07Nov
Will a new president be able to fix the housing market? The most critical questions facing President-elect Obama are: How will he divvy up the remaining $450 billion from the financial industry bailout? Who will lead those efforts when Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson steps down? And what will the government ultimately do with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Read the full story here.
07Nov
How are we supposed to make sense of the conflicting signals? On the one hand, there are numerous stories reporting that the credit crisis has caused enormous changes in the real estate market - and in a very short space of time. We’ve gone from a situation where loans were handed out with virtually no restrictions to almost a lending freeze. So lease-to-own agreements are increasingly popular as more owners have trouble selling their homes and plenty of buyers can’t get a mortgage - but the deals are complicated, with pros and cons on both sides. Read the full story here.
Other reports are convinced that, with federal money recharging the financial system, many banks are ready to lend, but nervous consumers aren’t seeking loans and small businesses remain cautious about their borrowing. It’s going to take time for things to change, say industry experts, who predict that loan demand will remain weak into early 2009. Here’s the full story.
Our experience? The big banks have definitely withdrawn many, many programs and can be a nightmare to deal with at present. Other smaller banks who were not as extravagant in the good times are better able to respond to lending requests and have funds available. So shop around!
Tags: rent a house to own, rent to own, rent to own homes, rent to own houses, rent to own property
21Oct
In case they didn’t know it from their own books, a group of Florida business executives heard this message from a pair of economists here Thursday: Business is pretty bad right now. But the pundits predict a turnaround by mid-summer of 2009, and a recovery by 2011.
Read the full story here.
Tags: causes of economic recession, economic recession, economic recessions in america
21Oct
According to mortgage and sales data from Zillow.com, more than four in 10 South Florida homeowners who bought in the last five years owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Some of those frustrated homeowners now wonder if they should default on their loans in order to take advantage of lender programs.
Read the full story here.
Tags: florida homes, florida homes for sale, foreclosures
10Oct
Amid all of the current uncertainty, its not surprising that home buyers are becoming even more cautious:
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) estimates that there are about 25% fewer people shopping for homes than there normally would be at this time of year. Potential buyers are worried about their jobs, their declining investments and falling housing prices, which is keeping them on the sidelines, according to spokesman Walter Molony.
“You have to have a lot of confidence to make this kind of big-ticket purchase in the current environment,” said Molony.
Read all of the story here.
Tags: florida homes, florida homes for sale, homes for sale in Central Florida, homes for sale in florida, new homes in florida
09Oct
Many people are! If you need some online help and advice (and you want to contact more people that just us) you can find some resources here.
08Oct
Here’s one analysis that makes a plea to sort out the housing market if we want to get the economy back on track.
08Oct
Pending home sales surged 7.4 percent, according to NAR’s latest Pending Home Sales Index, and the number is 8.8 percent higher year-over-year. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says homebuyers were responding to improved affordability, especially in states such as Florida, California, Nevada, Arizona and Rhode Island.
Read the full story here.
08Oct
Real estate investors want to buy low and sell high, but which neighborhoods will see an increase in value? Look for the artists. They generally flock to lower-valued properties, but hip boutiques and cool restaurants usually follow.
Read the full story here.
08Oct
Countrywide Financial, now owned by Bank of America, will provide financial relief to 52,000 Florida homeowners, who could see their mortgage principal or interest rate reduced. The deal will cost up to $1 billion under a settlement reached with the state’s attorney general.
Read the full story here.
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