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<title>Alexis McGee -- ForeclosureS.com, Are you ready for the truth?</title>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/</link>
<description>Everything You Need to Achieve Success!</description>
<language>EN</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Owners in Trouble NEED INVESTORS! ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Here is something that the banks PR departments do NOT want you to read. And it is no surprise to me. Bottom line: Lenders are doing&nbsp;less workouts with troubled borrowers in May over April. Your owners in foreclosure should call their lenders and try to do a workout, but if they get stonewalled, do not be surprised. These owners need to sell quickly as they will lose their house to foreclosure. And it is YOUR JOB to tell them this. (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/learn.asp">Learn more on HOW to do this HERE.)</a></p>
<h2><font size="3">Mixed reports on lenders' willingness to help troubled borrowers</font></h2>
<h3><font size="2"></font></h3>
<h4><font size="2">By Jim Wasserman - </font><a href="mailto:jwasserman@sacbee.com"><font size="2">jwasserman@sacbee.com</font></a><br />
<em><font size="2">Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, July 3, 2008</font></em></h4>
<div class="storyText" id="storyBody">
<p>As critics leveled new charges Wednesday that banks won't help most borrowers avoid foreclosure, the Schwarzenegger administration released a survey saying lenders are rewriting more of their troubled loans.</p>
<p>A new California Department of Corporations tally showed loan modifications &ndash; in which lenders froze or lowered interest rates &ndash; hit 8,686 in May, down from 9,448 in April. Still, the May figure was 49.4 percent higher than January's modifications.</p>
<p>The number of overall loan deals made with borrowers also rose from levels earlier this year. Lenders reported 21,359 loan workouts in May and 20,567 in April. That compared with about 16,000 workouts in January.</p>
<p>The deals included everything from short sales, in which the lender accepts less than owed, to forebearances, in which the lender temporarily suspends monthly payments.</p>
<p>The largest number of modifications allowed the borrower to keep the original starter interest rate or get a lower one.</p>
<p>Administration officials, who have acknowledged a slow start to their November agreement with subprime lenders to help more people avoid foreclosure, said they were encouraged by the improved results.</p>
<p>&quot;This is a rather dramatic increase,&quot; said Department of Corporations spokesman Mark Leyes. &quot;It's good news.&quot;</p>
<p>The administration also announced a $1.2 million statewide &quot;90 Days of Hope&quot; ad campaign with a message for struggling borrowers: Call your lender for help. In the ads, which began appearing statewide this week on billboards and buses and in newspapers, borrowers who received help urge others to keep trying.</p>
<p>&quot;If this helps one of 20 families call a (foreclosure) hot line and qualify for help &hellip; I think it's a success,&quot; said Amanda Fulkerson, spokeswoman for the State and Consumer Services Agency, which oversees the ad campaign.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the state Senate weighed in Wednesday, voting 32-8 to send Schwarzenegger a bill requiring lenders to contact homeowners in person or by phone to seek solutions before starting foreclosure proceedings.</p>
<p>Senate Bill 1137 also gives tenants 60 days to move after a property is foreclosed. It requires those who buy a foreclosed property to keep it maintained or face $1,000-a-day fines. The changes will take effect as soon as the governor signs the bill.</p>
<p>These initiatives are playing out amid a continuing sharp rise in foreclosures. California has recorded nearly 117,000 home foreclosures in the first half of 2008, according to Foreclosures.com, a Fair Oaks Web site for real estate investors. That's up from 94,969 all last year, the site reported.</p>
<p>It reported almost 13,000 foreclosures during the first half of 2008 in Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties, up from 11,300 foreclosures last year.</p>
<p>Experts say more than half of people with mortgage trouble never call their lender for help. But according to the California Reinvestment Coalition, making the call often yields no help at all.</p>
<p>In a survey released Wednesday of nonprofit loan counseling groups and legal hot lines, the coalition said lenders are blocking requests for help and resisting appeals to lower the amount owed.</p>
<p>&quot;It's still the case that foreclosures outnumber loan modifications,&quot; said Kevin Stein, associate director of the coalition.</p>
<p>Stern called the new statistics showing an increase in modification &quot;positive,&quot; but he said the scale of the foreclosure problem is overwhelming lenders' ability to work with borrowers.</p>
<p>In a statement, the California Mortgage Bankers Association complained that an &quot;unprecedented and voluntary response by the lending community to deal with an unprecedented challenge continues to receive little to no acknowledgment&quot; by the California Reinvestment Coalition.</p>
</div>]]></description>
<date>7/3/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 2:23:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=298</link>
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<title><![CDATA[More Buried Good News]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The headlines were all about&nbsp;the spending on housing construction and how it&nbsp;fell in May. That is not news that builders are not building. In fact, I would argue that decline was good news -- as we do not need any more housing inventory!</p>
<p>Today's good news was how the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in June for the first time in five months. The Institute for Supply Management's index of business activity moved to 50.2 last month, from 49.6 in May and 48.6 in April. A sub-index tracking prices surged.</p>
<p class="times">Readings above 50 indicate expanding activity. June's numbers marked the first positive performance since January. The reading suggested a weak, BUT GROWING, economy.</p>
<p class="times">&quot;The current level of the index is consistent with a stagnant manufacturing sector (kept afloat by booming exports) and a slowly growing overall economy,&quot; Insight Economics analyst Steven Wood said. &quot;For the index to suggest a recession in the broad economy it would have to fall to around 44.&quot;</p>
<p class="times"><strong>So where do we go from here? Find out on </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>July 16th, Wednesday at 6pm pacific</strong></a><strong>, where I share my &quot;current state of the housing and foreclosure market&quot; with you, the new foreclosure buyer... and what to do to profit during these tumultuous times. We are in our best buying market that I have seen in 35 years. Do not sit on the sidelines and watch these deals go by! Join my </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>FREE Webinar</strong></a><strong> and Conference Call </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>&quot;Make Honest and Ethical Foreclosure Profits NOW&quot;</strong></a><strong> and get your piece of the pie! </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>MORE HERE.</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>7/1/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 10:28:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=297</link>
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<title><![CDATA[New report had optimistic prospects]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>A new report from Harvard just came out &quot;The State of the Nations Housing 2008&quot; that I found very interesting. Let me share the highlights with you here. Starting with the good news -- drastic production cuts and deep price discounts in 2005-2007 helped shrink the inventory of unsold new homes from a mid-2006 peak of more than 570,000 to less than 500,000 in early 2008. But the number of homes entering foreclosure nearly doubled to 1.3 million last year, and vacant homes for sale rose 46 percent over two years, to 2.12 million.</p>
<p>This report is more optimistic about medium- to long-term prospects. It estimates that unless there's a serious, prolonged economic decline or a marked cutback in immigration, the nation will gain 14.4 million new households between 2010 and 2020, compared with 12.6 million between 1995 and 2005.</p>
<p>&quot;Until the number of vacant for-sale units on the market&nbsp;falls enough to bring vacancy rates back down, house prices will remain under pressure,&quot; the report says. &quot;Working off the oversupply will require some combination of the following: housing starts fall even further; prices decline enough to bring out new bargain-seeking buyers; interest rates drop enough to improve affordability; job growth improves; consumer confidence returns; and mortgage credit again becomes more widely available.&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;At some point demand will bounce back,&quot; Retsinas said in a press release announcing the release of the report. &quot;Historically, housing markets recover only after the economy has entered a recession and a combination of falling mortgage interest rates and house prices have improved housing affordability.&quot;</p>
<p>If the economy slips into a severe recession, the prolonged contraction could drive down the sustainable level of housing demand by slowing the loss of older units, forcing more households to double up, and reducing sales of second homes, the report said. But in the case of a mild downturn, which most economists expect, the fundamentals of demand are likely to drive a strong rebound in housing once prices bottom out and the economy begins to recover.</p>
<p>The boom-bust housing cycle has been reflected in the home-ownership rate. From 1994 to 2004, the home-ownership rate surged by five percentage points, peaking at 69 percent. Since then, home-ownership rates have fallen back for most groups, including a nearly two-point drop among black households and a 1.4-point drop among young households. The number of renter households increased by more than 2 million from 2004 to 2007, lowering the national home-ownership rate to 68.1 percent.</p>
<p>Once the oversupply of housing is worked off and home prices start to recover, the use of automated underwriting tools, a return to more traditional mortgage products, and the strength of underlying demand should put the number of homeowners back on the rise, the report said.</p>
<p>Although the short-term prospects for a recovery remain uncertain, in the long run the downturn is unlikely to slow down the creation of new households. The report projected that minority household growth among 35- to 64-year-olds should remain strong in 2010-2020, while the number of white middle-aged households will begin to decline after 2010 as baby boomers reach retirement age. People living alone are expected to account for 36 percent of household growth between 2010 and 2020, and 75 percent of the 5.3 million projected increase in single-person households will be among those 65 and older.</p>
<p><strong>This is all really very helpful information -- if you know how to use it to buy low and sell for profits in today market. That is why I spend time on this and more economic and housing data every month in my </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>FREE Webinar and Conference Call</strong></a><strong> for new foreclosure buyers </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>&quot;Make Honest and Ethical Foreclosure Profits NOW&quot; on July 16th at 6pm Pacific</strong></a><strong>. Register Early as we always fill up quickly! </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>MORE HERE.</strong></a></p>
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<date>6/29/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 2:23:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=296</link>
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<title><![CDATA[Come see me at Inman Connect San Francisco]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Twice a year Brad Inman of <a href="http://www.inman.com">Inman.com</a> holds a real estate conference like non-other. This is NOT your standard &quot;super conference&quot; with books and tapes being sold in the back of the room. This is a real learning event with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008/speakers">great speakers</a> on every topic you can imagine that affects all real estate entrepenuers. It\'s a Must-Attend conference -- and&nbsp;a priviledge to be asked to participate&nbsp;as a speaker. I am really looking forward to it!</p><p><strong>You can catch me in San Francisco, at The Palace Hotel, in their Main Conference on Thursday, July 24th, 4:00pm-4:45pm in their &quot;<span style="color: black">Finding New Business Opportunities -- </span>Working the Foreclosure Market&quot;&nbsp;session. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008/conference-pricing">REGISTER HERE.</a></strong></p><p>More on Inman Connect:</p><p>Every year technologists, real estate professionals and industry leaders convene at Real Estate Connect to explore some of the most pressing issues the industry is facing. Please check out <a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008/conference-program">our complete Conference program</a> for full details and have a look at <a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2008/speakers">all of our featured speakers</a>.</p><p><strong>I will also be speaking for FREE&nbsp;on&nbsp; Webinar and National Conference Call</strong> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>July 16th 6pm Pacific Foreclosure Investor Webinar &quot;Make Honest and Ethical Profits Now&quot;</strong></a><font size="2"><strong>. </strong>In this Call I will discuss the current real estate and foreclosure markets and how they affect you, the foreclosure buyer. Everyone wants to Buy Low and Sell High! There is no doubt about it &ndash; NOW IS LOW &ndash; and the right properties are selling quickly &ndash; find out how!</font> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">MORE HERE.</a></p>]]></description>
<date>6/26/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 11:24:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=295</link>
<id>295</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[Recent Optimistic Consumer Survey]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p><strong>More economic news out today as well as a recent consumer survey about the future of the nations housing market...</strong></p>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px">
<p>Sales of new U.S. single-family homes tumbled 2.5% in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 512,000 as sales in the West fell to a 26-year low, the Commerce Department estimated Wednesday<strong>. T</strong>he decline nearly matched economists' expectations for a decline to a 510,000 rate from April's revised 525,000. It was the lowest sales pace since the 501,000 rate in March. New-home sales were down 40.3% compared with a year earlier.</p>
<p>Builders were&nbsp;making progress on reducing the number of homes for sale. The number of homes on the market fell to a three-year low of 453,000, representing a 10.9-month supply at the May's sales pace, up from 10.7 months in April.</p>
<div class="p">The weak housing report will weigh on policymakers at the Federal Reserve, who are meeting Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the economic outlook. Few analysts expect any changes in the Federal Open Market Committee's target interest rates or in the basic thrust of its policy statement.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="StoryBottom"><strong>Now for the Good News...</strong></div>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px">
<div class="StoryBottom">Consumers are apparently optimistic about the future of the national real estate economy, according to a new survey conducted by Housing Predictor. Nearly 1 out of 2 polled say they believe the national real estate economy will improve within the next two years.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The online survey serves to show that despite the turmoil in the nation&rsquo;s real estate markets, triggered by the credit crisis most believe conditions will improve in a short time span. Only 28% of all respondents said they believe it will take five years or longer for credit market conditions to improve the housing market.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />
&nbsp;<br />
An unprecedented epidemic of foreclosures has led to lower home prices in the over-whelming majority of the country. As many as 1 out of 3 homes in some especially hard hit areas listed for sale are foreclosures, damaging communities and housing values.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Some 25% polled said they believe things would improve in a year or less. Housing Predictor regularly surveys consumers on real estate related issues, and provides more than 250 local housing market forecasts in all 50 U.S. states. The data on which forecasts are issued are independently gathered by researchers from thousands of sources throughout the nation. Markets are constantly monitored by researchers to keep visitors up to date on changing market conditions.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="StoryBottom">Interesting survey results, which proves my point... Americans are more optimistic than the media would have you believe. I continue to hold out the positive thought that good news will not be hard to find in my daily news headlines. And as I find it, you will see it here...</div>
<div class="StoryBottom">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="StoryBottom">And then, to learn what to do to make profits in this incredible market we are in right now, simply follow my proven systems and strategies, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/mastering_deals.asp">OUTLINED HERE.</a></div>]]></description>
<date>6/25/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 8:26:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=294</link>
<id>294</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[Misleading Headlines on Home Price Index]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Lots to discuss today... let\\'s start with the home price index. The headlines look really shocking... &quot;Home Prices Fell 15.3% in April&quot; but when you read further, you will see that is NOT one months results. That is year over year. And it was LESS than forecast. How misleading!</p><p>The S&amp;P/Case-Shiller home-price index dropped 15.3 percent from a year earlier, less than forecast, after a 14.3 percent decline in March. The gauge has fallen every month since January 2007. Home prices decreased 1.4 percent in April from a month earlier after a 2.2 percent decline in March, the report showed. The figures aren\\'t adjusted for seasonal effects, so economists prefer to focus on year-over-year changes instead of month to month.</p><p>The index was forecast to fall 16 percent from a year earlier, after a previously reported 14.4 percent drop in the 12 months ended in March, according to the median forecast of 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Estimates ranged from declines of 15.4 percent to 17 percent.</p><p>And I am sure you did not see the good news buried in the report...</p><p>One bright spot in the report was that more cities showed a gain in prices in April compared with the previous month. Houses in eight areas rose in value, compared with just two in March. Month-over-month gains were led by Cleveland and Dallas.</p><p>Aren't you glad I have a monthly <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">Foreclosure Investor Webinar and Conference Call</a> that digests exactly what is going on in the real estate and foreclosure market right now, and what it means to you the foreclosure buyer? <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>My next one is July 16th, 6pm Pacific.</strong></a> Don't Miss out! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">MORE HERE.</a></p><p>There you go. More to come later today as I have the results of a recent survey that show&nbsp;&quot;C<span class="header" id="Template__ctl0__ctl1__ctl0_lblTitle">onsumers Optimistic on Real Estate&quot;... stay tuned. </span></p>]]></description>
<date>6/24/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 8:37:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=293</link>
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<title><![CDATA[Highlights of Current Foreclosure Housing Bill]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>There has been quite a few Housing Bills floating in Congress and the Senate. Recently a bipartisan housing bill&mdash;constructed by U.S. Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL)&mdash;is ready to face the scrutiny of the U.S. Senate.</p><p>Check out the part that after the loans are written down to 90% of market value and refinanced with a FHA insured loan, the government wants to split the equity with you over the next 5 years. How the heck are they going to regulate and enforce that one? What if the owner does improvements to add value to the house? How will they measure that&nbsp; portion equity growth? This is crazy. I hope they kill that portion of the bill.</p><p>I'll keep you posted, as I am sure (and hope)&nbsp;there are more changes to come. Thank goodness I&nbsp;hold my monthly <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">Foreclosure Investor Webinar and Conference Call</a> that digests exactly what is going on with all this pending housing legislation&nbsp;and what it means to you the foreclosure buyer. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>My next one is July 16th, 6pm Pacific.</strong></a> Don't Miss out! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">MORE HERE.</a></p><p><strong>Here is a Summary of the &ldquo;HOPE for Homeowners Act of 2008&quot;</strong>&nbsp;</p><p>The &ldquo;HOPE for Homeowners Act of 2008&quot; creates a new, temporary, voluntary program within FHA to back FHA-insured mortgages to distressed borrowers.&nbsp; The new mortgages offered by FHA-approved lenders will refinance distressed loans at a significant discount for owner-occupants at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure.&nbsp; In exchange, homeowners will share future appreciation with FHA.</p><p><strong>The program is built on <u>five principles</u>:</strong></p><p>1. <u>Long-term affordability</u>.&nbsp; The program is built on the idea, expressed by Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, that creating new equity for troubled homeowners is likely to be a more effective way to avoid foreclosures.&nbsp; New loans will be based on a family&rsquo;s ability to repay the loan, ensuring affordability and sustainable homeownership.</p><p>2. <u>No investor or lender bailout</u>.&nbsp; Investors and/or lenders will have to take significant losses in order to benefit from the proceeds of the loans refinanced with government insurance.&nbsp; However, these losses would be less than the losses associated with foreclosure.</p><p>3. <u>No windfall for borrowers</u>.&nbsp; Borrowers will share their new equity and future appreciation equally with FHA.&nbsp; Borrowers will pay for the FHA insurance.</p><p>4. <u>Voluntary participation</u>.&nbsp; This will be a voluntary program.&nbsp; No lenders, servicers, or investors will be compelled to participate.</p><p>5. <u>Restore confidence, liquidity, and transparency</u>.&nbsp; Credit markets are fearful and frozen in part because banks and other financial institutions do not know what their subprime mortgages and related securities are worth. The uncertainty is forcing lenders to hoard capital and stop the lending necessary for economic growth.&nbsp; This program will help restore confidence and get markets flowing again.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div><u><strong>Eligible Borrowers</strong></u>. Only owner-occupants who are unable to afford their mortgage payments are eligible for the program.&nbsp; No investors or investor properties will qualify.&nbsp; Homeowners must certify, under penalty of law, that they have not intentionally defaulted on their loan to qualify for the program and must have a mortgage debt to income ratio greater than 31 percent as of March 1, 2008. &nbsp;Lenders must document and verify borrowers&rsquo; income with the IRS.</div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><u><strong>New Loan Amount</strong>.&nbsp;</u> The size of the new FHA-insured loan will be lesser of the amount the borrower can afford to repay, as determined by the current affordability requirements of FHA; or, 90% of the current value of the home.&nbsp; Loans must be 30-year, fixed rate loans.</div><p>&nbsp;</p><div><u><strong>Equity &amp; Appreciation Sharing</strong>. </u>In order to avoid a windfall to the borrower created by the new 90% loan-to-value FHA-insured mortgage, the borrower must share the newly-created equity and future appreciation equally with FHA.&nbsp; This obligation will continue until the borrower sells the home or refinances the FHA-insured mortgage.&nbsp; Moreover, the homeowner&rsquo;s access to the newly created equity will be phased-in over 5 years.</div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><u><strong>Eligible Mortgages</strong>.&nbsp;</u>In order to protect against adverse selection, the program prohibits the Secretary from paying an insurance claim whenever the representations and warranties required to be made by lenders are violated, or in cases in which a borrower has an early payment default and misses the first payment.&nbsp; The Act provides the Board the authority to establish other protections against adverse selection, such as requiring &ldquo;seasoning&rdquo; for certain higher risk loans before they can be insured under the program.&nbsp; Appraisers of property insured by FHA must be certified by the state where the property is located, or by a nationally recognized professional appraisal organization, and have &ldquo;demonstrated verifiable education&rdquo; in FHA appraisal requirements.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><p>&nbsp;</p><div><u><strong>Existing Subordinate Liens</strong>. </u>Before participating in this program, all subordinate liens must be extinguished.&nbsp; This will have to be done through negotiation with the first lien holder.</div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><u><strong>Qualified Safe Harbor</strong>. </u>The legislation provides servicers with an incentive to participate in the program by offering a safe harbor against legal liability.</div><p>&nbsp;</p><div><u><strong>Program Size</strong>.&nbsp; </u>The program is authorized to insure up to $300 billion in mortgages and is expected to serve approximately 400,000 homeowners.&nbsp;</div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><u><strong>Program Sunset</strong>.</u>&nbsp; The program will begin October 1, 2008 and sunset on September 30, 2011.&nbsp; CBO say the program will net nearly $250 million for taxpayers.&nbsp; The program is paid for by using part of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund; the GSE bill provides a further $2 billion cushion for the government by establishing a reserve fund at Treasury over ten years.&nbsp; If the program costs less than projected, the unused funds are returned to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.&nbsp; If the program more than pays for itself (as was the case during the Roosevelt Administration), any excess savings are dedicated to reducing the national debt.</div><div><div><strong>Here is a Summary of the &ldquo;Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008&quot;:</strong></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The Foreclosure bill passed by the Senate on April 10 contains the following provisions designed to address the problems faced by families and their communities in light of the foreclosure crisis:&nbsp;<ul>    <li><strong>FHA Modernization</strong>.&nbsp; To ensure that additional families can access the FHA program, which provides safe, fixed-rate mortgages, significant FHA reform is included to modernize, streamline and expand the reach of the FHA program.&nbsp; Under this bill, the FHA loan limit is increased from 95% to 110% of area median home price with a cap at 150% of GSE limit (currently, $625,000), allowing families in all areas of the country to access homeownership through FHA.&nbsp; Downpayments of 3.5% will be required for any FHA loan and counseling requirements are enhanced to help provide for stable homeownership.</li></ul><ul>    <li><strong>Assisting Communities Devastated by Foreclosures</strong>.&nbsp; Homes that have been foreclosed upon and are sitting unoccupied lead to declines in neighboring house values, increased crime and significant disinvestment. &nbsp;To ensure that communities can mitigate these harmful effects of foreclosures, $3.92 billion is provided to communities hardest hit by foreclosures and delinquencies.&nbsp; These supplemental Community Development Block Grant Funds will be used to purchase foreclosed homes, at a discount, and rehabilitate or redevelop the homes to stabilize neighborhoods and stem the significant losses in house values of neighboring homes.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul>    <li><strong>Providing Pre-Foreclosure Counseling for Families in Need</strong>.&nbsp;To help families avoid foreclosure, this bill provides $150 million in additional funding for housing counseling.&nbsp;These funds will be distributed by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation by the end of 2008 to ensure families can quickly get the help they need.&nbsp; As many as 250,000 additional families connect with their mortgage servicer or lender to explore options that will keep them in their homes as a result of these counseling funds.&nbsp; In addition, $30 million is provided to help provide legal services to distressed borrowers.</li></ul><ul>    <li><strong>Enhancing Mortgage Disclosure</strong>.&nbsp; To ensure that consumers are provided with timely and meaningful disclosures in connection with mortgages, the bill expands the types of home loans subject to early disclosures (within three days of application) under the Truth In Lending Act (TILA) including refinancings.&nbsp; The bill requires that disclosures be provided no later than 7 days prior to closing so borrowers can shop for another loan if not satisfied with the terms. The bill requires a new disclosure that informs borrowers of the maximum monthly payments possible under their loan, and also increases the range of statutory damages for TILA violations from the current $200 to $2000 to $400 to $4000.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul>    <li><strong>Preserving the American Dream for Our Nation&rsquo;s Veterans</strong>.&nbsp; To assist returning soldiers avoid foreclosure, this bill lengthens the time a lender must wait before starting foreclosure from three months to nine months after a soldier returns from service and also provides returning soldiers with one year relief from increases in mortgage interest rates.&nbsp; In addition, the Department of Defense is required to establish a counseling program to ensure veterans and active service members can access assistance if facing financial difficulties.&nbsp; Also included is a provision that increases the VA loan guarantee amount, so that veterans have additional homeownership opportunities. The bill contains provisions to do the following: increase benefits paid to veterans with disabilities such as blindness for the purpose of adapting their housing; provide a moving benefit to servicemen and woman who are forced to move out of rental housing because the owner of the housing was foreclosed on; provide that veterans benefits received in a lump sum are treated the same for the purposes of eligibility for housing assistance as monthly benefits; and to allow the Veterans Administration to provide for improvements and structural alterations to homes of veterans with service-connected disabilities.&nbsp;</li></ul></div></div>]]></description>
<date>6/23/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 8:27:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=292</link>
<id>292</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Webinar Winners!]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Sorry I did not get to my blog yesterday. I was SWAMPED with emails from new clients at my Wednesday night Webinar. My Panelists, full&nbsp;time foreclosure investors&nbsp;-- Elizabeth Einecke,&nbsp;now a&nbsp;part time&nbsp;teacher (because she loves it) and&nbsp;Sarah Garlick, a happily retired corporate sales professional -- were awesome on this Call. I can't thank them enough for sharing their time with our new clients, like you. So you can start your foreclosure journey, as they have, not too long ago.</p>
<p><strong>At the end of the Call I announced the WINNERS to my big prizes. In case you missed it, here they are:</strong></p>
<p><strong>2nd Prize:</strong> Ralph Flores, City of Industry, CA: 3 Months Free Foreclosure Lists Access!</p>
<p><strong>1st Prize:</strong> Richard Binns, Suffield, CT: Seven Steps to Mastering Foreclosures 2008 Homestudy!</p>
<p><strong>GRAND Prize:</strong> David Buhr, Renton, Renton, WA: 3-Day Mastering Lab Seat!</p>
<p>Congratulations to all 3 of you! I can't wait to hear from you and about all your successes in the foreclosure investing business. Keep us all posted! Take care, Alexis</p>]]></description>
<date>6/20/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 12:11:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=291</link>
<id>291</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[$7500 Tax Credit is Back]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>A Tax Credit for homebuyers is back on&nbsp;the table. This time for first-time home buyers. As part of a larger housing-rescue package, representatives in the House have proposed creating a temporary tax credit with a ceiling of $7,500 that could be used by first-time home buyers or those who have not owned a home for three years.</p>
<p>I've already written about a similar provision in the Senate that would allow for a credit of $7,000, but would apply to buyers who are purchasing a foreclosed property, or a previously unsold and unoccupied newly built property on which a building permit was issued and construction started on or before Sept. 1, 2007. Also, the credit could be recaptured if the property is sold, or isn't used as a principal residence within two years of the purchase.</p>
<p>Of course I&nbsp;prefer the Senate's version for purchasers of foreclosure property... but either tax credit would stimulate a wave of home buying that could quickly reduce excess supply in housing markets and halt the&nbsp;erosion of house prices in&nbsp;hard hit areas.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Now we just need to get&nbsp;Congress to act quickly and get it done!</p>
<p><strong>Can't wait to talk to you all about this and more in just a few hours! My Free </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Live Webinar and Conference Call will start at 6pm Pacific</strong></a><strong>. If you have not already registered, </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>make sure you do now</strong></a><strong> as WOW the spots are filling up fast! Plus, you need to be PRESENT to WIN one of my 3 BIG PRIZES -- 3 months foreclosure lists access; 2008 Seven Steps to Mastering Foreclosures homestudy; and the GRAND PRIZE winner of a spot in my highly-coveted 3-day Lab! </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Talk to you all shortly! :)</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>6/18/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 4:28:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=290</link>
<id>290</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Rates: Up or Down?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Which way will the Federal Reserve go - up or down on interest rates? After today, it looks like they are headed DOWN...</p>
<p>We&nbsp;have economic data that shows rising inflation and a troubled housing market. We also have <org></org>Goldman Sachs, the world's largest securities firm, reporting quarterly results topping expectations as well as its competitors.</p>
<p>The Goldman results, along with newspaper reports that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to hike interest rates soon, helped the market initially bypass economic data, which included a 1.4% increase in wholesale prices in May, with core prices, which exclude food and energy, climbing 0.2%.</p>
<p>&quot;We're trained to look at the core,&quot; said Terrin Griffiths, an economist with the <location></location>California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues, of the market's initial willingness to put aside the rise in wholesale prices. Another report illustrated a desperate attempt by builders to reduce the supply of homes, with the Commerce Department estimating construction began on 3.3% fewer homes in May.</p>
<p>
<person></person>
David Dickens, executive vice president, asset liability management, at U.S. Central, a central banking institution for credit unions, said the ongoing saga of a weak economy and rising inflation will likely force the hand of the Federal Reserve, which he believes will prompt the central bank to CUT its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points in September.</p>
<p><strong>So there you go... thank goodness I will have time to discuss this and more tomorrow in my FREE Webinar and Conference Call, </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/order/prod.asp?val=tc&amp;id=10"><strong>Wednesday, June 18th, 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern).</strong></a><strong> Plus, in case you missed it, I am giving away 3 BIG PRIZES to attendees of the Live Event- 3 months free foreclosure list access; my 2008 Seven Steps to Mastering Foreclosures complete home-study course; and 1 seat to my highly coveted hands-on 3-Day Mastering Lab! Make sure you register now, as we are almost out of space! </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/order/prod.asp?val=tc&amp;id=10"><strong>MORE HERE.</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>6/17/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 10:34:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=289</link>
<id>289</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[More Myths and Realities]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Not much news today, outside&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://portal.hud.gov/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/FHA_HOME/PRESS/PROPERTY_FLIPPING_WAIVER/PROPERTY%20FLIPPING%20WAIVER%20REQUEST.PDF">FHA's&nbsp;removal of its&nbsp;90-day hold requirement</a> from 2003 for REO Lender Sellers. It really isn't news because any REO lender who wants to sell their property to a homebuyer with a FHA loan needs to conform to FHA standards and rehab the house first, before they sell it. I have yet to find a REO lender who can foreclose, repair, list and sell all within 90 days of&nbsp; the&nbsp;foreclosure auction. In&nbsp;real life, banks are no where close to that together!</p><p><strong>So I did some searching and found this straight talking Mortgage Market Myths and Realtiy from the MBA. I hope you find this helpful... </strong></p><p><strong>Myth:&nbsp;</strong>Mortgage lenders are not doing enough to help distressed borrowers. <br /><br /><strong>Reality:</strong><br />The mortgage lending industry is engaged in an unprecedented&nbsp;effort to assist distressed borrowers.&nbsp; In the second half of 2007, servicers helped 869,000 homeowners&nbsp;through repayment plans and loan modifications. For more information,&nbsp;see the Mortgage Bankers Association of America report, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mortgagebankers.org/files/HelpingDistressedBorrowersFinal.pdf">&quot;Help For Distressed Borrowers.&quot;</a></p><p><strong>Myth:&nbsp;</strong>Borrowers who qualify for prime loans only end up with subprime loans if lenders deceptively steer them into such loans. <br /><br /><strong>Reality:</strong><br />Many borrowers who might qualify for prime loans knowingly select subprime loans for reasons that include:</p><div><ul>    <li>A desire to put little or no money down.</li>    <li>A desire to not have to document income, either to speed up the deal or to defraud the lender.</li>    <li>A desire to take out a larger loan than the borrower could qualify for under prime terms.</li></ul></div><p><strong>Myth:&nbsp;</strong>Bankruptcy is an easy process that consumers should use. <br /><br /><strong>Reality:</strong><br />It is apparent that groups such as the Center for Responsible Lending and some Members of Congress advocate that people enter into bankruptcy rather than focus on other more effective and less burdensome ways to help consumers.&nbsp;They fail to understand the very real and severe consequences for consumers who declare bankruptcy.</p><ul>    <li>Bankruptcy stays on a consumers\' credit report for 10 years, making it difficult to acquire future credit, especially in a tighter credit environment.</li>    <li>Bankruptcy makes it more difficult for borrowers to get credit cards, buy a home, car or hazard insurance and in some cases, obtain employment.</li>    <li>Bankruptcy costs consumers about $3,000 in attorney and court fees.</li>    <li>Finally, nearly, two-thirds of bankruptcy repayment plans fail and repayment plans do not take into account new expenses that an individual incurs, such as unanticipated health related costs or emergencies.</li></ul><p><strong>Myth:&nbsp;</strong>Congress should reform the bankruptcy laws to help troubled borrowers. <br /><br /><strong>Reality:</strong><br />An MBA analysis demonstrates that rates on mortgages will rise at least 1.5 percent for future homeowners and anyone looking to refinance if bankruptcy legislation (H.R. 3609) is enacted. In fact, MBA recently launched the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.mortgagebankers.org/StopTheCramDown">Bankruptcy Resource Center</a> where individuals and policymakers can go to see how much the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage would increase at the state and county levels.</p><p><strong>Learn about Foreclosure Investing Myths and Realities this <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Wednesday, June 18th, 6pm PST (9pm EST)</strong></a><strong> in my </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>FREE New Foreclosure Investor Webinar and Conference Call.</strong></a> And how can you make profits, with or without your own cash or credit, in todays real estate market.</strong><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Plus I'll be giving away some FANTASTIC prizes.... such as a FREE LAB Seat, FREE Homestudy and FREE List Access. Don't miss out! Make sure you signup asap as our Webinar Conference Provider has limited our space and I know we will sell out.&nbsp;Space is very limited. Do not wait to reserve your spot. </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>MORE HERE.</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>6/16/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 8:21:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=288</link>
<id>288</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Inflation: Today vs the 1970s]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p itxtvisited="1">Consumer prices rose a little more than expected in the month of May, according to a report released by the Department of Labor, with the bigger than expected increase largely due to a surge in energy prices. After stripping out food and energy prices, the core consumer price index rose 0.2 percent in May, which came in line with economist estimates.</p><p><span _extended="true">Soaring gasoline prices helped drive up overall U.S. consumer prices during May by the fastest rate in six months, but core prices remained tame. The</span><span _extended="true"> 12-month core prices advanced 2.3% as expected (see chart above).</span>&nbsp;</p><p>This is not the inflation we know of from the 1970\'s.... here is why....<a _extended="true" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_otfwl2zc6Qc/SFKTrBus1KI/AAAAAAAAE1U/7eSOb3JvcUs/s1600-h/cpicore.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211390086229054626" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: pointer; text-align: center" alt="" border="0" _extended="true" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_otfwl2zc6Qc/SFKTrBus1KI/AAAAAAAAE1U/7eSOb3JvcUs/s400/cpicore.bmp" /></a><span _extended="true"><span _extended="true">Note that core CPI inflation (less food and energy, <a _extended="true" href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/fredgraph?chart_type=line&amp;s%5B1%5D%5Bid%5D=CPILFESL&amp;s%5B1%5D%5Btransformation%5D=pc1"><font color="#253785">data here</font></a><span _extended="true">) has been below 3% now for 149 consecutive months, since January of 1996 (shaded area above). Also notice that there is a huge difference between the inflationary 1970s and today - in the inflationary 1970s (fueled by excessive money creation) ALL prices were rising simultaneously at double-digits rates, EVEN the non-energy and non-food items of the CPI. Today, except for energy and food prices, core inflation is contained, low and stable, as is growth in the monetary base, suggesting that the concern about inflation is well... inflated.</span><br _extended="true" /><br _extended="true" /><span _extended="true">Also, compared to a recent peak close to 3% during 2006, the core inflation rate is lower today, and has been generally declining since late 2007.</span><br _extended="true" /><br _extended="true" /><span _extended="true">Rising energy prices alone cannot cause inflationary increases in all goods and services, as the situation today suggests, with core inflation remaining low and stable despite rising energy prices. Keep in mind also that during the double-digit inflation in the U.S. during the 1970s, fueled by expansionary monetary policy, the German central bank demonstrated much greater monetary restraint, and inflation in Germany never exceeded 8% in any year during the 1970s and averaged only 5% during that decade (despite experiencing the same increase in world oil prices as the U.S.). </span></span></span></p><p><span _extended="true"><strong>I'll be talking about this and more this </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Wednesday at 6pm PST (9pm EST)</strong></a><strong>... Plus I\'ll be giving away some FANTASTIC prizes.... such as a FREE LAB Seat, FREE Homestudy and FREE List Access. Don\'t miss out! Make sure you signup asap as our Webinar Conference Provider has limited our space and I know we will sell out. </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>MORE HERE.</strong></a></span></p>]]></description>
<date>6/13/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 5:25:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=287</link>
<id>287</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Economy: Gains More than Forecast]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p class="times">U.S. retail sales surged 1% in May, rising double the rate expected by economists in a sign consumers were using the $50 million in economic stimulus payments the government sent out in May, just under half of the total stimulus aimed at consumers, and that the economy might not be as weak as feared. In addition, sales in the previous two months were revised strongly upward.</p><p class="times">The retail sales report is a key indicator of U.S. consumer spending. Consumer spending makes up about 70% of gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity in the U.S.</p><p>Retail sales jumped by the largest amount in six months in May as 57 million economic stimulus payments helped offset the headwinds buffeting consumers.&nbsp;A wide variety of retailers enjoyed a good month, including the biggest increase at department stores and other general merchandise stores in a year.</p><p>Analysts were surprised by the solid increase in retail sales and noted that sales in April were also revised to show a respectable gain of 0.4 percent, instead of the original estimate that sales had fallen by 0.2 percent.</p><p class="times">In another report the Commerce Department said that business inventories grew by 0.5 percent in April, more than double the 0.2 percent rise in March and the best showing since inventories rose by 1 percent in January.</p><p>&quot;Recession? What recession?&quot; asked Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors. &quot;Spending in April and May was solid in just about every category.&quot;</p><p>Also today the Labor Department said initial jobless claims totaled 384,000 last week, about 14,000 more than had been predicted. Another report from the government said import prices rose 2.3% last month, a bit less than the consensus forecast.&nbsp;Commodities were moving lower. Crude oil was down $3.03 at $133.36 a barrel, and gold was giving back $15.23 to $867.67. The dollar was on a tear, climbing 1% against the euro and the yen and nearly that much on the pound.</p><p><strong>So what does this all mean to you, the foreclosure buyer? And how can you make profits, with or without your own cash or credit, in todays real estate market? Find out more on </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Wednesday, June 18th, 6pm PST (9pm EST)</strong></a><strong> in my </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>FREE New Foreclosure Investor Webinar and Conference Call.</strong></a><strong> Space is Limited, so do not wait to reserve your spot. </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>MORE HERE.</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>6/12/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 9:58:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=286</link>
<id>286</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[We May Have Turned the Corner. Foreclosures Drop for 2nd Month.]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p><u>June 9th:</u> May foreclosures dropped 11.98% from April. In fact, for the second consecutive month fewer homeowners lost their properties to foreclosure.&nbsp;The number of homeowners facing pre-foreclosure also was down again -- 8.89% from April, according to California-based ForeclosureS.com, the original foreclosure information specialists.</p>
<div class="StoryBottom">
<div class="p">&quot;The numbers support what I've been saying for a while - the housing market is not as bad as what you hear,&quot; says Alexis McGee, foreclosure information expert, educator, and president of ForeclosureS.com. &quot;The market is showing signs of forming a bottom as supply catches up with demand because fewer new homes are being built and buyers are flocking back into a much more affordable market. Yes there are tons of foreclosures glutting our inventory, but foreclosures are not increasing as many believe. And for the many homeowners who have already defaulted, efforts by government and industry helping homeowners work out their mortgage problems appear to be paying off,&quot; says McGee.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">&quot;Of course we're far from out of the woods,&quot; she adds. &quot;Despite the positive news, year-to-date 4.6 of every 1,000 households nationwide were repossessed by their lenders (353,621 total REOs YTD, up 68.36% from 210,033 filings YTD 2007). Month over month May's 65,754 REO filings were down 16.02% from March numbers. Also YTD, 11.7 out of every 1,000 households faced pre-foreclosure (854,923 pre-foreclosure filings YTD, up 80.01% from 474,929 YTD 2007). But month-to-month numbers were more positive. May had 161,146 pre-foreclosure filings, down 16.63% from March,&quot; says McGee. (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/foreclosurescom-we-may-have-turned/story.aspx?guid=%7B88C4051D%2D8F2F%2D4144%2DBFC8%2DB5E28B861B7B%7D&amp;dist=msr_1">Full Release Here.</a>)</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p"><strong>While the current news headlines focus on oil and food prices --&nbsp;there are some positive signs occuring daily in the housing market --&nbsp;and no one is talking about it. This is why I have my </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>FREE Webinar and Conference Call coming up next Wednesday, June 18th, 6pm PDT (9pm EDT)</strong></a><strong>. I have lots of important news to share with you, as well as tips on how to get started right now in todays extremely lucrative foreclosure market. AND I am giving away some incredible FREE PRIZES to attendees of my Live Event. </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Don't Miss Out! MORE HERE.</strong></a></div>
</div>]]></description>
<date>6/11/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 11:11:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=285</link>
<id>285</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Pending Sales UNEXPECTEDLY Rise?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>More &quot;unexpected&quot; news on the housing front today. I've been blogging and discussing on my Conference Calls what I have been hearing privately for a while now...&nbsp;that houses that are priced well are getting multiple offers and selling quickly. That affordability is back in many markets. And that a bottom is now forming.</p>
<p><strong>Then today, I finally get public&nbsp;affirmation....</strong></p>
<p><em>June 9 (Bloomberg) -- The number of Americans signing contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose as the first national drop in prices since the 1930s lured buyers back into the market in the West, Midwest and South.</em></p>
<p><em>The index of pending home resales jumped 6.3 percent in April, the most since 2001, after a 1 percent drop in March, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington. The March reading was the lowest level since the NAR started keeping records eight years ago. </em></p>
<p><em>The figures may be a sign that the glut of 5 million unsold properties may be on the way down, which economists say is a prerequisite for stabilization in the industry. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke warned last week that the economy will remain in danger of weakening further until housing reaches a bottom </em></p>
<p><em>``We are seeing sales picking up notably where prices are coming down,'' said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the realtors' group. ``The first necessary thing is for sales to rise'' and today's data is a step in the right direction, he said. </em></p>
<p><em>Economists projected the index would fall 0.4 percent, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey of 32 economists. Estimates ranged from a drop of 1.5 percent to a 1 percent gain. </em></p>
<p><em>``There are some signs that sales are close to a bottom...'' said James O'Sullivan, a senior economist at UBS Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut, who had the highest forecast in the Bloomberg News survey. </em></p>
<p><em>``We'll need to see more than this report to suggest housing is really rebounding,'' said O'Sullivan. </em></p>
<p><em>The measure increased 13 percent in the Midwest and 8.3 percent in the West. Pending resales rose 4.6 percent in the South and decreased 1.9 percent in the Northeast. </em></p>
<p><em>The pending resales measure is considered a leading indicator because it tracks contract signings. The existing-home sales report reflects closings, which typically occur a month or two later. </em></p>
<p><em>The Realtors group will release its May existing home sales report on June 26. Purchases in April dropped to a 4.89 million annual pace, matching the weakest rate since records began. It would take an all-time high of 11.2 months to sell all the houses on the market at the current sales pace. </em></p>
<p><em>Still, the decline in prices is making homes more affordable. The Realtors group's affordability index stood at 129.8 in April. A reading of 100 indicates a family with the median income could afford a median-priced house at current interest rates.</em></p>
<p><strong><font size="2">Now the question is, what are you going to do with this information? <font face="arial, helvetica">I know you will all look back at this time right now as our best opportunity for deals in 35 years and wish you bought more property on FIRE SALE! </font></font><font size="2"><font face="arial, helvetica" color="#000080">Would you like to get your piece of the pie&nbsp;AND SAVE $1,000?</font><font face="arial, helvetica" color="#800000">&nbsp;Check out my SUPER SUMMER SALE going on NOW through this Friday, June 13th! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/mastering_systems_lab.asp">CLICK HERE NOW!</a></font></font></strong></p>]]></description>
<date>6/9/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 1:15:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=284</link>
<id>284</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Top Economist States: Housing Market May Turn More Quickly Than You Expect... ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Another top economist agrees with me, this market is showing signs that affordability is back and we have turned a corner. <span class="t14">Irwin Kellner chief economist for MarketWatch and for Capital One Bank just wrote today <strong>&quot;</strong></span><strong>Housing market may turn more quickly than you</strong> <strong>expect&quot;.</strong> Here it is...</p>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px">
<div class="PageLinksTop" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_PageInformation"><strong>MarketWatch -- Here's an all-points bulletin to prospective homebuyers: The protracted decline in home prices has made many houses more affordable than they've been in years.</strong></div>
<div class="PageLinksTop" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_PageInformation">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="StoryPrint">
<div class="p">You know what this means? Housing could shift from a buyer's market to a seller's market before you know it.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that all is copacetic when it comes to housing. Far from it.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">I would agree with those who say that it will take many months before balance is restored between supply and demand. There are simply too many homes for sale at asking prices that are still too high for housing to do a 180. Nor am I expecting another housing bubble to form, not in this decade anyway.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">All I would like to point out is that, in broad macro terms, the average house is no longer as overpriced as it once was. That being the case, it is no longer prudent to assume that home prices have to fall a lot more before they stabilize.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">For now, however, this is what most buyers believe. Knowing full well that there are a lot of unsold homes out there, most would-be buyers are waiting for a sign that prices have stopped falling and thus stabilized before making a bid. They are waiting because history has conditioned them to do so.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">Until recently, home prices used to go in only one direction, up, the only question being how fast. As a result, a house became just about the only item -- large or small -- that people would buy expecting its price to appreciate.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">This kind of thinking does not apply to any other product the typical household purchases. Indeed, people routinely buy the latest cell phone, personal digital assistant, high-definition TV, or other electronic gadget fully expecting that those who buy after they do will probably pay less.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">But housing is different - at least it used to be. Maybe now that people see that home prices can behave no differently than most other prices (They can go down as well as up), they will adapt a different attitude.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">Getting back to affordability, loyal readers know that I believe that this measure is the best way to value a house.</div>
<div class="p">I don't care about the cost of land, labor, building materials or the house next door. What matters to me is the ratio of home prices to household incomes (see my column of Feb. 4).</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">As of the April stats, the typical existing home cost 3.4 times estimated household incomes, while median new-home prices equaled almost 3.8 times family incomes.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">These are down from the peak of 4.2 reached in the bubble year 2005, although they remain above the 2.8 figure that prevailed in the 1980s, when housing sold at a brisk pace.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">But home prices don't have to get down to 2.8 times incomes to kick-start the market. A bit over three times might do it. Remember, incomes are still rising, so home prices don't have to fall as much as you think before buyers decide that they can once more afford the home of their dreams. Sooner or later, the fact that housing is more affordable will sink in.</div>
<div class="p">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="p">That's when the market will turn. And, no, my home is not for sale.</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="p" dir="ltr"><strong>So, what will you be doing this summer? Laying around, saving gas and reading the bad press of gloom and doom? Or learning how to grab some great deals on foreclosure houses, while they are on fire sale and interest rates are at 35 year lows? If you are the later... you have found the right place. </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/learn.asp"><strong>CLICK HERE to learn more...</strong></a></div>]]></description>
<date>6/6/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 12:13:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=283</link>
<id>283</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[First Year over Year Sales Increases since 2006]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p><span class="vitstorybody">
<p>Another top foreclosure county nationwide - Riverside County, CA is seeing first year-over-year sales increase since 2006. Yes folks bargain hunters are&nbsp;flocking&nbsp;into the foreclosures market.</p>
<p>While Riverside County was the only county in Southern California to log an April-to-April gain, sales surged throughout the region to the highest level since August.</p>
<p>This just proves that price does&nbsp;make a difference. The median price of homes sold in Riverside County last month dropped almost 31 percent to $283,500 from April 2007, and 33 percent in San Bernardino County to $248,000.</p>
<p>Real estate agents throughout Inland Southern California say since early this year they have seen a growth in home purchases, particularly by first-time buyers who now can nab a house cheap enough so their monthly mortgage payments are no more than what they have been paying in rent.</p>
<p>And many Riverside buyers have&nbsp;discovered that homes priced below $300,000 frequently attract multiple offers.</p>
<p>Riverside and San Bernardino counties lead the region in foreclosures as a percentage of resale activity. Homes that had gone into foreclosure in the previous 12 months represented almost 53 percent of April resales in Riverside County and nearly 52 percent in San Bernardino County.</p>
<p>Sales have been spurred by legislation that raised the limit on mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, Nyiri said. He noted that FHA mortgages require proof of income and good credit but are specially designed to accommodate first-time buyers.</p>
<p><strong>I know you are reading my blog because you want to get a great deal on a foreclosure - or two, or three, or ten. Wondering HOW you can FIND, NEGOTIATE and BUY a great foreclosure deal in your area and make HUGE PROFITS right now, without using your own money or credit? And want to take advantage of our GREAT Home Study SALE that ends tomorrow? </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/mastering_deals.asp"><strong>READ ON&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;</strong></a></p>
</span></p>]]></description>
<date>6/5/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 10:28:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=282</link>
<id>282</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Laws to stop the Bad Guys]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>I just received this email from a new client and wanted to share it with all of you... to settle any concerns you may have about pending foreclosure legislation. Here you go:</p><p><font size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>I attended your <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">webinar</a> two nights ago and enjoyed it thoroughly.&nbsp;Being in the business (mortgage side) your <a href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/order/prod.asp?val=ms">homestudy</a> seems like good training&nbsp;to approach homeowners and talk the talk&hellip; so I look forward to being successful off the principles you will teach.</em></span></font></p><div><font size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>However, I did read an article today about states beginning to ramp up on &ldquo;foreclosure scams&rdquo;. &nbsp;These are mostly the scams you advised us on the webinar to avoid, which are obvious. &nbsp;But do you see any of these legislative moves affecting the principles on which your business and methodology was built?&nbsp; After reading this article below, for example, it almost seems as if states are going to outlaw deed transfers.</em></span></font></div><div><font size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt"><a href="http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-05-29/states-act-to-stem-foreclosure-scams/"><font color="#800080"><em>http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-05-29/states-act-to-stem-foreclosure-scams/</em></font></a></span></font></div><div><font size="2"></font></div><div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Thank you Joe, here are my thoughts...</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>1) Loss-Mitigation firms that charge upfront fees and then do nothing.</div><div>2) All Sale-Leaseback deals, as the owners never do get to buy the house back, instead they get evicted when they miss their higher rent payment.</div><div>3) Maryland is the only state that has issued a rule that any purchase of a house in default must be made at 82% of market value. The problem is, who decides what market value is and how will they regulate this? The answer, folks don\'t know, so investors have stopped buying homes in default in Maryland. Instead they buy REOs only (and there are a ton of them, since Maryland affected this dumb law) in Maryland and work pre-foreclosures in nearby states that do not have this crazy law.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Loss-Mitigation and Sale-Leaseback schemes are both unethical and should have been stopped a long time ago. If you have not <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/forecast/ff_jan07/default.asp?topic=marketing">read my column&nbsp;on this subject, please do so now HERE.</a></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>I am pleased as they are removing those bad guys... So to answer your question, NO this does not hurt us... it helps us.. as we don\'t have to overcome the objections of these so-called &quot;better options&quot; that the homeowners perceive are out there. Getting them removed is the best thing that could happen to all involved!</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>To learn how to do foreclosures the RIGHT WAY...&nbsp;</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/learn.asp"><strong>Please&nbsp;Click&nbsp;Here.</strong></a></div></div>]]></description>
<date>5/30/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 12:11:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=281</link>
<id>281</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Plan for Tonight]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>I am so glad my FREE Webinar and Live Conference Call is tonight. I have so much news to digest! I am thinking of renaming my blog the &quot;Unexpected Good News&quot; by Alexis. This just in today:</p>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px">
<p>May 28 (Bloomberg) -- Orders for U.S. durable goods excluding cars and planes unexpectedly rose in April, signaling that international customers are helping factories ride out the economic slowdown. Excluding transportation orders that tend to be volatile, bookings for goods meant to last several years rose 2.5 percent, the most since July, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. Total orders fell a less-than-forecast 0.5 percent.</p>
<p>Exports are keeping the economy from shrinking.. ``Here we really see that the effects of a weaker dollar are in fact giving us a lot more juice in this economy than we had expected,'' Anthony Chan, chief economist at JPMorgan Private Client Services Group, said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio. ``When the economy weakens you tend to see the manufacturing sector also weaken,'' though ``this time around, we're not seeing that,'' he said.</p>
<p>Companies that export have continued to grow during the current slowdown in growth. A shrinking trade gap added 0.2 percentage point to first-quarter economic growth, according to Commerce Department figures.``We have a multiple-engine world economy, with the euro zone holding up and parts of Asia doing quite well,'' said Kenneth Broux, an economist at Lloyds TSB Group Plc in London, who had forecast a gain in durables orders excluding transportation. ``Manufacturing is certainly defying the more pessimistic view out there.''</p>
<p>The report will be welcome news to Federal Reserve officials, who have said they were concerned about the prospects for business investment. Policy makers lowered their 2008 economic growth projection by about a full percentage point to 0.3 percent to 1.2 percent, according to the minutes of their April 30 policy meeting released last week,</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Interesting stuff and important to understand. Its not hard to find bad news on the economy or housing markets. We are not in strong growth times. And the &quot;easy money&quot; where you can be a lazy investor who pays full market value and lets the market make your profits for you, is nowhere in sight. Now, those with the right skills and tenancity who do not try to &quot;time the market&quot; ARE making great deals buying foreclosures at BIG DISCOUNTS from current market value and then reselling instantly, putting cash in the bank. And they can do this without using any of their own money, or needing to deal with the conventional mortgage market.</p>
<p><strong>Wondering how this is being done? Find out </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>TONIGHT in my FREE Webinar</strong></a><strong> and Live Conference Call at 6pm PST (9pm EST) where I discuss the above and more. I am just about out of FREE SPACE so do not wait. </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>CLICK HERE NOW.</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>5/28/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 9:11:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=280</link>
<id>280</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Good News Buried Today]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<div><span style="font-size: 10pt">Couldn't miss the weak housing in the news today--&nbsp;the S&amp;P Case-Shiller Index showed housing prices across the country fell 14.1% in the first quarter vs. a year ago.&nbsp;</span><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt">Now for the good news, which was very much buried, but found on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thestreet.com/print/story/10418460.html"><font color="#800080">TheStreet.com</font></a>: </span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt"><br />New-Home Sales Post Surprise April Climb</span></strong></div><div><span style="font-size: 10pt"><br />(Do&nbsp;check out Jim Cramers video <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thestreet.com/print/story/10418460.html"><font color="#800080">&quot;Housing Relief Is in Sight&quot;</font></a>)</span></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Sales of new homes totaled an annualized rate of 526,000 in April, which was 3.3% above March but 42% lower than a year earlier, the U.S. Census Bureau said. Economists expected 520,000 sales, according to <em>Briefing.com</em>. </span></div><div><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt"><br />And even Better News: Total housing inventory levels fell for the 12th straight month. </span></strong></div><div><span style="font-size: 10pt"><br />The month's supply inventory level -- which is based on the current sales pace -- was 10.6, down from 11.1 in March. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt">Major homebuilders were up slightly in morning trading, with <strong>KB Home </strong>rising 2.3% to $21, <strong>Toll Brothers </strong>up 1.2% to $21.32 and <strong>Pulte Homes </strong>up 1.4% at $12.49. </span></div><div><em><span style="font-size: 10pt"><br />Now for the fun part... What&nbsp;does&nbsp;all this housing data mean? &nbsp;And what should you do with it? Should you buy foreclosures now? And if so, how? And where will you find the money to do this? These questions and more will be answered in my <strong><u><font color="#0000ff">FREE Webinar and Conference Call, Tomorrow, Wednesday at </font></u></strong></span></em><u><font color="#0000ff"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 10pt">6pm PST</span><strong><em><span style="font-size: 10pt"> (</span><strong><em><span style="font-size: 10pt">9pm EST</span><strong><em><span style="font-size: 10pt">)!</span></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></font></u></div><div /><div /><div><em /></div><div><em /></div><div><em><span style="font-size: 10pt">This is the first time I have made my Time-Sensitive Call for FREE -- and guess what? We have been blown away by the response. Now for the problem -- my Conference Provider has a cap on our space and we are almost full. So do not wait another second. You must <strong><u><font color="#0000ff">REGISTER HERE NOW!</font></u></strong> </span></em></div>]]></description>
<date>5/27/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 11:39:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=278</link>
<id>278</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Mortgage Restrictions Ease Effective June 1st]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>It was hard to miss the April home sales headlines last week from&nbsp;the NAR. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2008/ehs_april08_ease"><font size="2">(Read the full report here.)</font></a><font size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>
<p>But did you hear that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have announced that they were eliminating their &lsquo;declining market&rsquo; policies, effective June 1. This means they will no longer require a 5% (or more) downward adjustment to appraisals in some markets. Home buyers will now have access to safe, affordable financing with down payments of only 5 percent on most mortgages and 100 percent financing available on some loan products.</p>
<p>Yes you read right... 95% and 100% financing is back. Can you believe this?</p>
<p>Eliminating restrictive mortgage policies will be a big help to home buyers. Anyone was was disappointed by poor mortgage options recently should&nbsp;take another look at the market because the lending changes are significant. Also, a recent notable drop in interest rates on conforming jumbo loans is absolutely helping consumers in high-cost markets like California and New York.</p>
<p>In fact some markets, like San Diego, Calif are experiencing rising sales after sudden double-digit drops in local home prices. So lower prices and low interest rates are absolutely starting to generate sales results. While the rest of the world focuses on the 1% decline in for Aprils existing home sales nationally,&nbsp;here is the rest of the story:</p>
<p>The West&nbsp;ROSE 6.4%; The South was unchanged; The Northeast fell 4.4%;&nbsp;The Midwest fell&nbsp; 6.0%.</p>
<p><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">On Wednesday Night </a>I will be dicussing this and more -- and what it means to you the foreclosure buyer -- so you can BUY LOW and SELL HIGH in todays market. If you not have registered yet, you need to get to it.&nbsp;Our conference provider has limited our&nbsp;capacity and I am worried we will run out of spots shortly. So get to it! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">CLICK HERE to Register.</a></strong></p>]]></description>
<date>5/24/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 11:15:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=277</link>
<id>277</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA["Unexpected" Good Jobs Report]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>It happened again today. We received good economic news and the press was&nbsp;surprised, calling it &quot;unexpected&quot;. This time government said first-time unemployment claims decreased by 9,000 last week.</p>
<p>``Employment is clearly staying more solid than a recession would indicate,'' said Michael Vogelzang, who oversees $2 billion as president and chief investment officer at Boston Advisors LLC in Boston. ``The long-term view for the market is pretty good.''</p>
<p>Stocks rose as the decrease in jobless claims signaled that companies are responding to the current economic slowdown by cutting back on hiring rather than letting go of more staff, in contrast to previous economic slumps. Eight of 10 industry groups in the Standard &amp; Poor's 500 Index rose as the benchmark for U.S. equities rebounded from its biggest two-day tumble since March.</p>
<p>So when will good news stop being &quot;unexpected&quot;? Truthfully, it doesn't matter. What does matter is you are reading this blog and seeing what is not being reported. And now you know &quot;the rest of the story&quot;...</p>
<p><strong>And now you will need to find out what to do with this information, so you can buy LOW and sell HIGH in todays incredible foreclosure market. And for the first time ever, you can attend my </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>New Foreclosure Investor Webinar for FREE! </strong></a><strong>Dont miss out... </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>next Wednesday, May 28th, 6pm PDT</strong></a><strong>. </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Register quickly</strong></a><strong>, as my spots are filling up fast! </strong></p>]]></description>
<date>5/22/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 8:03:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=276</link>
<id>276</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Affordability is BACK! ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>This just in from&nbsp; the housing economist that is my &quot;go to&quot; for economic data and forecasting. This is no surprise, considering all the housing news that has come out recently. Make sure you read my blogs yesterday, as there are too many &quot;housing has bottomed&quot;&nbsp;signs to ignore- especially in California. What amazes me is how the press is not reporting on the 28% ONE MONTH INCREASE from March to April&nbsp; on home sales. This is the biggest increase since Dataquick started meauring this in 1988. Then John Burns comes out with this today.</p>
<p><strong>You should thank your lucky stars you are reading my blog... as this too has not made the press anywhere. </strong></p>
<p align="justify"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#2a668a" size="3"><strong>Affordability Has Improved Dramatically</strong></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Housing affordability has improved dramatically in the last year, particularly in those markets where affordability was previously the most concerning. Each month, we calculate our Housing Cycle Barometer&trade; rating - a measure of the relationship between incomes and housing costs - for more than 380 metro areas across the country. The number of markets that we designate as &quot;Areas of Significant Affordability Concern&quot; - where the Barometer rating was 7.5 or higher (out of 10) - has fallen from 42 markets one year ago to only 3 markets today. Our ratings for each market are shown in the table below and our definition is <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001NolT4sNHWQhoO7IbHBf8UVnW7pZhRaDlgzWbO97bOJOwTY2KINeb0aZc4ntQHSwVvD3NbgVjaDMcyQUIGR0hEkCEf5aI8gKqWXGywKtITpKJXgebUVHHGouf2e3gKFhmnMXRRwbFIXONpr8bxBGwdA==" shape="rect">here</a>.</font></p>
<p align="center">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" border="0">
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td><img height="280" src="http://www.realestateconsulting.com/images/local/local200805.gif" width="441" border="0" alt="" /></td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
</p>
<p align="justify"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Housing costs are finally returning to normal. Mortgage rates and lending practices are playing a huge role in&nbsp;creating&nbsp;stability in the housing market.&nbsp;Housing prices are down significantly. Foreclosures are high but trending flat right now. Mortgage rates are at 35 year lows, but will not stay here for long if you are following what is happening with gas prices and inflation pressures. <strong>I can't imagine a better time to JUMP IN than NOW!</strong></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">And to top it all off... I have found a way to bring you my&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">Conference Call and Webinar for FREE!</a> You will need to login over the internet and turn on your speakers to hear me. (If you don't have access to a computer, so you can register for my call the old way with a private toll-free line, but your registration will be $19).</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">You must&nbsp;register in advance of my <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">May 28th, Wednesday&nbsp;Call</a>&nbsp;as our conference provider has capped our space, and we are filling up fast as I write this!&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">HERE YOU GO, CLICK HERE!</a> </font></p>]]></description>
<date>5/21/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 12:00:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=275</link>
<id>275</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Bay Area N.Cal Homes Surge]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>California, #4 of the Top 10 States Pre-Foreclosure Filings (by per capita percent) is showing statewide signs of a bottom. The April home sales report from Dataquick is&nbsp;just in. And it may surprise you. <em><strong>If you have been reading my blog, this is just another reminder -- YOU BUY LOW AND SELL HIGH! GET OFF THE FENCE! THIS IS LOW!!!!!!!!!! </strong></em></p>
<p><strong><font size="3">Bay Area home sales edge up in April</font></strong></p>
<p>Northern California Bay Area home sales edged up from a seven-month run of record lows last month, indicating that mortgage availability is improving and that an increasing number of fence sitters have decided they like today's lower prices, a real estate information service reported.</p>
<p>A total of 6,310 new and resale houses and condos sold in the nine- county Bay Area in April. That was up 28.8 percent from 4,898 in March, and down 15.3 percent from 7,447 for April 2007, DataQuick Information Systems reported.</p>
<p>The month-to-month jump was the strongest for any March/April in DataQuick's statistics, which go back to 1988. Starting last September and through March, each calendar month was the slowest on record. Last month was the slowest April since 1995 when 5,636 homes were sold.</p>
<p>&quot;The big issue here is that mortgages are becoming obtainable, which will reduce the pile of stacked up pending escrows. It's unclear if the financing is because of policy changes or because mortgage investors are getting more interested in securities. Probably both,&quot; said Marshall Prentice, DataQuick president.</p>
<p>The median price paid for a Bay Area home was $518,000 last month, down 3.4 percent from $536,000 in March, and down 21.4 percent from $659,000 in April last year. Last month's median was 22.1 percent lower than the peak median of $665,000 reached in June and July last year.</p>
<p>Last month's median price would have been closer to $578,000 if the availability of jumbo home loans had remained stable. A year ago jumbo loans, mortgages above $417,000, accounted for 63.4 percent of all Bay Area home loans. Last month they were 28.8 percent, DataQuick reported.</p>
<p>Foreclosure property resales accounted for 25.7 percent of last month's Bay Area market. The percentage is higher in outlying areas that absorbed spillover activity during the frenzy. While foreclosure properties were 5.9 percent of San Francisco's resale market and 8.9 percent of Marin's resale market last month, they were 44.7 percent in Contra Costa and 54.2 percent in Solano.</p>
<p>The typical monthly mortgage payment that Bay Area buyers committed themselves to paying was $2,309 last month, down from $2,405 the previous month, and down from $3,074 a year ago. Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 9.5 percent below typical payments in the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle. They are 31.9 percent below the current cycle's peak in June 2006.</p>
<p><strong>Congrats for reading to the end of this blog. I have a reward for you -- </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a><strong> ANYTIME AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND YOU CAN REGISTER FOR MY NEXT WEBINAR AND CONFERENCE CALL ON MAY 28TH FOR FREE! </strong></p>
<p><strong>But hurry! Our conference provider is going to get slammed and has limited our capacity. So get to it before the world hears about this little secret. :) </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>CLICK HERE ANYTIME AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>5/20/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 2:32:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=274</link>
<id>274</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Southern California Sales Surge]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>California, #4 of the Top 10 States Pre-Foreclosure Filings (by per capita percent) is showing more signs of a bottom. The April home sales report from Dataquick is&nbsp;just in. And it may surprise you. <em><strong>If you have been reading my blog, this is just another reminder -- YOU BUY LOW AND SELL HIGH! GET OFF THE FENCE! THIS IS LOW!!!!!!!!!! </strong></em></p>
<p><strong><font size="3">Southland home sales highest in eight months</font></strong></p>
<p>Southern California home sales surged last month to the highest level since August as bargain shoppers took advantage of price slashing. Although some higher-end costal markets also posted gains, the swell in transactions mainly reflects more sales of homes under $500,000 in inland areas where depreciation and foreclosures have been greatest, a real estate information service reported.</p>
<p>A total of 15,615 new and resale houses and condos sold in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties in April. That was up 21.9 percent from 12,808 the previous month but down 19 percent from 19,269 in April last year, according to DataQuick Information Systems.</p>
<p>Sales from March to April have risen on average 1.2 percent since 1988, when DataQuick's statistics begin. Although last month's sales total was the highest for any month since August 2007, when 17,755 homes sold, it was still the weakest April since April 1995, when 15,303 homes sold, and the second- lowest April on record. Last month was 38 percent below the April average of 25,311 sales.</p>
<p>Post-foreclosure homes continued to play a major role in the Southland market. Of all the homes that resold in April, 37.5 percent had been foreclosed on at some point in the prior 12 months, compared with a revised 35.8 percent in March and 4.6 percent a year ago. Across the six-county area, &quot;foreclosure resales&quot; ranged from 26.9 percent of resale activity in Orange County to 52.7 percent in Riverside County.</p>
<p>Last month's upswing in sales was most pronounced for homes priced under $500,000, which accounted for two-thirds of the Southland's sales gain over March. Riverside County, the epicenter of Southland foreclosure activity and price declines, posted the region's only year-over-year sales increase &acirc;&euro;&ldquo; that county's first in two years.</p>
<p>Zip codes showing relatively large annual gains in sales of existing houses included those in San Jacinto and Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, Victorville in San Bernardino County, Lake Forest and Anaheim in Orange County, Lancaster in Los Angeles County and Chula Vista in San Diego County.</p>
<p>&quot;Quite a few more buyers stepped off the sidelines last month to snap up homes at substantial discounts relative to the market's short-lived peak,&quot; said Marshall Prentice, DataQuick president. &quot;It's no surprise, given the magnitude of the price declines in inland areas and the fact sales have been so amazingly low for so long. We continue to look for evidence of a sales bounce in the mid-priced and higher-end markets along the coast. If the higher conforming loan limits are making a difference in those areas it's certainly not a large one, at least not as of the end of April.&quot;</p>
<p>The median price paid for a Southland home was $385,000 last month, unchanged from March but down 23.8 percent from the peak median of $505,000 in April 2007. That peak was reached several times last spring and summer. Last month was the first in eight months that the median did not decline on a month-to-month basis.</p>
<p>The median has plunged for two reasons: depreciation, especially in inland markets, and the sharp dropoff in the past eight months of home sales financed with so-called jumbo mortgages, which until recently were defined as loans above $417,000.</p>
<p>Before the credit crunch hit in August 2007, nearly 40 percent of Southland sales were financed with jumbo loans. Last month jumbos accounted for 15.1 percent of Southland sales &acirc;&euro;&ldquo; about the same as in March.</p>
<p>The typical monthly mortgage payment that Southland buyers committed themselves to paying was $1,716 last month, down from a $1,816 the previous month, and down from $2,356 a year ago. Adjusted for inflation, the current payment is 18.3 percent lower than the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle. It is 33.1 percent below the current cycle's peak in June 2006.</p>
<p><strong>Congrats for reading to the end of this blog. I have a reward for you -- </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a><strong> ANYTIME AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND YOU CAN REGISTER FOR MY NEXT WEBINAR AND CONFERENCE CALL ON MAY 28TH FOR FREE! </strong></p>
<p><strong>But hurry! Our conference provider is going to get slammed and has limited our capacity. So get to it before the world hears about this little secret. :) </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>CLICK HERE ANYTIME AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>5/20/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 2:21:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=273</link>
<id>273</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[Lower Prices Luring Buyers, Its' More than Seasonal...]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<div class="contentBlockHeadline">This just in from one of the most beaten up California housing markets --&nbsp;Fresno -- &quot;<strong>Home sales are picking up. Lower prices luring buyers; agents say it's more than seasonal.&quot;</strong>&nbsp;-- Fresno Bee, May 17th.</div>
<div class="contentBlockHeadline">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="contentBlockHeadline">Fresno County's foreclosure rate is 16th among 230 metropolitan areas. Merced, Stockton, Modesto, Riverside-San Bernardino and Fort Myers, Fla., have the dubious distinction of the five highest foreclosure rates in the nation. (You can view Foreclosures.com Internal Statistics <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/stats/">HERE</a>.)</div>
<div class="contentBlockHeadline">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="contentBlockHeadline">As home prices fall, more people are being lured off the sidelines and into the&nbsp;housing market. Sales activity is picking up, and real estate agents say it is more than a seasonal boost.&nbsp;&quot;Since November, each month has seen an increase in sales. That is five months of an upward swing, and it looks like May could be the best month in a long time,&quot; said Don Scordino, president of the Fresno Association of Realtors.
<p>May figures looking promising because the number of &quot;pending&quot; sales (put into escrow but not closed) in Fresno and Clovis reported through the Fresno Association of Realtors was up 51% last month from April 2007, according to Guarantee Real Estate. Meanwhile, the inventory of unsold houses has slowly been shrinking, from 4,350 last September to 3,798 today.</p>
<p>&quot;Buyers are clearly back in the market,&quot; said Guarantee Real Estate President Scott Leonard, whose company put 65% more houses into escrow than a year earlier. &quot;We're seeing a significant increase in activity going into May.&quot;</p>
<p>New-home sales also have seen a spark recently, with sales in Fresno County up 4.7% from February to March and prices up 3.1%, the California Building Industry Association reported in a release that suggested the bottom is near.</p>
<p>Still, the real estate market is clearly struggling. 5,317 houses in Fresno County were lost to foreclosure in 2005 and 2006, and that a total of 10,000 to 12,800 houses could be repossessed by 2010. The number statewide could reach 377,500 by 2010, the California Research Bureau concluded.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the number of housing permits issued statewide in March was down 65% from a year previously.&nbsp;&quot;If this trend continues, we could be at the lowest number of [construction] permits since World War II,&quot; John Frith, spokesman for the California Building Industry Association, said in a visit to Fresno.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, more observers are speculating the bottom isn't far off. Those include a hedge fund manager who authored a May 6 Wall Street Journal article titled, &quot;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=day&amp;blogDate=5/9/2008">The Housing Crisis Is Over,&quot;</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/">Alexis McGee of Foreclosures.com</a>, an online site for investors.</p>
<p>McGee tracks the number of formal notices filed against properties and noted that April figures were significantly off from March. &quot;The sky isn't falling, and the bottom of the housing market is in sight,&quot; McGee said, pointing to falling prices and increased sales. &quot;Inventories are declining rapidly. The trends are moving in the right direction.&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;We're seeing an increase in the number of buyers getting off the fence,&quot; said John Bonadelle, president of the Fresno-based Building Industry Association of the San Joaquin Valley. &quot;We hope that is an indication the bottom is near.&quot;</p>
<p>Scordino said he's getting more interest from families outside the area who are attracted to the declining prices. &quot;I got three referrals from old clients whose relatives are moving here,&quot; he said.</p>
<p>Scordino and three other members of the association showcased Fresno at a buyers' fair in Los Angeles that was sponsored by the California Association of Realtors. They promoted the low prices and other attributes of the central San Joaquin Valley.&nbsp;&quot;We were really well received,&quot; he said. &quot;People would say, 'You mean I can buy that house for $250,000!' &quot;</p>
<p>Another proposal,&nbsp;recycled from a program during the Gerald Ford administration, would give home buyers a one-time tax credit of $7,500. It is designed to stimulate sales. One version would give the tax credit to buyers of foreclosures; another would give a $10,000 to all houses.</p>
<p>(More on the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=day&amp;blogDate=4/10/2008">Foreclosure Tax Credit HERE</a> and the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=day&amp;blogDate=5/7/2008">Homebuyer Tax Credit HERE</a>.)</p>
<p>&quot;This is the best time to buy,&quot; said Bonadelle. &quot;The market has beaten prices down to the point where a teacher or a police officer can afford a house.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>There is more to this story. Take the time and read my <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=archives&amp;month=5&amp;year=2008">May </a>and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=archives&amp;month=4&amp;year=2008">April blog</a> posts and you will see over and over again the patterns of a bottom. Everyone loves to buy low and sell high. And now is LOW! Make sure you get on my <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">Webinar and Conference Call next Wednesday</a> where I will clearly digest this changing market news and share with you what YOU need to do to take advantage of this incredible window of time. </em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><em>Read the details HERE.</em></a></p>
</div>
<!--/STORYHEADLINE--><!--STORYBODY-->]]></description>
<date>5/19/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 11:03:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=272</link>
<id>272</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Big Loans are Finally Happening]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The gears of the mortgage market are unlocked for borrowers needing big loans. In the expensive coastal markets like California, that means pretty much most people.</p>
<p>Just in the past two weeks, interest rates on the new &quot;conforming jumbo&quot; mortgages -- for amounts between $417,000 and $729,750 -- have come down enough to make a difference to borrowers. And mortgages allowing down payments of just 3 to 5 percent are coming back to the market for borrowers who have good credit.</p>
<p>Last week 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages for a conforming loan, which is for $417,000 or less, was at 6 percent interest with no points.. A conforming jumbo was only one-quarter of a percentage point more, 6.25 percent. Loans for amounts beyond $729,750, now called &quot;jumbo jumbo&quot; loans, were at 7.25 percent.</p>
<p>Before you jump on one of these loans, though, check out FHA mortgages. Insured by the Federal Housing Administration, these loans are available for as much as $729,750 (through December 31st, 2008 only), the same cap as on conforming jumbo loan amounts. FHA's loan-amount cap has been raised through the end of the year so that the program can be more widely used in expensive areas, including California.</p>
<p>The beauty of the FHA program is that borrowers can still make a down payment of as little as 3 percent. FHA has really been taking off.&nbsp;And you only need a&nbsp;FICO [credit] score of 620 and above. Talk about a great source of money for your home buyers on your foreclosure resale flips! You can't complain about selling when the government is giving your buyers such easy money for your resale!</p>
<p>Other good news for borrowers: Fannie Mae is removing its demand for higher down payments in areas it considers &quot;declining markets,&quot; which includes most of the coastal markets. Beginning June 1, Fannie will again accept mortgages with as little as 3 percent down.</p>
<p>In December, Fannie and Freddie started to require an extra 5 percent down in areas where it had determined that home prices were falling. The policy applied even to neighborhoods where prices have been stable or increasing slightly.</p>
<p>Officials at Freddie Mac announced that loans with 5 percent down or less can still be made in declining markets if the loan is for a single-family home that is the borrower's main residence, and the borrower has good credit. It must not be a cash-out refinance.</p>
<p>The credit crunch that's been going on since last August had been making loans especially difficult to get for what used to be considered jumbo amounts, more than $417,000. They were too big to be bought by Fannie and Freddie, and few other investors were interested in buying mortgage-backed securities at any price. That made jumbos particularly difficult for borrowers to obtain, even if they had good credit scores.</p>
<p>Until very recently, the new conforming jumbos were orphaned by the market. Fannie and Freddie weren't exactly sure what to do with them, and neither were bond investors. That's why few were being made, and they didn't offer significant interest-rate savings.</p>
<p>That changed a few weeks ago when Freddie Mac, under pressure to do more to help stabilize the mortgage and housing markets, announced it would buy between $10 billion and $15 billion of the new conforming jumbo mortgages from major lenders such as Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Chase, CitiMortgage and WaMu. That was enough to break the logjam and make the loans affordable, attractive options for buyers and refinancers.</p>
<p>Everything started popping about two weeks ago,&quot; Foley said. &quot;These higher loan amounts are definitely making a difference. If you are thinking of buying at a discount and selling for profit, you best do it quickly. As these great loans go away January 1st! To learn more about how to buy and sell for profit the right way, today, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/learn.asp">you must START HERE.</a></p>]]></description>
<date>5/17/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 10:59:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=271</link>
<id>271</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Job Growth Remains Positive]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Did you know that most service sectors of the economy continue to grow while the construction and manufacturing sectors continue to shed jobs? Yes, overall job growth remains positive, despite 700,000 Construction and Manufacturing jobs lost in the last 12 months. Education and Health services employment remains very strong, with 557,000 jobs added over the last year. Here you go, from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.realestateconsulting.com/home.aspx">John Burns, real estate consulting:</a></font></p><p align="center"><table cellspacing="0" width="455" border="0">    <tbody>        <tr>            <td valign="middle">            <p><img height="289" alt="" width="455" src="http://www.realestateconsulting.com/images/us/us200805.gif" /></p>            </td>        </tr>    </tbody></table></p><p>There is alot of positive data out there proving that the economy is not nearly as bad as the press (or politicians) want you to believe. I've been blogging like crazy about this for a while now. In case you missed it, make sure you read my posting of May 9th <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=day&amp;blogDate=5/9/2008">&quot;WSJ Reports: The Housing Crisis is Over&quot;. </a>I think it will surprise you.</p><p>And if you are wondering how you can kick start your foreclosure business right now, making profits without using any of your own cash or credit, then you don't want to miss my <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp">upcoming Conference Call and Webinar. More here. </a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
<date>5/15/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 10:04:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=270</link>
<id>270</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[1st Quarter Home Sale Results: Mixed]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>The NAR gave their first quarter home sales report- and the results were mixed. One out of three the metropolitan areas&nbsp; showed rising home prices in the first quarter, with only a small number of jumbo loan originations and higher foreclosures resulting in greatly mixed conditions around the country.</p>
<p><strong>Rather than just review the National Averages, here's a more accurate picture reviewing our Regional Markets:</strong></p>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px">
<p><strong>The Northeast:</strong> The median existing single-family home price in the Northeast <strong>ROSE 3.2 percent</strong> to $280,000 in the first quarter from the same period in 2007. After Binghamton, the strongest price increase in the Northeast was in Elmira, N.Y., at $82,500, up 9.6 percent from the first quarter of 2007, followed by Glens Falls, N.Y., with a median price of $163,100, up 7.7 percent.</p>
<p><strong>The South:</strong> The median existing single-family home price was $164,200 in the first quarter, DOWN&nbsp;7.5 percent from a year earlier. After Spartanburg, the strongest price increases in the South were three areas in Texas: El Paso, at $134,600, up 8.5 percent from a year ago, followed by the Amarillo area with an 8.2 percent gain to $122,200, and Beaumont-Port Arthur, at $122,900, up 6.1 percent.</p>
<p><strong>The Midwest:</strong> The median existing single-family home price&nbsp;DECLINED 7.9 percent to $142,700 in the first quarter from the same period in 2007. After Peoria, the strongest metro price increases in the Midwest were in the Decatur area, where the median price of $79,400 was 4.2 percent higher than a year ago, and Springfield, Ill., at $172,200, also up 4.2 percent. Next was the Wichita, Kansas, area, at $112,700, up 4.0 percent from the first quarter of 2007.</p>
<p><strong>The West:</strong> The median existing single-family home price was $296,300 in the first quarter, which is DOWN 12.3<strong> </strong>percent from a year ago. &ldquo;This is the area hardest hit by the slowdown in jumbo mortgage loan origination, which is just now starting to improve,&rdquo; Yun noted.</p>
<p>The <strong>strongest metro price increase in the West</strong> was in the Yakima, Wash., area, at $148,400, up 9.0 percent from a year ago, followed by Farmington, N.M., at $190,000, up 6.3 percent, and the Salt Lake City area, at $225,700, up 3.5 percent from the first quarter of 2007.&nbsp; <a target="_blank" href="http://www.realtor.org/ro/press_room/mixed_home_price_performance_continues.htm">(You can read their full report here.)</a></p>
<p>A proportionately larger slowdown in home sales from a year ago in high-cost markets is continuing to drag down the aggregate national median price. In the first quarter, the median existing single-family home price was $196,300, down 7.7 percent from the first quarter of 2007 when the median price was $212,600. The national median normally is a typical market price, where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less.</p>
<p>Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the numbers don&rsquo;t tell the whole story. &ldquo;These are highly unusual results because there were very few jumbo loan originations in the latest quarter, so sales are much slower in high-cost areas, and at the same time foreclosures related to subprime mortgages rose,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Neighborhoods with little subprime exposure are holding on very well, while prices have fallen in neighborhoods with a wide prevalence of subprime loans because more foreclosed properties are being sold at discounted prices.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Yun pointed out that homeowners with subprime loans account for less than 10 percent of all homeowners. &ldquo;Even so, subprime mortgages account for more than half of all foreclosures. Sharp price declines are principally in neighborhoods where subprime lending has been widely prevalent,&rdquo; he said.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>So what does this all mean to you the foreclosure buyer?</strong> First of all homes are selling. But in a market like this you must have a GREAT LOCATION and be AFFORDABLE WELL PRICED HOUSING -- and the buyers will line up to buy. Next, make sure you BUY THEM RIGHT with at least 30% discount from CURRENT market value, so you can buy, fix and sell quickly and lock in your profits in your bank account! Just like our many clients are doing right now! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/testimonials.asp?cat=L">(Read here.)</a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/learn.asp">To learn more how to make to do this RIGHT NOW -- PLEASE CLICK HERE.</a></p>]]></description>
<date>5/13/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 8:47:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=269</link>
<id>269</id></item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[April Foreclosures and Pre-Foreclosures Drop]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<div><div class="storyHeadlines"><div><div class="h1" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_Headline">I just released our monthly ForeclosureS.com Report and Tips to Buy Smart in Todays Market. The results may surprise you. In case you missed them, here are both reports:</div><div class="h1" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_Headline">&nbsp;</div><div class="h1" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_Headline"><strong><font size="3"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/foreclosurescom-end-near-april-foreclosures/story.aspx?guid=%7B7B05FDC9%2D6DF0%2D47EC%2D8A8E%2DE132925FABBE%7D&amp;dist=msr_2">Is the End Near? April Foreclosures and Pre-Foreclosures Drop</a></font></strong><div class="PageLinksTop" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_PageInformation"><div class="storyLinks"><div class="NewTopLinks" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_NewTopLinks"><div style="clear: both; float: none">&nbsp;<div class="StoryTop"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="7" align="left" border="0">    <tbody>        <tr>            <td align="right">            <div class="pimageSmall" style="float: left"><img id="pimage_201" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Image.aspx?Guid=7b05fdc96df047ec8a8ee132925fabbe&amp;Track=201" /></div>            </td>        </tr>    </tbody></table><div class="p">SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The nation's foreclosure hemorrhage slowed a bit last month. Lenders repossessed 74,570 homes following foreclosure in April, down more than 5% from March. April pre-foreclosures dropped 7.52% from March too, according to California-based ForeclosureS.com ( <a class="lk001" target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/"><font color="#0000cc">www.foreclosures.com</font></a>) foreclosure information specialists.</div><div class="p">&nbsp;</div><div class="p">&quot;The sky isn't falling, and the bottom of the housing market is in sight,&quot; says Alexis McGee, foreclosure information expert, educator, and president of ForeclosureS.com.</div><div class="p">&nbsp;</div><div class="p">ForeclosureS.com, the original foreclosure website now with an expanded data base of more than 5.5 million property listings, has been the professional\'s source for accurate foreclosure property information for more than two decades. The company bases its analysis on the number of formal notices filed against a property during the foreclosure process. That can include notice of default, notice of foreclosure auction, and trustee\'s deeds/REOs (real estate owned by lender through foreclosure).</div><div class="p">&nbsp;</div><div class="p">In the 1st quarter of the year, 2.8 of every 1,000 households ended up back in lenders hands, up from 2.7 in 4th quarter 2007 (213,927 1st quarter filings vs. 197,736 in 4th quarter 2007). Quarter over quarter 17 states actually had fewer REO filings in April, ForeclosureS.com reports. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/foreclosurescom-end-near-april-foreclosures/story.aspx?guid=%7B7B05FDC9%2D6DF0%2D47EC%2D8A8E%2DE132925FABBE%7D&amp;dist=msr_2">FULL REPORT HERE.</a></div><div class="p">&nbsp;</div><div class="p"><div><div class="storyHeadlines"><div><div class="h1" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_Headline"><strong><font size="3"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/foreclosurescom-offers-tips-buy-smart/story.aspx?guid=%7B3B949F15%2DCFEE%2D4319%2DA065%2D8332D6E73C84%7D&amp;dist=msr_1">ForeclosureS.com Offers Tips to Buy Smart in Today's Market</a></font></strong><br /><div class="StoryHeadlineDetails" id="StoryContent_TopPageNavigation_LastUpdated"><div class="StoryTop">&nbsp;</div><div class="StoryBottom"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="7" align="left" border="0">    <tbody>        <tr>            <td align="right">            <div class="pimageSmall" style="float: left"><img id="pimage_201" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Image.aspx?Guid=3b949f15cfee4319a0658332d6e73c84&amp;Track=201" /></div>            </td>        </tr>    </tbody></table><div class="p">SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- When it comes to home purchases, everyone wants to buy low and sell high.</div><div class="p">&nbsp;</div><div class="p">&quot;Now is the Low; high is just around the corner,&quot; says Alexis McGee, foreclosure information expert, educator, and president of foreclosure property information specialists ForeclosureS.com ( <a class="lk001" target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/"><font color="#0000cc">www.ForeclosureS.com</font></a>). &quot;Already pending home sales are climbing in the North, and appear poised to rebound in the South and West, according to the most recent National Association of Realtors Pending Home Sales Index. NAR also predicts existing home sales will climb more than 6% next year, and that median prices -- down this year -- also will climb in 2009.&quot;</div><div class="p">&nbsp;</div><div class="p">With interest rates at a 35 year low, affordable financing, and abundant inventory, it's a buyer's market. &quot;There are plenty of great opportunities that make the American dream of homeownership more affordable today if you know where to look and how to make the right deal,&quot; says McGee, also author of The ForeclosureS.com Guide to Advanced Investing Techniques You Won\'t Learn Anywhere Else (Wiley) and The ForeclosureS.com Guide to Investing in Pre-foreclosures Without Selling Your Soul (Wiley). <a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/foreclosurescom-offers-tips-buy-smart/story.aspx?guid=%7B3B949F15%2DCFEE%2D4319%2DA065%2D8332D6E73C84%7D&amp;dist=msr_1">FULL REPORT HERE. </a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>]]></description>
<date>5/12/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 9:53:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=268</link>
<id>268</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[WSJ Reports: The Housing Crisis Is Over]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p class="articleTitle" style="margin: 0px"><font size="2">The tides are changing.&nbsp;Although the dire headlines that the &quot;housing crisis is intensifying&quot; continues to come fast and furious from the popular press -- the Wall Street Journal has bucked the trend this week and taken a stand.&nbsp;</font><font size="2"><strong>The WSJ has reported that&nbsp;April 2008 will mark the bottom of the U.S. housing market, here:</strong></font><font size="2"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></font><font size="2">&nbsp;</font></p><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px"><font size="2"><h1 class="articleTitle" dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px"><font size="3">The Housing Crisis Is Over</font></h1><h1 class="articleTitle" dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px"><span id="byl" style="font: bold 12px times new roman, times, serif"><font size="2">By CYRIL MOULLE-BERTEAUX<br /><span class="aTime"><em><font color="#666666">May 6, 2008;&nbsp;Page&nbsp;A23</font></em></span></font></span></h1><p class="times"><strong>...Yes, the housing market is bottoming right now.</strong></p><p class="times"><font size="2">How can this be? For starters, a bottom does not mean that prices are about to return to the heady days of 2005.... It just means that the trend is no longer getting worse, which is the critical factor.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">Most people forget that the current housing bust is nearly three years old. Home sales peaked in July 2005. New home sales are down a staggering 63% from peak levels. Housing starts have fallen more than 50% and, adjusted for population growth, are back to the trough levels of 1982.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">Furthermore, residential construction is close to 15-year lows at 3.8% of GDP; by the fourth quarter of this year, it will probably hit the lowest level ever. So what\\\'s going to stop the housing decline? Very simply, the same thing that caused the bust: affordability.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">The boom made housing unaffordable for many American families, especially first-time home buyers. During the 1990s and early 2000s, it took 19% of average monthly income to service a conforming mortgage on the average home purchased. By 2005 and 2006, it was absorbing 25% of monthly income. For first time buyers, it went from 29% of income to 37%. That just proved to be too much.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">Prices got so high that people who intended to actually live in the houses they purchased (as opposed to speculators) stopped buying. This caused the bubble to burst.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">Since then, house prices have fallen 10%-15%, while incomes have kept growing (albeit more slowly recently) and mortgage rates have come down 70 basis points from their highs. As a result, it now takes 19% of monthly income for the average home buyer, and 31% of monthly income for the first-time home buyer, to purchase a house. In other words, homes on average are back to being as affordable as during the best of times in the 1990s. Numerous households that had been priced out of the market can now afford to get in.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">The next question is: Even if home sales pick up, how can home prices stop falling with so many houses vacant and unsold? The flip but true answer: because they always do.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">In the past five major housing market corrections (and there were some big ones, such as in the early 1980s when home sales also fell by 50%-60% and prices fell 12%-15% in real terms), every time home sales bottomed, the pace of house-price declines halved within one or two months.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">The explanation is that by the time home sales stop declining, inventories of unsold homes have usually already started falling in absolute terms and begin to peak out in &quot;months of supply&quot; terms. That\\\\'s the case right now: New home inventories peaked at 598,000 homes in July 2006, and stand at 482,000 homes as of the end of March. This inventory is equivalent to 11 months of supply, a 25-year high &ndash; but it is similar to 1974, 1982 and 1991 levels, which saw a subsequent slowing in home-price declines within the next six months.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">Inventories are declining because construction activity has been falling for such a long time that home completions are now just about undershooting new home sales. In a few months, completions of new homes for sale could be undershooting new home sales by 50,000-100,000 annually.</font></p><p class="times"><font size="2">Inventories will drop even faster to 400,000 &ndash; or seven months of supply &ndash; by the end of 2008. This shift in inventories will have a significant impact on prices, although house prices won\\\'t stop falling entirely until inventories reach five months of supply sometime in 2009. A five-month supply has historically signaled tightness in the housing market...</font></p></font></blockquote><p class="times"><font size="2"><em>(You can read the full story that Mr. Moulle-Berteaux, managing partner of Traxis Partners LP, a hedge fund firm based in New York </em><a target="_blank" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121003604494869449.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries"><em>wrote for the WSJ HERE.)</em></a></font></p><p class="times"><strong><strong><font size="2">Now, if you believe like I do, and this reporter from the WSJ, as well as many other economists --&nbsp;that we are in fact at or near the bottom, why the heck are you reading this blog and not on the phone BUYING FORECLOSURES!? This is YOUR chance for a second bite of the apple! If you are not sure what to do or how to do it profitably, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/mastering_deals.asp">Learn How Here.</a></font></strong></strong></p>]]></description>
<date>5/9/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 1:18:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=267</link>
<id>267</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[Unemployment, Not as Bad as Expected... ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>Here we are with more news that the economy is not as bad as the press is touting...</p>
<p>New filings for unemployment claims fell more than expected in the latest week. &nbsp;Initial filings for state jobless benefits fell by 18,000 to 365,000 in the week ended May 3, the Labor Department said. The consensus estimate of economists surveyed was a drop to 375,000.</p>
<p>Economists say that when initial claims are above 400,000 for several weeks in a row, it indicates an economy in recession; at about 350,000, the economy is in a slowdown.</p>
<p>Robert Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics, said that while Americans may think that we are in a recession, the economic numbers do not indicate that we are in a recession.</p>
<p>&quot;As long as these jobless claims hover in this no man zone between 400 and 350, they are telling me that we are having some trouble, but we are not in a recession,&quot; Brusca said.</p>
<p>Initial claims for the week ended April 26 increased the most in Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, New Jersey and Michigan. The largest decreases occurred in Texas, Rhode Island, California, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. In states showing the highest jump in filings, the increase was due mostly to layoffs in the transportation, service, automobile and manufacturing sectors.</p>]]></description>
<date>5/8/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 9:28:00 AM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=266</link>
<id>266</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[Now a $10,000 Buyers Tax Credit?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p>As if the $7,500 Foreclosure Buyers Tax Credit wasn't a good enough idea --&nbsp;Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., has what he hopes will prove to be the cure for the country's ailing housing market -- a $10,000 income tax credit for those who purchase any home (not&nbsp;just a foreclosure)!&nbsp;</p>
<p>House Republican leaders on Tuesday touted Terry's tax credit idea as one-half of a two-pronged approach to dealing with the housing crisis and its role in the country's current economic woes. The Republican proposal is being offered as an alternative to a plan put forward by Democrats, one that could reach the House floor as early as today.</p>
<p>If passed, the proposed $10,000 tax credit would be available for 12 months. It is aimed at persuading people to take the leap and break the current housing logjam, Terry said.</p>
<p>Under the plan, home buyers would be able to deduct the amount of the credit from their federal income tax liability. If the credit exceeded the tax liability, they could carry the difference over for one year. The maximum credit allowed would be $10,000. The credit would be capped at 10 percent of a home's purchase price, so the purchase of a $90,000 house would trigger a credit of $9,000.</p>
<p><strong>Terry said that by helping to reduce inventories, his proposal would help maintain home values, spark the economy and create jobs.</strong><strong>I have to agree with him on that! </strong></p>
<p><strong>I can't wait to talk to you about this </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>TONIGHT in my New Investor Teleconference Call and Webinar at 6pm PST (9pm EST)!</strong></a><strong> This is big money to be made right now when buying and selling foreclosures for profit, and you won't want to miss out! </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/TeleConf.asp"><strong>Talk to you Tonight! More Here.</strong></a></p>]]></description>
<date>5/7/2008</date>
<time>1/1/1900 3:15:00 PM</time>
<link>http://www.foreclosures.com/www/blog/?view=plink&amp;id=265</link>
<id>265</id></item>
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<title><![CDATA[Pent Up Demand and Near a Housing Bottom]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">The Pending Home Sales Index edged down 1% nationally in March. But when I took a closer look, I found the regional numbers&nbsp;paint a clearer picture of what's hot and what's not:</span></p>
<p><font size="2">Northern Pending Sales jumped 12.5%<br />
Southern Pending Sales stayed flat at 0.1%<br />
Western Pending Sales dropped slightly at 1.4%<br />
Midwestern Pending Sales fell 10.4%</font></p>
<p><font size="2">Existing-home sales are projected to rise from an annual pace of 4.95 million in the first quarter to 5.82 million in the fourth quarter. For all of 2008, existing-home sales are likely to total 5.39 million, and then rise 6.1 percent to 5.72 million next year. &ldquo;Although more than half of local markets are expected to see price growth this year, the aggregate existing-home price will decline 2.4 percent in 2008, driven by a relatively few markets that are very oversupplied,&rdquo; Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist said. The median price is forecast at $213,700 this year before rising 4.1 percent to $222,600 in 2009.</font></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">Prices of existing homes maybe dropping, but inventories have been dropping as well. The ongoing falloff in sales has led to the number of houses for sale dropping in March. Specifically, there were 468,000 new homes for sale in March, down from a peak of 548,000 a year earlier. For existing homes, the comparable figures are 4.1 million homes for sale in March, down from a high of 4.6 million homes last July.</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">An economist with the National Association of Homebuilders, Bernard Markstein, said the demand for housing today is commensurate with housing starts of between 1.8 million and 1.85 million units a year. His organization estimates that there will be only 926,000 units built in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region> this year, down from 1.3 million last year. </span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">In 2004 and 2005, 1.9 million and 2.1 million units, respectively, were constructed, exceeding demand and leading to today's surplus. However, in Mr. Markstein's estimation, the sharp falloff in new construction should lead the industry higher by midyear.</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">An economist with the National Association of Realtors, Paul Bishop, also suggests that we are nearing a bottom of the housing cycle. He reports that inventories of existing homes are currently at 9.9 months' supply, down from a peak of 10.5 months last October. He is forecasting that sales this year will be slightly more than 5.3 million, down from 5.6 million in 2007. In 2009, his organization is looking for sales to increase to 5.7 million units. </span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">In this context, he projects that prices will on average decline 1.4% in 2008 from the level in 2007, but that by the end of the year prices will be trending higher, and that in 2009 the average home price will be up nearly 4%. </span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">Both analysts welcome the housing support bills currently before Congress. Mr. Bishop says that &quot;anything that provides an incentive will help at the margin. Consumers need to see that the worst is over.&quot; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"><strong>What the scary news accounts fail to mention, he points out, is that during thi