers are looking for open spaces in the main area of the home with oversized kitchens that flow into large family rooms. When it comes to the master bathroom, buyers are looking for a little luxury.
“We’re basically seeing larger kitchen areas and more open floor plans with [...]
Chaos in California: What lies ahead for foreclosure investors?
October 1, 2003 – 1:42 pm
California is in turmoil, no doubt about that. With ninety-one attempts to recall a governor have occurred over the last 153 years, this is the second one to reach the election stage, and looks likely to be the first one that will succeed.
The 34 million citizens of this state are angry, and over half of [...]
Dodging Disclosure in NY New York sellers would rather pay than divulge information about their home’s condition
July 1, 2003 – 5:23 pm
Home sellers in New York are dodging a state mandated property disclosure law by opting to instead pay their sellers $500.
New York’s Property Condition Disclosure Act was enacted last year in an effort to better inform homebuyers about a property’s condition and curtail last minute discoveries that could derail the home sale transaction.
Under the law, [...]
How Dangerous is That Mold?
June 1, 2003 – 5:08 pm
There has been a lot of coverage in the media recently on the subject of mold in buildings. You may have seen some of the more dramatic stories of horrendous mold growth, severe health problems, and even homes being intentionally burned to the ground, contents and all, as a last-resort solution to mold infestations.
Mold is [...]
Getting Started as a Real Estate Entrepreneur
January 1, 2003 – 4:28 pm
Whether you are new to real estate, or have reached a “plateau”, the following will help “jump-start” your real estate investing career.
Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People
“Creative” real estate is non-traditional, which means that most people don’t do it this way. Thus, most people you speak with will tell you it won’t work. If you tell [...]
Should You Do Real Estate Full-Time?
December 1, 2002 – 6:27 pm
Many self-acclaimed real estate gurus state that everyone should quit their jobs and immediately jump into full time real estate investing. They often claim incredible results from students with little experience. We would like to caution that life-changing decisions are not usually simple and that full time investing is not for everyone. Let’s discuss [...]
Want Another Way to Get Your “Bite of the Apple?”
November 1, 2002 – 6:22 pm
Sorry for the long hiatus (since May of this year) in our Front Line series of articles on investment angles you can use in buying Chicagoland foreclosure properties. In this issue, we’ll explore a method for acquiring properties at deep discounts that may not have occurred to you.
Let’s say you’re looking at a property that [...]
Emerging Opportunities in New York Metro Area
October 1, 2002 – 6:14 pm
After the 9/11 attacks in New York City, real estate in the Big Apple became an area headed for the mat — as buyer activity simply vanished, while sellers still needed to turn equity into cash or simply move on to another home.
This sudden downward shift in prices hampered homeowners trying to refinance their way [...]
Predatory Lending Creates Rising Tide of Foreclosures in New Jersey
September 1, 2002 – 5:58 pm
Weak enforcement of existing law and failure to enact new legislation to curb predatory lending in New Jersey has resulted in a steady rise in foreclosures in the Garden State.
According to a recent report filed by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, cases on record include loans in which origination fees exceeded 25% of [...]
